Dec 03 2024 67 mins
Mixing Light Contributor Rich Roddman CSI interviews Rick Kalivoda, a 30-year gaffer and on-set veteran. Kalivoda talks about his craft in executing the DP's vision, the emergence of LED lighting, and its challenges. This starts a new Interview series featuring on-set crafts that affect post production workflows.
Full notes and additional links, including the video, are on this Insight's homepage: https://mixinglight.com/color-grading-tutorials/interview-rick-kalivoda-gaffer-lighting/
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- (00:00) - Introduction
- (00:43) - What is a Gaffer?
- (02:57) - A typical example of a Gaffer's work
- (05:29) - CRI vs SSI
- (07:02) - The evolution of LED lights
- (09:03) - Why Tungsten is the industry reference
- (12:02) - Light fixtures as the painter's palette
- (14:46) - Conversations with DPs
- (17:22) - LED Volume Walls as lighting instruments
- (19:55) - How has large dynamic range changed lighting?
- (25:20) - Lighting instruments & lens/camera choices
- (27:47) - Tungsten is our butter
- (27:53) - Tungsten - it's butter for chefs
- (29:15) - Are young DPs missing out on Tungsten?
- (31:20) - Managing Depth of Field
- (34:04) - Lighting is Logarithmic
- (36:30) - How to become a gaffer
- (37:32) - Advice for PAs
- (39:12) - Passing details from set to post
- (40:17) - Key & Fill Ratios
- (43:07) - The value of Makeup Artists
- (43:55) - What monitor to look at?
- (47:38) - What's Rick's trusted measuring device?
- (48:18) - Value of the on-set monitor
- (51:10) - Zero-budget lighting
- (56:45) - Replacing practical lights
- (59:39) - Wireless DMX vs Wifi and apps
- (01:01:05) - Essential roles on set
- (01:02:00) - Wrap Up