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100
fps Synch Strobe Flashes
Published : 16th January 2004
I have a night shoot where I am emulating the Paparazzi effect
of multiple camera flashes firing during each take. The Director
would like to shoot at 100fps so I am thinking about how to
generate long flashes, or how to sync the flashes to the shutter.
I read that Theo van de Sande synced strobes for the opening
of Blade, where he also used a short exposure to great effect.
The shots will be frozen at some of the flash points. I'm
also fairly sure that I've read here at some point about Lighting
Strikes 'Paparazzi Units' for exactly this purpose, but no-one
seems to have heard of them.
If I have four or five Terra-strobes firing at maximum I'm
sure something will register but I'd like to be a little more
accurate than that. I'm on a Panavised SR3 HS. Can't seem
to find anything in the archives, any advice would be much
appreciated. Thanks.
Kind regards
Shane Daly
Director of Photography, London
http://www.shanedaly.co.uk
Shane Daly wrote:
>I have a night shoot where I
am emulating the Paparazzi effect of >multiple camera flashes
firing during each take. The Director would like >to shoot
at 100fps
Recently did something very similar only we shot during the
day ( gray overcast in NYC) 5274 stop was around 4- 5.6 most
of the time. I also wanted a paparazzi effect so I got 4 Lumidyne
flash heads with back up batteries. These are switchable 100,200,400
watt seconds for the output. Widest frame was a medium shot,
waist up or waist down and I had the strobes manually fired
from various angles according to the needs of the shot. I
had the Strobes were reading f16 and sometimes 22 at the 400
w/s setting. They read really well on the subject and their
randomness made a very credible paparazzi effect. These particular
strobe units had a sync box with them that we decided not
to use that would allow the strobes to be ganged together
and sequenced to a degree, but not to the shutter on the 435.
If you want to see an effect where the strobe event ramps
up from 0 to full intensity in slow motion then you would
need a longer duration flash, like the output from the disposable
flash bulbs used 40 years ago or the fabled paparazzi units
from lightning strikes.
I think the strobe units I used cost all of $150 to rent for
the day for my shoot. I would ring up a photo rental place
and kick around some ideas with their techs. A relatively
small amount of money and some free hands can create your
effect.
Least of your worries is getting the strobe effect to register,
unless you go for a narrower shutter angle than 180. As the
shutter narrows, you have less chance of seeing the strobe
effect.
Mark Smith
Oh Seven Films
143 Grand St
Jersey City, NJ 07302
>If I have four or five Terra-strobes
firing at maximum I'm sure something >will register
but I'd like to be a little more accurate than that. I'm on
a >Panavised SR3 HS
Hi Shane --
If they are like the Terra strobes I've used (or D50's, D150's
or HyperFlash) they're limited to 10 flashes per second. You
can get great effects but at 100 fps....well maybe if you
staggered all 5...the point is with 172/180 degree shutter
you'll get pretty much 5 flashes max per realtime second on
film...so @ 24 one unit would give you ~ one flash on every
6 frames.. @ 100 this is like one per second of screen time
per unit...do the math.
I've done this with several units & individual controllers,
and also with DMX but I've been burned with DMX - suggest
you thoroughly test at the rental house if you go with DMX,
frankly a few PA's is simpler in my mind.
The Lightning Strikes solution sounds more controllable and
elegant, but rock strobes can work. I don't know if you'd
have shutter edge issues with the HSR @ 100 - probably minimal
to invisible...
Bear in mind, what you see in the vf is what you're not getting...I've
found it helps a little to tweak a variable speed control
on the camera as you're running.
Also if you use Terra strobes especially be careful of lamp
position and ventilation, believe me..
Sam Wells
Thanks very much to Sam Wells and Mark Smith for the feedback.
I ended up with two Paparazzi Units and two Terrastrobes,
the combination worked really well. The solution of original
flashbulbs was vetoed on cost per bulb but would have worked
very well also.
Thanks again
Shane Daly
Director of Photography
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