A mirror ball spun twenty-five times too fast, shot at 400 frames a second
The rig needed reinforcing after testing because the torque was, in the DP's words, "really quite something". Then it needed a custom snoot so the light beam stayed narrower than the ball.
Watch on YouTubeBilly Abbott shot "Little Bit Brighter" for director Charlotte Meling, and the set piece is a mirror ball driven far past its normal speed.
Also Laowa 12mm for tight spaces
B camera Sony FX6 with Soviet glass, Helios 44-M and MC-MIR 20mm, to separate the younger character
Lighting entirely LED
The set piece mirror ball rigged to spin 25× normal speed, shot at 400fps
Key Nanlux 5000B with a custom snoot
Back two Nanlux 2400Bs, bounce fill off an 8×2 Poly
Technical lead at Window Zebra Media, Sam Kemp, custom-rigged a mirror ball to spin 25x its usual speed. In our testing the torque of this construction was really quite something, and it went in for another round of reinforcements.
The snoot is the detail that makes it work. A standard beam wider than the ball spills past it and lights the room; a beam narrower than the ball keeps the source contained so only the reflections travel. At 400fps those reflections stop being a disco shimmer and become discrete moving points.
On the economics
It's the type of video a label with a new artist or a prod-co would usually very quickly raise eyebrows at on such a small budget, but the production team at Window Zebra were on board to make this as dynamic as possible.
No figure was given, so we are not printing one.
Also credited: Ben Thomas (Steadicam), Alex Cullen (gaffer), Sam Kemp (technical lead, Window Zebra Media), Nielsan Bohl (colourist, Selected Works). Cast: Natascha Mair, formerly a principal at English National Ballet, and Sienna Suter.
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