Shooting Artist Drawing on Pad

[Ravi Kiran]

I have an upcoming gig to shoot an artist drawing on a paper pad on a table. The video will be sped-up and edited to a narration audio track, with slight post-zooms on the image. I initially thought I would slightly undercrank (maybe 18fps on a 23.98 timebase), but I'm thinking that I'll shoot it real-time so I can show a section in real-time if I have to.

What are your recommendations on shooting this? Here are some initial thoughts:

-Light with Kino-Flo kit so heat is not a problem and we get soft, even light.

-Shoot a wide shot on Sony EX-3 at 1920x1080 24p, do post-zooms in After Effects on a 1280x720 composition.

I am doing some tests tomorrow, but I've zoomed in on EX-3 footage before and I've found it can handle some zooming without falling apart.

What's the best way to get the camera pointing down at the table so it is perpendicular? Would a slightly angled drafting table work best for this? How would I keep the artist's pad locked in place so it doesn't move?

 

[Peter Strietmann]

To get your camera to a vertical position use a wedge plate between the camera and the tripod, http://www.filmtools.com/filmtools-standard-tilt-plate-aka-wedge.html

I would imagine your local rental house could hook you up.

 

[Ryan De Franco]

Such a wedge plate can be creatively positioned directly above the table using two parallel 6' or 8' black pipe into big bens on medium rollers on either side. Clamp the 90 degree plate onto a square of lumber clamped across the two pieces. Total cost <$100 at a place like Xeno lights in NY.

I'm not a key grip but this is how we rigged it for a similar shoot. I'm sure there's a more elegant solution that involves screwing the tilt plate into wood, and an ingenious solution using clamps I've never heard of... for that, hire a pro.

Also, shoot Red! Re-framing in order to move around the drawing is going to be limiting in 1080, 720 export or not. Remember this is hard, thin lines on a white surface; your image might become unacceptably soft with the same crop that worked for you before. A scarlet would also be about 1/3 as heavy and far more maneuverable than the EX-3.

(PS Cinematography.com has more discussions like this one.)

 

[David Ariel]

Couple things and considerations:

Are you going to reveal the artist in those wide shots? If so...Your initial setup sounds nice overall but I would ask the artist if you could see a sample of their work prior to shooting to establish their aestheitic and how you want to compliment or detract away from the art. Try to visualize the following scenarios:

1) Drawing aesthetic is smeary, muted contrast, lots of gradation and shading, lines are soft, etc.

If you light the artist softly with a Kino you in effect blur the artist into the drawing itself. In this case the artist and the art are seamless and
compliment each other.

If you light the artist with a hard light. Tungsten Fresnel or HMI as a key with a sharp fall off, you define the artist more than the art. In this case
you create tension and distance between the art and the artist. The focus is the artist.

2) Drawing aesthetic is harsh, hard lines, contrasty, shading is done by hatching or cross hatching widely spaced lines, etc.

Light the artist with a hard key light and they compliment each other. Soft Light and the drawing stands out more.

I would light the paper separately. Place a hard light with a long throw far from the paper and the table at an extremely shallow angle respective to the surface. This will reveal the texture of the paper and provide "depth" and interest in an otherwise flat object. Canson or any quality drawing paper has a subtle texture that will show up as well as curls, slight creases, bumps, or pulls in the paper. You will be amazed how many imperfections show up in the paper and provide interest. Also, fragments of whatever media(charcoal, pencil, pastel) they are using will show up nicely as they break off through use and cast longer shadows then normal. Think of this as the most unflattering way to light a human being as to reveal every pore, pimple, and blemish on their skin.

If you have access to a dslr with video, set it up on a tripod with a long lens wide open or a macro place shallow focus on fixed plane. As the artist creates strokes on the drawing their hand and pencil will sweep into focus and out. This would be a great camera to cut to and provide detail shots if you need coverage and its really simple. You don't need to worry about it. Set it and forget it!

I would check out "The Pacific" intro for some more inspiration. I haven't seen it in awhile but have some of the images engrained in my head.