Sensational skin tones

Home » Focus On Lighting » Sensational skin tones

Tommy Maddox-Upshaw ASC achieves skin tone accuracy from prep to set with Rosco DMG Lights.

Cinematographer Tommy Maddox-Upshaw ASC was introduced to Rosco’s DMG Lighting fixtures by gaffer Wayne Shields on the 10-part Paramount+ drama The Man Who Fell To Earth, which was largely shot in the UK. Since then, he has used these unique LED soft lights on every production.

“They are a staple of my creative process, from conception – to testing – to the final shot,” he said. “I use the entire range to manipulate lighting even when I’m on a stage because of their sheer speed and power.” The DMG Lighting range of soft lights includes the DMG DASH Pocket Light, the DMG MINI and SL1, and the powerful DMG MAXI.

In The Man Who Fell to Earth, Chiwetel Ejiofor (left) plays Faraday – an alien who falls to Earth at a pivotal point in the evolution of humanity (Credit: Aimee Spinks/SHOWTIME/Paramount+)

“Working on episodic shows always requires a faster turnaround in setups than on features, and with the DMG lights I was able to set and change in double-quick time.”

Maddox, who previously photographed the apartheid drama Kalushi: The Story of Solomon Mahlangu, the third and fourth seasons of FX’s 1980s saga Snowfall (winning an ASC Award for his work), and the second season of Netflix’s On My Block, is drawn to projects that celebrate and explore diverse characters and stories. Naturally, that means working with actors of diverse skin tones, and for Maddox – that demands authentic and accurate skin tone rendition.

He extends this sensibility universally. “People in the UK have different skin pigmentation from Caucasians in South Africa or the Mediterranean. All digital cameras interpret skin tones a certain way, but my take is that I should be the one in control of manipulating skin tone if I want to.”

*The Man Who Fell to Earth*’s gaffer Wayne Shields introduced Tommy Maddox-Upshaw to Rosco’s DMG Lighting fixtures (Credit: Aimee Spinks/SHOWTIME/Paramount+)

The unique, phosphor-converted MIX LEDs inside Rosco’s DMG lights produce more of the wavelengths found in human skin tones.

“I want a camera and a lighting system that gives me a great foundational base in order to have great colour separation,” Maddox explained. “I want a neutral point before I start to colour mix and under or overexpose. The colour rendition of the Rosco DMG lights is exceptional, and their neutral is pretty darn accurate in daylight or tungsten.”

Maddox begins his creative process using the DMG DASH and the DMG MIXBOOK, which he controls using Rosco’s free myMIX app. “I like to start testing colour on my own skin tone just as a reference, using myself as the first guinea pig, if you like. So, I make use of those two products hooked to my phone to figure out colour by bouncing the light off certain materials. Both units are small, so they are easy to set up at home.”

Tommy Maddow-Upshaw ASC uses DMG lights from conception, through to testing and the final shot (Credit: Aimee Spinks/SHOWTIME/Paramount+)

“Then I bring my findings onto the camera test. Using the larger DMG fixtures, you can see the evolution from testing to execution on set,” Maddox observed. “Each DMG product retains the same colour spectrum. This is something Rosco has done that no one else has been able to do.”

“With the myMIX App, I can simply note down the colours or colour temperatures I want, and then the dimmer board op punches them in when I get to set, and all of a sudden – bam! The vision I began to bring to life in my office is now something we can use for real. That process is something I really enjoy.”

Rosco also recently revealed its latest DMG Lighting range product, the DMG LION. This powerful, weatherproof, 13” Fresnel will feature two easy-to-swap LED engines – a powerful bi-colour engine and a MIX LED engine that will match the output of their DMG soft lights.