Advice on shooting a theater production

I have to shoot a production of the Nutcracker with only available
stage lighting. I will be shooting the production with 35mm equipment
from a back row position using a Canon EOS1 w/ 70-210mm 2.8 lens on a
tripod. I am planning on using Fuji 1600 color neg film. Any advice
or does anyone have any experience with this kind of venue?

Gomez wrote:

I have to shoot a production of the Nutcracker with only available
stage lighting. I will be shooting the production with 35mm equipment
from a back row position using a Canon EOS1 w/ 70-210mm 2.8 lens on a
tripod. I am planning on using Fuji 1600 color neg film. Any advice
or does anyone have any experience with this kind of venue?

See if you can get permission to shoot at dress rehearsal, so that you
can get closer and shoot from different angles.

Thad

"Thad Smith" wrote in message
...
Gomez wrote:

I have to shoot a production of the Nutcracker with only available
stage lighting. I will be shooting the production with 35mm equipment
from a back row position using a Canon EOS1 w/ 70-210mm 2.8 lens on a
tripod. I am planning on using Fuji 1600 color neg film. Any advice
or does anyone have any experience with this kind of venue?

See if you can get permission to shoot at dress rehearsal, so that you
can get closer and shoot from different angles.

Thad

Agreed, dress rehearsals are the way to go , you will rarely get anything
useful during the performance from any row never mind back.
Try shooting low and looking up - a monopod is useful. Dont be afraid to
shoot 1/20 or 1/30 of a second and pan.
Another good reason for going to all the rehearsals is to storyboard your
shots. Think of a good moment during the show and how you want to capture it
technically. Set it up and try it. Do this for about 50 different scenes and
you may get 5 you like ;-)
Any particular reason for shooting colour? Fuji Neopan 1600 B+W is
excellent. Ilford Delta 3200 is nice for theatre stuff. (well its what I use
anyway)
Joe
http://www.joefoxphoto.co.uk

"Gomez" wrote
I have to shoot a production of the Nutcracker with only available
stage lighting. I will be shooting the production with 35mm equipment
from a back row position using a Canon EOS1 w/ 70-210mm 2.8 lens on a
tripod. I am planning on using Fuji 1600 color neg film. Any advice
or does anyone have any experience with this kind of venue?

Yeah, unfortunately. My advice:

0) Get someone else to do it.

1) Have the ballet run a 'photo call'. The dancers put on
their duds and pose. You get to use lights, reflectors
(absolute req. if the stage lights are on), backdrops,
get on stage, use a ladder, blah, blah, blah.
Maybe some decent pictures come out.

2) Take pictures at rehearsal, they won't come out very well
(see below), but they won't kick you out because of the
noise the camera makes. Even a Leica M3 is too noisy at
the performance and the house manager will come over and
shut you down after a few shots.

3) Do it in spite of all the good advice in the world. I would
use a C-41 black and white film. Spot meter and expose
for the shadows. Keep taking pictures until the house
manager calls the security service to throw you out.
Don't bother having the processor print from the negs --
the highlights (i.e.. the half of the performer that is
above its belly button) will be blown to pure white.
Scan the negatives in a high-OD scanner and adjust contrast
in Photoshop. Something may come out.

4) What the f*. Shoot 1600+ speed film for that extra contrast
and let the motor drive rip. You won't ever be asked back --
It's like option '0', above, only delayed till next year.

5) Come down with the flu. Offer to come in and take the pictures,
but are afraid you are contagious and would the last few rows
of the audience please be handed surgical masks.

--
Nicholas O. Lindan, Cleveland, Ohio
Consulting Engineer: Electronics; Informatics; Photonics.

Do it at the dress rehearsal,

a 50mm f/1.8 from a front row is better, but 2.8 isn't as bad as a 4.5 zoom

when they set up the lighting, go on stage and take a reading, if you don't
have a meter, use your camera and record the settings, if you can't do that,
then before the curtains raise, take an exposure and lock it in.

you got some good advice before, going to the rehearsals and storyboarding.

instead of screwing the camera to the pod, use a quarter/20 nut to fit the
tripod thread and mount a thin board to hold a sand/bean bag, and then maybe
even use a second on top of the camera if you can place it there and still
focus and trigger the shutter. this will help deaden the sound and
vibration, yet firm enough to hold the camera steady, and you can use that
extra bag to bean that one officious usher who is sure to act like this is a
grand ballet production in Carnegie Hall and not the highschool/jr
college/church social production I'm betting this is, and she is going to
shut you down even though the real reason the parents are holding their ears
is that the orchestra has only been playing for six months and haven't quite
got the concept of "key" down, much less harmony and beat.

here's a thought, if you can't do a dress rehearsal, and you do get tackled
by the brownshirt, I mean usherette, see if you can get into the projection
room, shoot through the hole, the angle of view will probably be too high,
but you can lock the door and I don't think she'll pound on it too loud for
fear of distracting the sugar plums.


I have to shoot a production of the Nutcracker with only available
stage lighting. I will be shooting the production with 35mm equipment
from a back row position using a Canon EOS1 w/ 70-210mm 2.8 lens on a
tripod. I am planning on using Fuji 1600 color neg film. Any advice
or does anyone have any experience with this kind of venue?

Kibo informs me that Gomez stated that:

I have to shoot a production of the Nutcracker with only available
stage lighting. I will be shooting the production with 35mm equipment
from a back row position using a Canon EOS1 w/ 70-210mm 2.8 lens on a
tripod. I am planning on using Fuji 1600 color neg film. Any advice
or does anyone have any experience with this kind of venue?

Yes. Unless the back row is only 100' from the stage, forget about using
a zoom lens. If at all feasible, I strongly recommend that you arrange
to go to a rehearsal to check light levels, distances, etc. Being
familiar with the venue can make the difference between getting good
shots & not getting usable shots at all.

--
W
. | ,. w , "Some people are alive only because
\|/ \|/ it is illegal to kill them." Perna condita delenda est
---^----^---------------------------------------------------------------

10. Dec 2003 17.59 -- Gomez:
I have to shoot a production of the Nutcracker with only available
stage lighting. I will be shooting the production with 35mm equipment
from a back row position using a Canon EOS1 w/ 70-210mm 2.8 lens on a
tripod. I am planning on using Fuji 1600 color neg film. Any advice
or does anyone have any experience with this kind of venue?

Here is a good guide:

http://www.photo.net/concerts/mirarchi/concer_i

Depending on the light conditions, and good spot metering, you can use
Fuji 400 ASA film. Fuji 1600 is not a good option.

Correct exposure is the key, I have taken good concert pics with 100
ASA.

-espen

--
All generalisering er farlig.

On Wed, 10 Dec 2003 10:59:26 -0600, Gomez wrote:

I have to shoot a production of the Nutcracker with only available
stage lighting. I will be shooting the production with 35mm equipment
from a back row position using a Canon EOS1 w/ 70-210mm 2.8 lens on a
tripod. I am planning on using Fuji 1600 color neg film. Any advice
or does anyone have any experience with this kind of venue?

I have never done it, however I have been in a few stage productions I
think your bound for disappointment, if you plan an audience attending
when you shoot.

First get a copy of the script, read through and think about what you want
to shoot. Outline those, and then attend a dress rehearsal, watch the
show, this will confirm your ideas for shots, plan on adding a few new
ones. After the rehearsal, or as a seperate day you go in with everyone
dressed, then make your shots. This will allow you to take your shots
from all over the place. Not just a spot in the back row, because some
idiot will stand up and wreck your best planned shot. Stage lights are pretty
bright, they are all incandescent, so you may want to use tungsten (3200K
balanced) film, might still be cool, but not as bad as daylight.

By using a photo shoot, or extended rehearsal you can also get other
points of view like from behind some actors looking towards the 4th wall.

W