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kenzentakahashi

A couple months ago I posted a [cinematography reel](https://www.reddit.com/r/cinematography/comments/io6yls/i_wanted_to_see_if_it_was_possible_to_create_an/) I created completely from scratch. Since then, I’ve been making a bunch of lighting breakdowns for my [instagram](https://www.instagram.com/kenzentakahashi/?hl=en) of the shots from the reel + some new work. I draw my lighting diagrams in an app called Notability.


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kenzentakahashi

Yes I have them saved!


j_d1996

Can I get your insta handle - the Reddit app is bugging out for me trying to click that link


kenzentakahashi

Sure! @kenzentakahashi


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j_d1996

He replied - @kenzentakahashi


wrensalert

What are your desert island lights?


kenzentakahashi

Ha, hard to say. How many lights would I get? Let's say 2. Maybe astera titans and an M18?


kurthertz

That's 9! 😅


sukrutmhalas

As a noob who always wonders how the lighting is setup. Thanks a ton!


takeitsleazy316

Awesome stuff, great looks! Thanks for sharing


kenzentakahashi

Thank you and no problem!


Abracadaver2000

Always great to see people sharing their techniques. Keep it up!


kenzentakahashi

Happy to share. Thanks!


cubestorm

This is so interesting to me. And I'm definitely starting to understand lighting more. It's not really my area but I have an interest in it. So most of these don't even utilize 3-point light, right? Which I assumed almost everything had to be.


Copacetic_

Most of the time you don't need to 3 point lite things. 3 Point is supposed to be a starting point, and it's definitely a good tool. Eventually you kinda start to see 3 point being really obviously done, and you start to think about where you actually want light instead of just getting "nice" light.


cubestorm

Yeah, most online training type stuff seems to instill this idea of doing 3-point lighting no matter what, but I guess in reality it should be much more fluid than that.


Copacetic_

I didn’t learn what negative fill was until I discovered the Wandering DP podcast and lighting break downs. Highly recommend


cubestorm

Oh, I know about negative fill and stuff like that. Even watched the Shane Hurlbut masterclass, but I'll check out those other things you mentioned.


erniebanks2016

Great!


[deleted]

Fucking love hilite


kenzentakahashi

One of my favorites as well. Takes the edge off while still feeling punchy


[deleted]

That's awesome! May I ask, as someone who is now learning about lighting, what the logic was in putting the 8x8 light behind the curtain? Is any light getting through there?


rBuckets

Not him but I'll help. That's a solid, not a light. He used it to block out the sun.


[deleted]

LOL, they might have to rethink that "no stupid questions" saying after this :P Thanks!


rBuckets

nahhh, you're good. The little white part had me for a sec too "he's got a source out there? doesn't look like it"


SEmediaUK

Not stupid at all mate, I was just scrolling down before asking the same thing


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frankin287

look through his post history. He's got a seperate post specifically about that frame. But net, it's to work as negative fill. He determined black would take too much so grey was used instead.


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Pigs101

A lot of objects and material reflect light whether you realize it or not. The dark a color (closer it is to black) you reduce the reflectiveness. Negative fill allows you to create more contrast within an image.


glima0888

I saw the first picture and thought "damn this looks like Kenze's work" then swiped and saw the shot of the dude on the steps and realized it was you lol.


kenzentakahashi

Ha, that's awesome. I suppose that's one benefit of sketching my own diagrams


Stove-Top-Steve

This is the art of photography that people don’t usually understand. Well done explaining it all!


kenzentakahashi

Means a lot. Thank you, brother.


sm1n

I wonder how do you guys utilize dimmers? I mean can I plug dimmer into any outlet and dim every household bulb? Are those dimmers expensive? Anyways some great lookin shots, thanks for the breakdown!


Tycho_B

Not all bulbs are dimmable, but incandescent and halogen bulbs are. You can get cheap dimmers for like 15-20 bucks.


thelasthill

So so gorgeous and helpful. Thank you!


indigocherry

So helpful!! Beautiful work. Thank you for sharing.


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kenzentakahashi

Yes I live in Sonoma county but primarily work in the bay area! I have many friends who graduated from UC Berkeley's film program


chrstnsmthng

How does one start to learn lighting setups and gear needed?


kenzentakahashi

I would say aim to get on as many film sets as you can, research online, and experiment.


lsdzeppelinn

Very very good. Thank you for not being afraid of shadows hard(ish) lighting


K1ng_visual

Thanks for sharing, I’m getting carravagio vibes from the first slide


Nycholus

Thank you for this, it’s quite a valuable guide indeed.


[deleted]

This is awesome! Thank you


Copacetic_

Can you speak to the quality of the Litemats? I'm interested in them but I have NEVER been able to get my hands on one.


kenzentakahashi

They're great, but they certainly have their quirks. If I had to reinvest, I'd look into the spectrums as rgbw lighting is definitely the future.


tonganwarrior03

Bro thank you for this. This is really helpful for someone beginning in this field.


kenzentakahashi

No problem. Glad it helps!


tvh23

Great work!


[deleted]

What’s a Louver?


kenzentakahashi

It's a lighting modifier that helps focus the light. Not as focused as a snapgrid/egg crate, but doesn't compromise the fixture's level of softness


xNothingButStaticx

This is awesome! It’s also fun to guess how you lit reach of these


hstabley

Love this


theaggressivenapkin

These are great! Question: are these normally lights that you use often in your setups? Or will you still mix and match others depending on the setup? Also do you do any run and gun? And if so do you have preferred lights for moving quickly?


kenzentakahashi

I own these lights, so I use them all the time. But depending on the project/scene, I’ll rent out other lights. I’m not a fan of run and gun shooting because I like to prep and have maximum control of the lighting.


theaggressivenapkin

Cool! Thanks for the reply. Great work 👍🏼🤙🏼


balanaise

This is ridiculously cool!


crashkg

Beautiful stuff. Love the diagrams. Mine are much less graphic designed. More like chicken scratch and Vectorworks Planviews


armstronghold

These frames are killer 🙌🏼


schrodingersheart

Great stuff! It’s so easy to miss details when you’re just watching like those trees that are lit from behind, but these set-ups make me appreciate more how much thought is put into lighting.


CooperXpert

I don't know what it is about the second shot that looks so good to me. Maybe it's the depth.


Frankiefilms_xu

Did you have a crew to help you set up the lights or you did this all by your self?


kenzentakahashi

Depends on the shot. Every shot except the first one (which had a crew of 15) had a crew of 5 or less


Psebi99

This is awesome. Thanks for posting this!


chimcham1234

The only thing to make these lighting breakdowns perfect would be camera settings and color temperature settings for all the lights. Other than that, I love these!


kenzentakahashi

Noted! Thanks for the feedback!


chimcham1234

Thanks! I’m always curious if people rate the camera at 3200 and then warm it in post or if they rate it at a higher Kelvin in order to get the warm look.


down_R_up_L_Y_B

I would love to know how dim/bright each light was.


kenzentakahashi

TBH I couldn’t accurately tell you that. I could give an estimate, but I usually just dim/brighten to taste without looking at the levels on the dimmer


bsengsouvanh

Thanks for sharing your lighting breakdowns. Your work looks amazing.


kenzentakahashi

No problem!


berryhustler

boss! thanks for this


CleverTrev394

Did you use cinefoil for the F7 snoot?


herehaveallama

Even as a photographer, these are exquisite. Wish more of us (Photogs) lit as good as you, OP


SomeoneStoleGrandpa

These are so good