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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 :)

reflected lighting trick

David Ellison

David Ellison

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Hi, could someone give me an idea of how this lighting affect was achieved in the new Brad Pitt Chanel No. 5 commercial.
They somehow created a reflected golden light along the walls as though it was reflected off a large bottle of the aftershave.

[video]http://www.youtube.com/user/CHANEL/featured?v=9UvVmMamNgE[/video]

Is it as simple as reflecting a lamp off a bottle / pool of water.


Some advice please and apologies for the link in advance if it isn't allowed

Many thanks.
 
while it is theoretically possible to create those patterns using just glass bottles, my guess is that they probably pre-recorded those patterns in a controlled setting or possibly created them in After Effects and then just projected them on set using a slow exposure to compensate for flicker. Or better yet , just mask them in AE.
 
Your link doesnt work. But the standard way to reflect a light pattern with shadows is to mask up a mirror with the patterns you want and reflect a spot light from the mirror onto the subject.

Funny i just answered a similar question this morning about someone wanting to get a sharp ray of light through a pool and it is the same technique without the masking.

You need at least a big single "hard" source to do this. A 4k HMI with a spot lens does the trick well, or maybe a mid stipple lens if you want a bigger spread. You will need a pretty big mirror however at least a 4x4.

Again i drink Heineken...
 
Is that a real commercial or satire? I've only seen it once but I thought it was the latter.
 
Fixed the link.

I have a theory.

You shoot footage of crystals or prisms being hit by this golden light against black.
Then using the black you alpha channel that onto the footage using screen layer blending in AE.
I don't think the light is following anything's contours so I think it's a post job.

Sounds right?
 
Reminds me of Star Trek :P
Coming from the live production world and as an exercise in practical lighting, you can get a wavy glass look several ways with theatrical effects - most of the bigger moving lights have a variable focus and various effects to give you part of that look (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNTuFL8-rew Towards the end of this they touch on some of the animation effects as an example). Shining an ellipsoidal (like a Source 4 750) onto something like Lee 274 that has some gentle wrinkles on it, or even on aluminum foil with appropriate masking could yield a usable look, as would shower glass, but it is harder to find anymore. Rosco has similar media. There are some scenic projectors that will do it, or you could cheat - create the simple effect in post and project it onto the wall with a video projector. That's probably the way I'd do it if I had to recreate the commercial for an actual audience (shareholder meeting, whatever). Not that I'm suggesting that's how it was done - just that it could be done. As always - what's the budget?
 
the bottle is the size of a person. yes, it's a composite. no it ain't a spoof. yes creating a bent glass prism etc shooting against black and putting it in here would be the Aronofsky-Fountain way to do it. sadly it is so clean and perfect it is likely someone's screensaver turned $300,000 after effects job.

here is the spoof you are looking for

[video]http://www.hulu.com/watch/415488[/video]

splendiferious.
 
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