diagram: american financing – office interior

One of the stressful things about filming anyone in a high-ranking position is that they are often pressed for time. Planning, preparation, and making use of available resources are key to an efficient day that results in a happy client.

One of the fun variables for me was that this commercial would be filmed using a 3-camera setup. So, not only did I have to light the space, but it had to be a clean frame from multiple angles at once!

How did I do it? Well… 🤓

I made use of the available resources!

I got incredibly lucky that there was a large 10′ square skylight in this office that even had a diffusion covering on the glass. By firing the 1200d into this, I created a large softbox directly over the table where our three subjects were sitting without having to rig anything over them.

Some doors off to camera right allow more light to come in from the hallway. A 600d rakes the doorway and glass directly behind the subject on the right, adding a hint of texture. The 300d and spotlight combo give the nice venetian blind cast in the background. Both are helping to fill in the ambient room level without needing to physically be inside the room.

Lastly, there was a tiny ledge around the ceiling that I could use to rig overhead to and keep lights out of frame while still enabling shaping. Some infinibars and a quasar double rainbow provide separation for the talent from the background, and fill in that back room to keep the proper ratio.

client: American Financing
prod: Lemar Griffin
dp: Riley Clinton
gaffer: Tyler Trepod