Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Stage Photography 101

Quite often on forums I see people asking for some hints about stage photography.  I normally try to reply, if time permits, but this time I thought it might make sense to write my thoughts down once and point people to this blog entry.  So here goes.

I'm going to be shooting when they are on stage next week.  What Hints Can You give Me?

  1. If Possible, shoot the dress rehearsal.  If at all possible, shoot the dress rehearsal and not a performance.  By shooting the latter, you're just going to annoy the people sitting beside you.

    Be aware, however, that at dress rehearsal a theatre is a potentially dangerous workplace. There may be actors walking around the auditorium and people panicking about ill-fitting or damaged costumes. There may be lighting or sound equipment all over the floor, there may be steps leading up to the stage or any number of other hazards. Be careful.

  2. Don't shoot flash.  I used to use flash, and now have loads of very dull-looking photographs of people walking around in front of 80% grey backgrounds.

    This applies doubly so if you are shooting a performance - use of flash is likely to get you lynched!
     

  3. Plan to shoot RAW. Lighting will be changing rapidly as you shoot the show. What looks good to the eye can look awful in camera, so shoot RAW and plan to take the time you'll need to post-process your pictures. Something like Adobe Lightroom can be very useful for processing large numbers of RAW files.
  4. Shoot at High ISO. Don't worry too much about the noise - it's a lot easier to ameliorate the effects of noise in post-processing than it is to reduce the effects of motion blur!
  5. Shoot with a wide aperture. Shooting this way allows you to get a high shutter speed, important to freeze the action as dancers dash across the stage in front of you. But use with care... everything in photography is a balancing act... the wider your aperture, the narrower your depth of field
  6. Think about the exposure mode you'll be using. A lot of people tell me that I should use M (manual) exposure mode, but I don't quite understand that. By shooting in Av (aperture priority) mode I can keep the lens wide open and get the correct exposure as the light varies rapidly throughout the show. However, I do make use of the exposure correction dial so that I can allow a dark scene on stage to look dark in the photograph, simply be setting to -3 EV exposure correction
  7. Don't try too hard to compose in the camera. Clearly you want to get something that's close to what you need, but you're going to be post-processing anyway. You can always recompose the photograph in Photoshop. Just keep the shutter going and don't miss the good stuff!
  8. Shoot wider than your final picture. This one is really important. Shoot wider than you want your final picture to be. People - especially dancers - can move fast. It's easier to crop in post processing than it is to create a false hand or foot to replace the one you cut off because you zoomed in too far!
  9. Be nice to people. Especially if you want to go back. So if someone's got a horrible expression on their face, or a wardrobe malfunction, bin the picture...

So... does anyone have any further suggestions to add?

Friday, June 11, 2010

Being an extra

So... that's what it's like to be an extra?

I had to get up at stupid o'clock to get myself to The Beehive pub in Edinburgh for 0730.  Luckily the trains were running smoothly and I ended up being first there.

After a short wait, during which time I was joined by around twenty other extras, we were taken for a cup of coffee, after which we walked back to the pub.

We sat around for a while, then a couple of folk came in to choose from us. At first five people were chosen who did not include me, but one of that group was too well-muscled and I was chosen to replace him.

We were to be the ticket sellers. In the plot, the heroine is one of the ticket sellers who sells a ticket to her long-lost love. I was one of her colleagues.  The other extras were variously passers-by and stall holders.  Our ticket seller outfit was red breeches over very long white socks that kept falling down, a white poofy shirt and white jabot under a really, really red coat.

The action centred on a small market that had been set up in the Grassmarket.  Of course, the road and pavement were still open and so our task was repeatedly interrupted by delivery vans and such like.

The first scene had the camera move through the crowd towards an outdoor restaurant table where the hero sat with his mates.  About a second, perhaps?  It took about half an hour to set up, we ran it about five times with a god few minutes between each run and hen were told to relax.

Then for about another half hour, all the vast array of lighting and camera equipment was moved to the other end of the Grassmarket, and we moved on to the next scene.

The lead-up to filming consisted of s sequence of calls and responses - the call coming from the Director and the response, if appropriate, from someone in the crew.  The one I had to listen for was "background action" because that was when I started moving. A fraction of a second later came "action", the cue for the stars to.do their thing.

We were served lunch around 1330, where I opted for the vegetable pasta in preference to the chicken curry.

And after lunch we started again.

When we finally finished around 2045, I reckon that they would have a maximum of 30s of film.

I'll never look at a film the same way again!

It was surprising to see how many people gathered around the filming areas.  We were fairly noticeable, and as the hours crept on on a Friday night in the Grassmarket I wondered if the revellers may cause problems, but everything went smoothly.

So it was a fun and interesting day, and I met loads of really lovely people.  I even was wished "bless you" by the star (Shahid Kapur) when he sneezed - and I understand that hundreds of thousands of Indian girls would kill to be so close to him!  A couple of passing tourist girls were desperate to have their photo taken with me, and watching the onlookers was as much fun as watching the action.

It's not the easiest way to earn £70, but it was fun.  Thank you to everyone who made it such a good day!

(Typed on my phone - apologies for the typos)