Teddy bears, huh?

Like this?

http://www.changedcrocodile.com/Films/SleepTight/NoFilm2.wmv (or .mp4)

:^)

Obviously the mannequin head I used to have was a few years old because she was definitely not shiny.
And even if he/she is, a gentle rub with some fine grade steel wool will knock that shine off without disturbing the paint job.
I wish I still had her because there are times I'd like to experiment as well and, as CClub says, family members get bored easily.

Mike

Skin is also reflective. Ideally you'd get a well oiled leather mannequin.

Also, you'll find that you see reflections much more clearly on darker mannequins and people.

Want a real challenge? Get the mannequin chromed. ;-)

Rob Mack

Want more realism? Get some powder for your shiny mannequin. It's not unusual to have to powder talent, or at least use some sort of cosmetic wipe like a shiseido pad.

Rob Mack

Want a real challenge? Get the mannequin chromed. ;-)

I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy (or evil producer, as the case may be)!!

I did a shoot a number of years ago about all the shiny (chrome, of course) new tools our College's Vet Tech program had acquired.
Even hanging a huge silk to shoot light through didn't help :-(

Mike

About the only lighting I do these days is product shots (once a month or so for the last 6 years) of computers. Our client recently switched to piano black finishes which are a BEAR to light because nothing that falls on them sticks. It's ALL about what you see reflected in the black surface.

Fun for me but it takes a little more time and effort than the people running the shoot are used to.

I had an LD friend suggest lighting a mirrored glass globe as an excercise many years ago. No thanks, I can imagine it just fine.

Rob Mack

dulling spray!

A hundred years ago we used to use harispray to bring down the reflection on images.
Intense reflection would flare and even burn into the cathoid ray tube on the old Marconi Mark IV studio cameras.

For the client's product? No, I don't think so. Nor is it good for the client's receding hairline.

There are times when dullard spray's a good solution. Great for shiny stuff in the background, bad for hero products.

Rob Mack

Both products work and should be removable with a soft rag. You can even use them on food as long as you make sure it gets thrown away later.

There are times when you can't use it. Obviously on people and animals (except maybe turtles), also on objects that won't clean up like porous things, wrinkly creviced stuff, irreplaceable items, items you can't make a test spray on, and almost anything where the owner is watching.

CClub coud use dulling on his mannequin, and I doubt that powder would really work, but powder is still something to look into having in your camera kit. It can be a very quick solution to a lighting problem but you've got to do a bit of research to pick products that look natural. The powder-coated wipes do a very minimal and are the least likely to freak out an insecure man. But the wipes may mess up a woman's makeup so ask if she has her own.

There are lots of times when it's obvious that someone used powder for a shot. "Obvious" is not the effect you're after.

Generally, skin lights a lot like leather handbags and luggage. It's softly reflective in that you can see where the lights are but you can't actually see the details of the lamp as you might in a more glossy surface. Knowing that skin is softly reflective, you can choose softer lights for hair and scratch so that you see panels of light reflected instead of spots.

To get a handle on the way light bounces, go play a lot of pool. Better yet, go light a movie about pool players.

Rob Mack

Rob,
Nice info. I found the dulling spray at Adorama... where do you get "powder-coated wipes"? The only thing I could find online was some weird item to clean dogs' ears.

Is it powder as in makeup? Is there a certain type that can reduce the shine from someone's face/head pretty well? One of the gentlemen I'll be interviewing has no hair and I can see a need for something to tone down the shine.

C Club, I found powder wipes at my local Body Shop store.
They're about 2" x 3" and come in a variety of shades, depending on the individual's skin tones.
As I recall, they were about $5 per package of 50-60 wipes.
I grabbed a few different shades and keep them in my camera bag.
They're perfect for knocking down the shine on foreheads and hot spots on faces.

Mike

Yes, powder is a makeup item. To tell the truth, I know a lot of cameramen who carry powder, but I'm not a cameraman.

Shiseido makes a powder impregnated wipe and these are a little more understandable for guys in suits. Some of them may be a little reluctant to let you come at them with a powder brush or pad. There are other similar wipes around as well and some may be better than the Shiseido product.

I'd go into a store that sells makeup and ask questions. Tell them what you're doing, that you need something light and hypoallergenic. Think about covering a variety of skin tones too. The idea isn't to paint people, just knock down a shine.

I usually find that the best course with balding men is big soft back and top lights. You just want to show a glow on them. If you're short on gear you might find yourself just bouncing a light off the ceiling and then scrimming it to taste (if you've got scrims, most video people don't, it seems). You can get away without makeup if you're careful with the lights.

Rob