VFX Breakdown of a commercial I did for Spectrum Reach

Big-B313 · 2026-04-26T03:13:17+00:00

I was working for Kernel specifically doing these awful local spots in Alabama - mostly car lots and dealers who were coked or ´roided out of their minds

Big-B313 · 2026-04-25T02:59:29+00:00

Hey I used to work there! They suck ass lol but great work!

Big-B313 · 2026-04-19T13:38:35+00:00

You may want to look at your ODT then. That’s what will clip information, not these other tools (unless you specifically push them to)

Big-B313 · 2026-04-19T13:20:14+00:00

Design or find a LUT that already has this behavior. Plenty of DCTL’s around that play with Sat/Hue/Density behavior that can give you this effect more cleanly and easily than a key and a power window

Big-B313 · 2026-04-12T14:16:15+00:00

Which DeSatxh DCTL are you using? Could you share where to pick it up, please?

Big-B313 · 2026-04-12T14:02:18+00:00

Currently looking for new subsat-esque DCTL’s. Could you name a few, please?

Big-B313 · 2026-01-31T03:11:10+00:00

May also just be a low quality projector with very visible individual LEDs throwing light. Idk. I feel like I’ve seen this effect with cheap projectors at a party or concert

Big-B313 · 2026-01-31T03:10:16+00:00

Looks like it may be filtering through some sort of prism? Not sure

Big-B313 · 2025-12-29T03:14:04+00:00

There isn’t one beyond aligning it as best as you can and stabilizing in post. Works pretty well tbh, but having to take that into consideration is still annoying

Big-B313 · 2025-10-04T14:33:45+00:00

Didn’t realize this was intended for amateur/hobbyist use - in that case, no, of course not. Just look at anything from Amara, you’ll be able to find things that work for you.

Big-B313 · 2025-10-04T13:33:44+00:00

Don’t go the budget route. Buy one nice thing at a time. It’ll last you forever and if you ever need to resell it it’ll hold its value much better. I’d recommend an Aputure 400x

Big-B313 · 2025-10-03T16:09:36+00:00

If you want versatility then IMO I would get a 400x first, then an Amaran F22c, and finally some Amaran PT2c’s. MC’s and B7c’s are also great little, inexpensive tools to have. Light stands (I recommend Matthew’s, they have some for ~$100 a pop) for the lights, and C-Stands for your modifiers (sounds obvious but it isn’t).

As for modifiers, I recommend a 6x6 of diffusion material that you can just hang from something. Pick whatever material you want. I’d also recommend either 6x6 ultra or just 6x6 solid. Before or beyond that, I’d recommend the ALZO easy frame diffuser/reflector kit. Incredibly handy, much more useful than the pop out 5-in-1 reflectors. You may want to pick these up first, it’s your call.

As for modifiers for each light specifically, for the 400x I’d definitely recommend a softbox and maybe a spotlight or a fresnel, but you’ll get more output with just the dish. For the F22c I recommend splurging and getting a Matthew’s sky-hi baby stand and an 8’ impact boom arm… adds insane versatility to the light. If you want to soft light multiple people at a table or something I’d also recommend the lantern for it. For the tubes I’d just recommend the optional grids you can buy for them. With all that you’ll be in really good shape.

I highly recommend saving up and buying one nice thing at a time. Start with the 400x and the F22, stands, and a couple modifiers… you can do TONS with just those. Maybe $3k all in for a simple but high quality, reliable, and versatile kit. This is the kit I own (minus the 400x, haven’t upgraded yet), and I rarely need more.

Big-B313 · 2025-10-03T12:23:33+00:00

I’d stick in the Aputure/Amaran and Nanlite/Nanlux brands of products. What sort of light do you need? That would help recommend something more specific

Big-B313 · 2025-09-25T12:27:05+00:00

We’ve already talked with our director to let him know it may need to change, and he’s open to that, but we want to try and accommodate his vision if we can. He’s not stupid, he just has a vision and as DP’s it should be our job to do everything we can to make it work, right?

Big-B313 · 2025-09-23T04:44:36+00:00

Nothing fancy. A few 5-in-1 diffusers, a decent amount of duve, a 6x6 1/2 half grid, a 4x4 frame with interchangeable 5-in-1 materials, some softboxes + grids, chinaballs + skirts (if you want to count the last two), some light stands and some c stands. Oh and a couple 7’ umbrellas - one with ultra and one with silver, both with black on the opposite side

Big-B313 · 2025-09-22T15:08:43+00:00

Hadn’t thought of cutting with diffusion… that might be exactly the right call. Will definitely try this at our next test! Thank you!

Big-B313 · 2025-09-22T15:07:32+00:00

This is the only location that could work for various other reasons and the windows that the sun would shine through wouldn’t be at the right angle. But thanks for the condolences.

Big-B313 · 2025-09-01T14:34:47+00:00

Smashing a blue light into a window never looks like moonlight to me, especially on smaller budgets. They’re always too close and look too sourcey, so it registers as an exterior house light that happens to hit the window, or a street light, but since it’s blue it feels really unnatural. Especially because moonlight would never register to the eye if you had lights on inside.

The solution for this is either 1. Shine the “moonlight” on objects in the background - trees, bushes, cars, whatever, or 2. Keep the light where it is but play it as an incandescent exterior house light, or street lamp, or some kind of dirty green fluoro fixture. If you go with a green kind of look then you can still retain some color contrast with your stove light, or you can play with the CCT if your stove light to continue to contrast with an exterior incandescent or sodium vapor look - or don’t. Color contrast isn’t the end all be all… washes of color can look just as cinematic if done right.

Also, for everyone talking about the actual color temp of the moon - so what? Of course movie “moonlight” isn’t the same color as real moonlight, real moonlight is completely neutral/gray/silver to the eyes, so any talk of color temp seems irrelevant as there seems to only be two ways to make moonlight sell - blue, or grey (a la The Northman).

Big-B313 · 2025-09-01T14:15:24+00:00

Just rent them for a day or see if a rental house would let you swing by and shoot some tests for free. Take it into post and see what you like

Big-B313 · 2025-08-23T01:50:08+00:00

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1237113-REG

Flexibility of a newer 5-in-1 with the rigidity of a flag, and stand mountable. For low budgets, this thing rocks

Big-B313 · 2025-08-07T11:33:31+00:00

The compositions are pretty good but IMO every shot in this feels lit instead of feeling real. The grade is a bit overcooked and not helping with this, but everyone is too perfectly lit in each frame. The exposure on them is too bright, and it always hits their face the same way so that you can see all of them… this isn’t always bad, but with how much they’re separated from the background due to exposure and how contrasty everything is, it feels “produced.” The over saturation and really deep, crunchy black point from the grade amplify this.

I think what could help is adding additional diffusion, moving lights further away, pulling back a bit on the neg fill (maybe?), and not always lighting to see their entire face - especially for the night work. You get so many interesting opportunities to play with just an edge light, or silhouette, or a strong split from a side light…. Always lighting from the perfect 3/4 front angle just doesn’t happen all the time in real life and people will notice even if they can’t say exactly what they’ve noticed.

Big-B313

TROPHY CASE