Sitemap
Index
Print Page
Enlarge Text
Reduce Text
Member LoginBrendan Williams ACS Workshop
19/05/07
On Saturday 19 May, esteemed director/ DOP Brendan Williams ACS conducted a workshop detailing specialised cinematography techniques for the photography of cars in television commercials. Williams has shot numerous car commercials for the likes of BMW and Mitsubishi and has received many ACS awards for his efforts.
The workshop attendees gathered in the television studio at QUT’s Cultural Industries precinct in Kelvin Grove, where Brendan screened a range of his recent car TVCs. The DOP broke down the shots in these commercials, explaining where composite elements from different shots were stitched together to form spectacular shots which would have been impossible, if not cost restrictive, to do using other methods.
Brendan went on to explain how a complex ‘bullet time’-style shot was cleverly shot using a Steadicam. In the scene, a cityscape complete with flying pigeons, extras, the hero car and the obligatory good looking female model seem to go from normal pace to ultra-slow motion, while the camera quickly tracks around to show specific details within the scene. The shot, which could have cost an obscene amount to shoot with proprietary digital stills camera arrays, was achieved by directing the cast and car to act in slow-motion, while the Steadicam moved from position to position. The shot was ramped in post production and a number of 2D VFX elements, including the animated pigeon, were added to sell the effect as camera-real.
Williams also explained a highly successful spot he shot for BMW, where a silver sedan from the 1960s magically morphs through successive models until it eventually becomes the current model. All the while, the car is driving around a race track at speed. In one transition, the car is travelling at down the straight of the race track with the camera chasing the vehicle in a profile from a helicopter. Suddenly the car morphs into the next model. The cinematographer explained how the section of track, the hero car’s speed, helicopter altitude and camera angle were matched as closely as possible and multiple passes were photographed on each car to provide as much information to the VFX team who performed the morph in post production. Williams went on to detail his use of a picture-car mounted boom that was rigged out of the sunroof of the hero cars. Completely freestanding and counterweighted, the boom allowed for a 360-degree circular track around the car while it was driving on the racecourse. Passes were shot on two different models and the shots were married together in post production.
After answering a barrage of questions from intrigued participants, Brendan cued gaffer Glenn Jones to turn the lights on over a shiny black wagon. Williams explained that lighting for cars is really about lighting the reflective surfaces on the car, and therefore large unbroken sources are called for. In this case, a 20ft x 20ft sail was placed horizontally over the car at a low height. A pair of 5kW fresnels were shot into the scrim. Brendan instructed the grips to move the car around the space while the group surveyed the lighting through a monitor hooked up to a video camera. It became clear to the audience that lighting cars in studio was a matter of clinical placement of sources relative to the angle of the reflective panels on the car. Brendan lined up specific camera angles that would best show off the features of our heri vehicle, noting that each car has its own personality, and thus different hero angles.
Brendan then instructed Jones to place some hard light into the grille and headlights, and bounce light into the wheel rims of the vehicle. The DOP explained an alternative lighting style, achieved by turning off all of the lights except one 5kw, on which the barn doors were tightened. Glenn panned this lamp slowly across the scrim. The result was dynamic, with the audience’s eye being directed towards the part of the car reflecting the 5kw slash.
After lunch, the participants were taken outside to view a low loader rig built by grip Nic Karam. A car was placed on the back of a trailer with a tracking vehicle in the lead. Williams discussed all the aspects of shooting vehicles in this manner, highlighting the ease of achieving ‘rig’ style shots without time consuming and complex moving car rigs. He mentioned the importance of the low loader, in particular when actors were supposed to be seen driving the car. The workshop was shown a lighting rig where a 4kw HMI par was placed firing into the front windscreen for a profile driver shot lined up on the video camera. White diffusion was placed in front of the lamp to soften the source and Brendan discussed contrast ratios relating to the interior car and the exterior background.
Finally, the group moved over to a tracking vehicle on which a remote head camera crane was placed. Karam moved a car into position to the rear of the tracking vehicle and all participants were given the controls of the hot head. Grips assistant Barry Tilley manned the bucket of the crane and allowed members of the group to perform energetic sweeping shots of the car. As the sun went down over the QUT campus, Williams commented on the large soft source that was lighting the car very favourably; the sky – the biggest soft source of them all.
Thanks to Jo Kenny and QUT as well as Glenn Jones, Chris Fleet, Tristan Houghton, Nic Karam, Barry Tilley and of course Brendan Williams ACS for making this fantastic and informative workshop a reality.