Re: [Leica] Film for school play

["Tom Schofield" <tdschofield@email.msn.com>]

My experience,after 8 years of High School drama and choir attendance, has
been that school auditoriums are very poorly lit, so I recommend that you
carry a few rolls of TMAX 3200 just in case, and expose it at whatever speed
rating you need.  Remember, the play is moving, so you have to have enough
shutter speed to stop action and enough DOF to make up for focusing accuracy
with moving subjects.  Also, take some  meter readings comparing brightness
at different parts of the stage.  Even with all the lights on, I have often
seen a 2 stop drop-off towards the sides of the stage, so when you are
following moving actors, the exposure requirements are changing.  The AV
kids like to point all the lights at the middle!  A spot meter is also
helpful, because you may have a brightly lit subject against a black
background, throwing your reading way off.  I have often said to my wife
while we have been at school performances, that if I were more wealthy I'd
give the school a grant for stage lighting so it would make my hobby easier!

Tom Schofield


- ----- Original Message -----
From: "Dan Honemann" <danh@selectsa.com>
To: <leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us>
Sent: Monday, December 11, 2000 4:13 AM
Subject: RE: [Leica] Film for school play


> > My guess is that your film speed will be OK but focal length may
> > be lacking.  Without a longer lens many of my photos of the kids'
> > school plays would look like I had lined up rag-encrusted dolls
> > on a shelf and had used a P&S to get the maximum amount of bland
> > forefround and equally drab school stage curtains in the picture.
>
> Agree completely with this.
>
> > I'd suggest a 75 or 90 for some detail of the players.  You may
> > even want a 135 Elmarit-M.
>
> Yes--and with the 135, you're going to want a tripod, too (or at least a
> monopod).
>
> I've had good success shooting theater with Portra 800 through my M6 +
50/2.
> But I was up close (front row), less than 15 feet from the stage.
>
> Dan
>