Vehicle rigging takes a highly specialized set of skills, tools, and experience to perform safely. It can be very dangerous if not done correctly. Always work with a qualified key grip before attempting anything on your own.
There are a lot of do’s and don’ts when it comes to rigging cameras and lights. But this isn’t a grip channel, it’s about lighting - so I can’t really speak on the subject with authority. Here are a few broad concepts I’ve learned along the way: Use 3 points of contact. Safeties. Redundancies. Use the proper tools. And don’t be dumb :)
Anyway, back to the lighting. The look for this piece was pretty surreal, so we experimented with color and direction of light that wasn’t necessarily “motivated” by sources in reality. The character in the car was in a self-absorbed bubble as they passed through the world. So I guess it makes sense (artistically) that the light and color inside the car reflects their state of mind. Nice.
On the hood of the car we fired a @nanlite_global 60C into a @thelightbridge CRLS 50cm Diff 3. This gave us just a little ambient fill light inside the car and backlit the raindrops on the windows. Then we used a Nanlite Pavotube II 6C inside the car as a key light on the subject. A second Pavotube played in the back window for a subtle edge. All of these fixtures were powered off an @ecoflowtech battery bank in the trunk of the car ⚡️ I really do get to work with the best grips in Denver and the whole state of Colorado.
Cast: @bbytoothfairy, @cassidyraec
Writer, Dir: @wiley.ks
Producer: @lilahlou_
Art Director + Stylist: @gaia.0
1st AD + BTS: @torypowers
1st AC: @hacobo
Key Grip: @jpmontoulieu
DMX: @samksaliba
Electric: @abbypellien
Grip: @tongkatt
Grip: @n.d.m._photography
Club Lights + Swing: @stoic94
Set Builder: @handsometoaster
Driver: @pbrown13
Edit, VFX, Color: @wiley.ks
Sound Designer + Mixer: @ericcrepeau.wav
Composer: @noizinski
Tyler Kaschke is a gaffer / chief lighting technician with 2 ton G&E grip truck and sprinter van rentals serving Denver, Boulder, Golden, Fort Collins, Colorado Springs, and the Rocky Mountain Region at large.
For more information about grip and lighting tips and shooting video production commercials in Colorado, follow me on Instagram @colorado_gaffer