Camera, lighting and look tests

Tests turn the look book into evidence. Before the shoot, you check that the camera, lenses, lights, makeup, wardrobe and the colour pipeline produce the images you promised, and you find problems while they are still cheap to fix. CINE-401 described camera and look tests as part of prep; in the capstone you plan them, run them, analyse them and write a short test report that changes what you do on set. A test that only confirms what you already believed is not wasted, but the most useful tests are the ones that surprise you.

Why test

Every production has assumptions that could be wrong: that the lenses match, that the camera's exposure index gives clean shadows, that the wardrobe colour reads correctly, that the LUT looks the same on set and in the grade, that a practical lamp does not flicker. Tests check these assumptions under controlled conditions.

• Confirm equipment works and matches: bodies, lenses, media, monitors and batteries.
• Find the camera's latitude and noise at your chosen exposure index.
• Check skin tones, makeup and wardrobe under the planned light.
• Build and verify the show look and LUT across the whole pipeline.
• Rehearse difficult technical shots, such as a long focus pull or a gimbal move.
• Give the director, production designer and colourist images to react to.

Planning the tests

Tests take time and need a crew, so plan them like a shoot day. A capstone usually runs one test day, sometimes split across two sessions.

Camera prep and lens checks

Start with the equipment. The first AC preps the camera package as on any professional shoot: checks every lens on a lens projector or chart, confirms back focus, checks that marks are accurate, tests media cards and batteries and builds every configuration you will need.

• Shoot a focus chart with each lens at several distances to check marks and sharpness across the frame.
• Check that matched lenses really match in contrast and colour; vintage sets often vary.
• Record a few seconds of a grey card and chart for each lens to give the colourist a reference.
• Check frame lines, recording format, timecode and file naming match the camera and pipeline document.

Exposure and latitude

An exposure test shows how the camera holds highlights and shadows at your exposure index and in your recording format. Light a stand-in with a grey card and chart, then shoot a series of exposures in one-stop steps from about five stops under to five stops over normal.

• Keep the light constant and change exposure with the shutter angle or ND, not the aperture, so depth of field stays the same.
• Slate every step clearly.
• In the grade, normalize each step back to correct exposure and judge how far you can go before noise or clipping becomes unacceptable.
• Use the result to set false colour targets and to decide how hard you can push highlights through windows.

Lens comparison

If you are choosing between lens sets, shoot them side by side on the same scene, at the same stop and framing, with a person and a backlit area to show flare and contrast. Show the results to the director without telling them which is which, so the choice is based on the images. Note the differences in contrast, flare, colour, focus fall-off and distortion, and how each set suits the visual concept.

Makeup, wardrobe and skin tones

Faces carry most films. Test every main cast member under the light you plan for their key scenes, with final makeup and wardrobe.

• Light at the planned contrast ratio and colour temperature.
• Include a chart and grey card in the first frames.
• Check how wardrobe colours read on camera; some fabrics shift colour under LED light or reflect strongly.
• Check fine patterns for moiré on the camera's sensor.
• Look at skin across different complexions and make sure each person is lit and exposed for their own skin, not for a single average.
• Show the results to makeup and wardrobe as well as the director.

Practicals, LEDs and flicker

Practical lamps, LED fixtures, screens and fluorescent tubes can flicker on camera at some frame rates and shutter angles. Test every practical and fixture you plan to use at your frame rate and shutter. CINE-330 explained the maths of flicker for high-speed work; the same logic applies at normal speeds.

• Shoot each practical for a few seconds at the planned frame rate and shutter and watch for pulsing.
• In regions with 60 Hz mains (Canada and the US), lights that pulse at 120 Hz are usually safe at 24 fps with a 180-degree shutter (1/48 s) only if they hold steady; many cheap LEDs do not.
• If a fixture flickers, change the shutter (for example, to 1/60 s or 172.8 degrees at 24 fps) or replace the lamp.
• Check dimmers too; some LED dimmers introduce flicker at low levels.

Building and checking the show look

The show look combines a technical transform (for example, from camera log to the display) with a creative look. Build it in the test grade with the colourist if possible, then load it into the camera monitors and the dailies system.

• Grade the test footage to the look book's palette and contrast.
• Export the look as a LUT or as a CDL plus a base LUT, depending on the pipeline.
• Load it on set monitors and check that a test image looks the same on set, in dailies and in the grading suite.
• Name the LUT clearly with version numbers.
• Record which monitors were calibrated and how.

Location and lighting tests

If the key scene depends on natural light or a tricky practical, visit at the same time of day as the shoot and test. Measure light levels, note the sun's direction and how it changes, and check power. A short test at the real location can prevent a wasted shoot day.

Writing the test report

The test report is a short document, usually two to four pages, that records what you tested, what you found and what you decided. It is part of the capstone assessment.

• List each test with its purpose and method.
• Include frame grabs from the graded test footage.
• State the decision each test led to.
• Record any open questions and how you will handle them on set.
• Share the report with the director, gaffer, first AC and colourist.

Testing difficult shots and moves

Tests are also rehearsals. If the film depends on a long focus pull, a gimbal walk through a doorway or a dolly move timed to a line of dialogue, rehearse it on the test day with stand-ins. The first AC can set and check marks, the operator can practise the move and the director can see whether it works. If the shot is too hard to achieve reliably, you have time to simplify it. A shot that needs fifteen takes on the shoot day can cost the scene.

• List the two or three hardest shots in the film and rehearse them.
• Time the move and note the number of takes it needs to work.
• Simplify any shot that cannot be achieved reliably.

Record the results of these rehearsals in the test report, with the number of takes each shot needed and any changes you made to the plan.