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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

Lighting a Shampoo/Hair ad

Well, I guess you want to know how to light the light rays on the hair. For what I can tell in my amateurish POV, they are fluorescent tube lights near the subject.

Just my 2c. Hope someone can give you a more profesional POV.
 
Brandon said:
Hi, I'm trying to recreate this Asian shampoo ad and need some advice on how to light it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wg8ggXawmNY

Any help/tips appreciated.

THANKS!
Click to expand...

Hi,

Normally huge soft tungsten sources, and high speed film. I saw a 'Beauty' DOP have 20 x 10K's on his set for a shampoo commercial all bounced or defused. I have never known anybody to use HMI's as the color output is not so good.

Stephen
 
A big tungsten source like a 20k Fresnel placed (paradoxically above and behind the camera - watch out for nose shadow and facial modelling plus skin texture - get a good defined chin shadow) with lots of fill from lens direction (to avoid harsh shadowing and to flatten out the skin - through heavy diff) is a good start plus a 20k doing backlight on the subject (get big eye lenses for maximum source size) -try various diffusions but I often find that 'brushed silk' is pretty good on the backlight as it spreads out the highlight in an anisotropic way which will enhance and spread shine properties on the hair while retaining some punch. Generally not too soft on the hairlight as you want max highlight kick off it.


if you're shooing high-speed don't use kinos as there is a possibility of flicker in off-hertz speeds - if not the kamio light is pretty good for skin smoothing and eye lights - HMI tends to bounce off the sub-dermal veins under the skin and create a ruddy complexion so avoid them too - the aim of the game is to get as much shine out of the hair so make friends with the stylist - she's going to be you're best friend on the day. Polas can occasionally help to position the shine in the hair but use with caution as colour balance can shift as they go off axis - keep a good eye on that if you do put one on.

Hope that is useful. Best of luck on the shoot.
 
thanks guys, this is the info I was looking for.

Of course I only have the small lights I have, but we'll see what I can do.

If anyone has more thoughts I'd still love to hear them.

THANKS!
 
Not mentioned yet but obviously vital: A great hairstylist. They can cost a fortune but are every penny worth.

The model needs exceptional hair. Especially if those high-speed shots are desired. The hair needs a fair amount of substance to move with the energy you want to show.

Black hair is easier than blond hair. Blond hair tends to burn out (especially if not shot with 35mm) more quickly while dark hair delivers a nice contrast for the reflections you need. Tons of backlight are required. Contrast is here the key.

There is a big stress on the models hair (hot location, preppeing the hair all the time, etc...) You have to know what you want to achieve. Use a stand-in for experiments.

Last but not least, the over-all look is important as well. Are the models from 2009 or do their type look out-dated? Even the most advanced dresses cannot help here. Shampoo spots, especially for women are high-end - not only technical but also look-wise.

Can look very easy cheesy.

Hans
 
I was on a skin commercial shoot and I noticed it made the hair look like it was from a hair care commercial from the way they lit it. They built a bounce card frame/room around the talents head just off camera with Kinos for the "ceiling". It gave the nicest ambient light with the high lights like in that example but the talent also looked great without all that stuff.
 
The shot at :05-:06 is an interesting approach. Being a hair commercial not a skin care spot they flipped the key/fill-backlight ratio to draw the eye more to the hair than the face. Unusual for these kind of spots but I kinda like it.
 
Oh, btw if you plan on doing something like that I would definitely discuss it with the director/agency people ahead of time. That's definitely the kind of thing you want everyone on the same page with in pre-prod otherwise on the day they'll be wondering aloud why the hell you're leaving her face in shadow.
 
Good advise Dominic.

If you have , as you said - smaller lights - I would try to tighten up the frame as much as possible and move 4x8 sheets of beadboard as close to subject as you can. Spread your tungsten light on those boards-
And take a look at Pierluca DeCarlo's work at Identity Media, he's got some beautiful spots.
Peter.
 
This forum is awesome. Combined, I'd say you guys know everything about everything related to film and video.

Thanks for always taking the time to answer these questions.

-shooter
 
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