Michael Babyak Trusts DoPchoice for Light Shaping

Cinematographer Michael Babyak made his jump from music videos and short films to features, with the Craig Ouellette directed film, Straight On Till Morning. “As a DP, who doesn’t love shooting horror? You get to be so stylized with the lighting.” With a tight time schedule and some tight quarters, he needed lighting that was compact, quick and versatile without extra cables to trip over in the dark. Already a fan of Astera Titan Tubes, Babyak just needed a way to make them easier to handle. He checked out a new SNAPBAG® made for the Astera and the folks at DoPchoice shipped him a pair just in time for the shoot.

Designed to transform a stand-alone Astera Titan LED tube light into a versatile fixture, the DoPchoice SBAAT41 offers an easy track mounting system in addition to the SNAPBAG®'s compact form, trademark intensified output, adjustable beam spread, and quick set-up. It did the trick. “We used it in almost every shot because it made the setup so much more efficient. Oftentimes when using the tube by itself, it requires additional grip gear to produce a more desirable result. Adding the DoPchoice SNAPBAG® to the light, we were able to craft gorgeous images while keeping our footprint small. It was really great because when we had shots where the actor was lit but needed a little side light or when the background ambient light needed to be brought up a bit — we would grab the SNAPBAG®'d Titan tube and our lighting tweaks were done effortlessly."

"Now I bring DoPchoice SNAPBAGS® on every shoot because they are so useful."

It was a big lifesaver for car work when the production did not have access to a process trailer. Being cordless and easy to maneuver, the SNAPBAG® and Titan pairing became a key tool for the car scenes. “I had our gaffer Brendan Davis create a custom C-stand rig on the roof of the picture car. Then we attached one of the SNAPBAGS® using its track pin mount and were able to easily rig the light onto the car.” He created the illusion of streetlamps passing a moving car by using the Astera dimmer/brightness control in conjunction with the improved beam spread offered by the SNAPBAG® softbox. For another vehicle scene, Babyak used the combo to simulate reflected moonlight on the car's hood. The output melded seamlessly with the two Arri M40s which had been positioned at a distance. “It helped extend the moonlight of the M40 on the actors' faces and wrap the light better overall.”

For interiors, the SNAPBAGS® were crucial to the creating look and feel of the film. “We shot in an old attic of this 1800s house. It was lit mostly with practicals that we installed in the attic. Whenever the background was too dark, we would take one of those SNAPBAGS®/Titan combos and brighten it up, or we used it to put a little accent light on the actor.” It was perfect lighting tool for the film. “We used them in almost every scene.” Since his experience on Straight On Till Morning, the DoPchoice SNAPBAG® for Astera has become a go-to lighting accessory.

"Adding the DoPchoice SNAPBAG® to the light, we were able to craft gorgeous images while keeping our footprint small."


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