While traveling around to different cities on the Illumination Experience Tour, I quickly realized that many people did not understand the basics of how to operate a c-stand properly. A foundation in c-stand protocols, the so called rules, are essential to live by. In the right hands and with the right instruction, this baby will change the way you light. That is what I want to share with you.

C-Stand Basics:
The Most Powerful Tool in Your Lighting Arsenal

I started out as a grip truck driver in the business and then moved up to a dolly grip, a key grip, eventually a gaffer, and finally a director of photography.

Going back through sharing information

When I made these jumps on the ladder rung of my career, many times I jumped four rungs. Imagine an alphabet. I went from A to F, G, H, to P, Q, R, S, T, U to Z. When you jump like this, sometimes things are not realized or conceptualized. Helping all of you has brought me back to those steps that I had missed. I now have the opportunity to take you all from A to B to C to D to E and so on. This has given me a whole new outlook on light quality, quantity, shaping and controlling light as well.

Here is the lighting schematic for our shoot.

Discovery

To be a part of this discovery and to find more information about the advanced c-stand techniques that I use, please visit Shane’s Inner Circle as well as Shane’s Store.

All videos were edited on HP Z840 workstations using HP Z24x DreamColor monitors.

EQUIPMENT SPECS

Camera AKS:

Lenses:

Lighting:
1K Open Face (“Red head”)

A big thank you to Matthews Studio Equipment for powering this how-to video. Happy c-stand setting y’all!

Shooting Location: Revolution Cinema Rentals