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Digital Media Net Review
Letters from our users
Subject: Victor Milts "Light It Right" DVD from Vasst - A Review
Date: 4/20/2005 6:13:17 PM
I've been a still photographer for well over 15 years and thought I knew just about everything there was to know about
lighting. But after watching the Victor Milt DVD from Vasst...I realize that I was dead wrong. Although Victor does go over
a lot of lighting theory & technique that I am already familiar with, he did show me many many new things. This DVD is
well worth 5 times what I paid for it.
If any of you are videographers and are having trouble with your lighting,
Victor can set you straight on your issues and take you to a new level of knowledge and skill. He's knowledgable, he's warm
& friendly, he's funny and he knows all the tricks. This DVD will demystify the secrets of lighting for DV.
Also,
Victor has designed an inexpensive lighting unit that he calls the "Nano-Softlight" and it costs under $75 to build. All the
parts can be found at your local Home-Depot hardware store. He uses it exclusively thru-out this DVD and at the end of the
DVD he shows you exactly how to make it....step-by-step. It produces absolutely gorgeous light and can be put together in
an hour or two. This was well worth the cost of the DVD alone.
I'm not a paid spokesperson for Vasst....just a happy
customer. Spot and his team continue to blow me away with their professional grade products and services. Thanks Spot, Victor
and the whole Vasst crew for another top-notch product.
Get more info on this DVD at the Vasst website (www.Vasst.com)
- just tell'm that Gonzoman sent ya :)
Subject: Late NAB Post
Date: 4/27/2005 3:02:54 AM
Ok... I should have been chatting up NAB earlier, but I'm just now settled back in. I KNOW I'm settled in when I start
playing Halo again - *sheesh*
I wanted to shout out a great hoot and hollar for DSE and all he did for NAB's Post Production
gig this year. All the gang at VASST, in fact! I just saw Spot the most. Wow. What a busy guy he was. And a fantastic educator!
Anyone who hasn't seen him speak, you're missing something! Catch him when you can!
And speaking of great speakers! VICTOR
MILT! Awesome stuff!!! I think I caught every single one of his classes! And I'd catch every future one if I could. Not only
did he have great info packed into every class, he was just a darn nice guy! And funny as heck! Lots of energy and amusing
anticdotes and just a great presence. I've only seen parts of his video so far ("Light It Right"), but what I've seen is highly
recommendable. I actually really liked the study in other masters and the history. All very interesting and well presented.
Nope...
I'm not associated with VASST or Mr. Milt in any way and I'm not getting a single pennie for my happy endorcement.
It's
just Good Stuff!
Discussion on Sony Vegas Forum
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Subject: OT: Victor Milt ..........Thanks
Date: 5/4/2005 3:55:09 PM
Vic I know you hang out with us vegas users here in this forum so I wanted to let you know that I got your Light It Right
Dvd and lighting is an area that i have struggled with ever since I got a camera... Well not no more. This Dvd has become
a nessesary tool to me. So thanks for sharing you vast expierience. Well, I'm off to build me a Nano Softlight.
Jimmy
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Subject: RE: OT: Victor Milt ..........Thanks
Date: 5/4/2005 4:28:27 PM
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Subject: RE: OT: Victor Milt ..........Thanks
Date: 5/4/2005 4:53:06 PM
I too have been "enlightened" by VIC-N- VASST.
the Nano light tip as well as all the great lighting secrets and styles
make this a must have for anyone like me thats just getting to learning the lighting basics .
Heck I even took one of those
Y-sockets and am using it in my Starlight QL for some of my shots in the yachts where I need a soft light close up but not
500 watts of heat.
works great!!
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Subject: RE: OT: Victor Milt ..........Thanks
Date: 5/4/2005 5:58:16 PM
Dito. I highly recommend Vic’s Light It Right DVD. I recently purchased my first lighting kit and I read a lot
of information on the Internet about lighting, but when I lit my first shot it was just too bright. No definition and completely
a wash of light. I got Vic’s Light it Right DVD and at one point, he shows a shot (reluctantly) using an umbrella and
it looks exactly like my shot. Then he says, “This is what NOT to do. Umbrella’s give you no control; get rid
of ‘em”. I just laughed out loud, “that’s me”.
I knew at that point I was going to learn
a lot from Vic and I did. He shows you how to light in the studio, light a product shot, light a podium speaker in a large
room, light an executive on location, light a board room using Chinese Lanterns, build your own softbox using Nano-Lights
(which he uses on almost every shot on the DVD), etc. What Vic can do with two lights and a bounce card is just truly amazing.
The difference for me was seeing it and not just reading about it. Watching Vic paint the scene with light was worth it for
me.
Vic also shares a lot of his personal experience in this DVD and shows several variations on a theme and talks
you through his thinking process as to why he places the lights in the positions he does and shows alternate positions and
explains why he might or might not use those depending on the “look” he is going for. I don’t think anyone
would be disappointed by this DVD. It is just packed with tips and techniques and Vic is a fun guy that draws you in and makes
you feel like he’s passing down “insider secrets”. I certainly learned a lot. Thanks again Vic for sharing
your knowledge with us. I agree with Ray, You ROCK! ;-)
~jr
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Subject: RE: OT: Victor Milt ..........Thanks
Date: 5/4/2005 8:29:57 PM
Hey Johnny - I agree...Vic's DVD was very information. I've been a still shooter for over 15 years and I have used umbrellas
extensively during that time. I can tell you that you actually "can" control an umbrella but.....it's not as controllable
as one might get with a smaller light source. Most people using an umbrella tend to just "blast" the light directly
into the subject and of course this will work....but the lighting is very flat and this technique doesn't offer much control.
If you are looking for good modeling (highlights -vs- shadows) using an umbrella, simply "feather" the umbrella and use the
edges of the light....instead of blasting the light straight into your subject. By feather I mean......after the light is
setup, rotate the umbrella to the left and to the right of your subject and only let the "edges" of the light hit your subject.
If you feather the light in front of your subject..most of the light will pass in front of your subject which you can elect
to reflect back into the shadow side by placing a reflector in that area. If you feather the light to the rear of the subject
(which is my favorite technique when using an umbrella), most of the light will go behind your subject lighting up the background
and leaving the shadow side of your subject very dark and moody. Either way you choose to light with an umbrella is up to
you but you do have options with umbrellas! Here's an example |
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Subject: Users review of "Light it Right"
Date: 5/5/2005 2:58:37 AM
I want to second the previous user's comments about Vic's video (a #1 best-seller at NAB).
I was fortunate enough
to get an early preview copy of “Light it Right” and I was VERY, VERY impressed. I fired it up after dinner and
couldn't stop. Right off the bat you can tell this is not your normal training video. You get to hear directly from Vic Milt,
the professional’s professional. Usually you wouldn’t be able to get even five minutes with someone as well-known
and busy as Vic, let alone have him as a personal tutor showing you every single trick of the trade (he covers a LOT of ground,
but you get to “see” how everything is done, so you remember).
Vic has won clio’s, a Telly, several
Addy’s and has produced almost 1,000 commercials (including some of the world’s most recognized brand like Irish
Spring, Columbia coffee, Time Books and Burger King)--when he stands in front of you and “shows you” how to properly
light anything (from light placement to changes in lighting angle, to lighting an executive or setting up a product shot),
he reeks of credibility. I especially like being able to see the changes as they occur. Vic’s instruction is full of
“ah ha’s, so that’s how it’s supposed to be done.”
It covers high-end professional equipment
(Vic takes you on a field trip of a major picture lighting service center so you can see what the big boys use) but also covers
guerilla lighting—showing exactly how to create similar lighting on a beginner’s budget. In fact, he even shows
how to construct a home made lighting panel from Home Depot parts (worth the cost of the video in savings alone). Vic also
shows you how to maximize the use of lighting that exists on site.
I highly recommend this video to the advanced and
beginning videographer. It’s as informative as it is fun to watch.
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Subject: RE: Users review of "Light it Right"
Date: 5/5/2005 5:29:02 AM
First of all, just so people don't think I'm being a stick in the mud, I thought Vics DVD was very informative. There
are a lot of tips in there. And although some of the Americanisms in the presentation came across as a bit cheesy for this
Brit, I would like to second Victor's recommendation that people get involved in community videos. He's totally correct. If
you find yourself not having a crew or able to get people together for a production easily, community videos are a great way
to try stuff out. I'm not talking information videos here. Many of them will be projects with disadvantaged people who want
to be involved in making a fictional story. I've made stuff up to and including a horror movie with the local Youth In Action
group. So good on Vic for pointing this aspect out.
Now onto my gripe with the DVD. I found the actual editing quality
to be a bit lackluster at times. There were many problems with the sound. Whole wideshot sequences, and the odd closeup where
the sound was completely out of synch. Quite afew jumpy editing points and the use of totally different microphones within
the same paragraph as they had obviously had to re-record areas.
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Subject: RE: Users review of "Light it Right"
Date: 5/5/2005 7:15:17 AM
Now onto my gripe with the DVD. I found the actual editing quality to be a bit lackluster at times. There were many problems
with the sound. Whole wideshot sequences, and the odd closeup where the sound was completely out of synch. Quite afew jumpy
editing points and the use of totally different microphones within the same paragraph as they had obviously had to re-record
areas.
I noticed that as well. Also, the chromakey work was lackluster.
But that being said, I found the content
of the disc to be so absorbing and helpful, and Vic's presentation of his tips to be so conversational & without ego that
I couldn't help but to really enjoy this DVD. His line about getting away with passable lighting-- something to the effect
of "You could get away with this shot.... You HAVE gotten away with this shot"-- is so true that it's frightening!
I
learned a ton from this DVD & strongly urge everyone that I work with to watch it. It's a shining example of content triumphing
over technical shortcomings.
David.
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Subject: RE: Users review of "Light it Right"
Date: 5/5/2005 8:21:31 AM
> Whole wideshot sequences, and the odd closeup where the sound was completely out of synch.
I don’t
think they were out of synch as mush as a voice over where Vic changed the words that we has saying. It was very wide and
Vic was dimly lit and you should have been focusing on the lights he was placing and not watching his lips move (but I noticed
it too). Sometimes we use colloquial expressions when we talk that have to be remove to make sense to a larger (international)
audience and there is no avoiding this. You can't afford to re-shoot a scene like that because the setup and matching would
be too hard. Those are long continuous shots that are basically streams of consciousness and continuity is always a problem
when editing these. Most likely he didn’t realize it until post.
I guess if it was a multi-million dollar film
they would have re-assembled the crew and re-shot the scene but for a training DVD, the content is much more important than
the occasional voice-over mismatch. BTW, You see this all the time in Hollywood movies that have been “edited for TV”
and changed from an R rating to G. They don’t re-shoot their scenes for TV.
Ya' gotta admit... the lighting
was perfect. ;-)
~jr
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Message last edited on 5/5/2005 8:24:44 AM, by JohnnyRoy. |
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Subject: RE: Users review of "Light it Right"
Date: 5/5/2005 10:18:34 AM
I don't care about the lip sync or the cheesy parts - after watching the DVD I walked in and out of Home Depot with a
working lighting kit and I knew how to use it!. I agree with everyone here (I think?) that the content outshined the technical
problems. I learned a lot.
But one thing that annoyed me to no end was the way the chapters (or lack thereof) were
set up. If I missed something Vic said and I tried to backup past the end of the previous topic, I just hit a brick wall.
As far as I can tell the only way to back up a topic is to go to the main DVD menu and find the topic in the 3 page list,
then navigate forward to find that spot I missed.
But then your out of "play all" mode so at the end of each
topic it bounces back to the topic menu instead of playing through the whole DVD. So I try going to "Play All" and navigating
forward to the topic I was on. No dice. Brick wall again.
Just seems a bit ironic that a DVD from VASST has such basic
navigation problems! :D
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