Ok, so it’s my last day here at NAB 2007.  Now back to reality (aka work).  Damn.  I wish it could last forever.  Anyhow, my last day consisted of walking the floor some more and of taking the following classes:

• Creative Lighting with Shadows
• Green Screen Lighting

Walking the Floor
I got to see the NewTek booth and played around with the Tricaster Pro (see my blog entry on this).  Basically, it’s a portable studio in a box.  A must see if you are webcasting.

I also visited other smaller booths and did another walk around the Apple and Adobe booths (what can I say, I’m a fan).  Now on to my classes.

Creative Lighting With Shadows
This was a really neat class that inspired me again to be more creative and not just strive to finish the video and deliver it immediately.  Taught by Victor Milt, legendary cameraman and director (he shot the famous Irish Spring commercials, plus lots more), the class covered how to “paint your scene with shadows”.  

Since reality is three dimensional and film (video) is two dimensional, you need to create shadows to give video that three dimensional look. Without shadows, the image is flat.  You want your shadows to come forward toward the camera.  When you do that, you can then paint with light and separate the shadows with beautiful light.

Victor also recommended that we shoot exterior shots either at sunrise or sunset.  NEVER shoot during high noon (unless of course you want that kind of look).

Another thing to look for is to have a “bright spot” in your scene, sort of a center of focus.

He spoke about “Pool Of Light lighting” which is darks separated by lights and to have the talent walk through them.

He ended the seminar by saying that you are not judged by the equipment you own, but by how good your footage looks.   Amen to that!
This was an informative class, taught by Victor Milt again, explaining how to light your green screen on the cheap. 

He recommended that you turn on zebras in your camera and set it to about 80 IRE and pull your iris until you start seeing your zebra lines.   If your entire screen goes zebra at once, you are evenly lit, if not, play around and light your dark spots on the screen.

He also recommended that the talent be 6 to 10 fee away from the backdrop (the greenscreen) and that you light them separately.

So this brings to the end of my trip to Las Vegas and to NAB 2007.  Overall, I think I would give NAB 2007 an 8+.  I really enjoyed the entire trip and learned so much that I believe it was worth the money spent.

Until my next blog!

Chau!