Five ways DMG lights can help you shoot alluring commercials

Alberto Ulloa is a Mexican cinematographer who had the opportunity to use GTC Sponsors, Rosco’s DMG DASH Pocket LED Kit, MINI MIX, and SL1 MIX in a recent commercial shoot. Alberto highlights five features he likes most about DMG lights and explains how those features help him shoot alluring commercials.

Compact Form Factor

For this project, Director Memo Matthews had chosen a location with limited space and it required a different type of lighting solution. DMG lights were an ideal choice because they are compact and lightweight. They take up very little space on set and have great light output. For this scene, a MINI MIX, outfitted with a SnapGrid and some R3034 ¼ Grid Cloth diffusion, was mounted wall-to-wall with a polecat system. This setup illuminated the talent’s face from the front with a soft, even light.

Flattering Light

All Rosco DMG MIX lights have high stability in terms of the continuous light they generate. For this shot, we achieved the desired lighting setup by using the SL1 MIX with a SnapBag and some R3030 Grid Cloth diffusion. The setup was used as a backlight for the two characters in the frame, which allowed the light to open and cover them as they moved towards the camera. We also used a DMG DASH, outfitted with a Flat Diffuser & Dome, inside a DOT Round Diffuser Accessory. The fixture was positioned next to the camera and used as fill and eyelight for the female character.

Versatile Accessories

The large number of accessories available for Rosco’s range of DMG lights makes every fixture incredibly versatile. This allows me, as the cinematographer, to work with the gaffer and set lighting crew to achieve whatever lighting the project requires. For example, we used an SL1 MIX with a SnapGrid and some R3030 Grid Cloth diffusion to create a soft, diffused light on the talent’s face during the makeup table scene of the “Palacio de Hierro” shoot.

Simple And Intuitive Interface

DMG lights feature an intuitive controller and, once it’s switched on, its configuration is straightforward and easy to understand. Controlling the lights remotely via Bluetooth using the myMIX app also enables us to quickly and effectively change colour and intensity.

Powerful Output – Perfect For “Book Lighting”

For one of the sites within the location, the camera had to traverse the space considerably. This meant that we couldn’t have lights on stands cluttering up the shot. Our solution was to make a 6ft (1.8m) high “Book Light” by bouncing an SL1 MIX, without any diffusion, off a white Foamboard. The bounce of that light was then filtered through some R3030 GridCloth to create a soft, warm-toned, cosmetic atmosphere that would flatter the skin of the talent in front of the camera.

For more information: emea.rosco.com/en