Indie Film Tech Tip: White Balance

Scott Spears · Dec 10, 2005

Hello,

Here's the newest Indie Film Tech Tip on White Balance. This tip shows you the basics of how to use the White Balance feature on your camera to create different looks for your projects. It's a Windows Media file and runs around 3 min. and 14 sec.

Check out my Filmmakng Page for more Tech Tips and articles on filmmaking.

Watch and enjoy.

http://www.scottspears.net/filmmakpg3.html

Scott

Reminiscence · Dec 10, 2005

Indie Film Tech Tip: White Balance

Hey Scott, it's me again, one question, when you're in a room or location where the lighting of the place doesn't allow you to have a proper white area to point your camera at. What do you do then?

Maybe it's a silly question, but that's the easiest I can explain the situation...

Thanks in advance for the advice...

Regards
Reminiscence

Scott Spears · Dec 10, 2005

I'm not sure what you're asking, but if I had to guess you're talking about a room with mixes sources of lighting, a room with lights and then a big wiindow so you have day light and tungsten mixed. I usually try to find a place where I can place a white card where it gets hit equally by both and white balance. If I have to pick one source, then I try to block the other sources light from hitting my white card while white balancing.

Scott

Reminiscence · Dec 10, 2005

Indie Film Tech Tip: White Balance

Yeah well something like that. But more to the line, where the light coming from let's say the roof's light isn't really white but rather orange? :? Probably confusing the heck out of you. But I'm not sure if it should be a question first of all...

Regards
Reminiscence

David Mullen ASC · Dec 11, 2005

If the light in the room is orange-ish, and you want it to look neutral, i.e. "white" light, you can just white balance by pointing the camera at a white card or sheet of paper under that orange-ish light.

If you want to retain that orange-ish color, you could use a preset white balance -- for example, if this is a daylight interior with natural daylight that is being turned orange-ish by the window, then use the daylight preset on the camera rather than manually white-balance. Or white-balance to a white card lit by a corrected daylight-balanced source.

Reminiscence · Dec 11, 2005

Indie Film Tech Tip: White Balance

Oh mmk, thank you very much, it all makes sense now. Keep up the great work, helping out beginners like me alot...

Regards
Reminiscence