One Big Happy 3000lb. MRI
Our 10 person pre-pro meeting was progressing nicely. We were to shoot the “Oasis”, Hitachi’s newest MRI, at every possible angle, for an upcoming trade show and future library use. We had only 4 days with the machine. Included on the list were various individual people and product shots – totaling about 65-70 images. Plus we had a separate video that required a total lighting change. (Stills=strobe / live action=hot lights.) Quickly doing the math, I exclaimed, “We need a motorized turntable!” There was quiet...then came a collective Ah-Ha moment! My point was to put the “Oasis” on the turntable and spin it to the exact angle for each shot. Time didn’t allow us to pick up and place the 3,000 lb MRI for each shot’s correct angle, nor could we move the lighting and background paper again and again.
Here’s how we did it: Our studio conducted a three day casting session, while a separate crew obtained the turntable and went to our location and constructed the shooting area around the MRI. The camera, background paper and lighting set-up remained fixed and in place, while we spun the “Oasis” to the correct angle. We built a 30’ wide soft box, which was powered with 6 strobe heads along the right side of the set, plus a 24’ wall of white paper, that reflected light from the left side. Depending upon which angle the “Oasis” was turned, these wide lights acted as either a main light or fill/edge light, which worked beautifully with our additional soft box hanging from the ceiling. Completing this main set was a back wall of white paper that was over 40’ wide. Two additional sets were alternated between for our individual model and product shots. To save time and money, the scheduling between our three sets and models was faultless. We were all part of a perfectly well oiled machine.
After 4 exciting days of shooting the spinning Hitachi “Oasis” MRI, once more …Don Levey made People Happy!
