| |
BGonline.org Forums
A Canopy or Special Dice
Posted By: Taper_Mike In Response To: Dice Rolls on You tube (neilkaz)
Date: Wednesday, 25 September 2013, at 11:55 p.m.
A Canopy or Special Dice
Glare on the dice is an ongoing problem. It is caused by the bright overhead lighting so common in tournament halls. When Chuck Bower and I discussed the topic last year, we concluded that polarizing filters probably would be of no help. Chuck’s explanation of Brewster’s angle is quite interesting.I am skeptical that a wide-angle lens would do any better. Changing lenses might help if the issue were camera flare. That's the “glare” in photos that is caused by internal reflections within the body of a lens. The glare on the dice, however, is external, present in the light before it enters the lens. In addition, using a wide-angle lens would necessitate lowering the camera boom in order to have the board fill the screen.
I have concluded that a canopy of some sort is the best way to solve the problem of glare. A translucent, “diffusing” material would pass plenty light, while eliminating the harsh direct light that causes reflections. The rig Justin Nunez built on a frame of small PVC tubing looks as though it is ready-made for one.
The only other idea that occurs to me is to see whether special dice could be manufactured that have a diffusing, “anti-glare” surface. I know that casinos order custom dice made with their logos. Perhaps the cost for a special run is not prohibitive.
Barring either of these solutions, using solid rather than translucent dice seems to help a bit. Black dice may be better than white, although both wash out in the glare. Larger dice are better than small ones. I had not considered that a baffle box could help. I will watch more closely the next time see one in a video.
Videographers should do testing before a recording. Move the dice all around the board to see if there are any hot spots. Try different colored dice if such are available. Move the board to a different table, perhaps one in a corner. Finding a table that is not directly underneath a light fixture might make a big improvement.
Mike
| |
BGonline.org Forums is maintained by Stick with WebBBS 5.12.