OmoroShoot briefRoll 035Ser.05
Pulp Cover aesthetic photography reference
RecTC 00:00:00:00

Pulp Cover

Stage one dramatic instant like a painted cover: low angle, lurid colour, a title's worth of empty sky

Roll 0355 frames0 / 5 shot
Frames00/05
More in Retro & VintageSynthwaveItalo Disco80s Editorial
pulp cover
SET

The setup

Shoot briefHD[pulp cover    ]00:00:00:00Stop ■
Brief Int(pulp-cover__.BRF)

Pulp Cover

01 LightTheatrical and coloured: hard key from a low angle, a coloured rim light, a lurid gel on the background. Deep shadows and hot highlights; nothing natural.
02 WardrobePeriod-adjacent and dramatic: trench coats, satin dresses, hats, gloves, a uniform; saturated single colours that hold under coloured light.
03 LocationA night street or alley
04 Palette
DIR

Director's note

Every frame is a cover: leave room at the top for a title, put the figure at the most dramatic instant, shoot from low and let colour go lurid. Add grain, halftone and a creased edge in post so it looks painted and printed. The tone is knowing but not mocking. No natural light, no calm, and no clichés without a scene to carry them.

All 151 director’s notes, printable: Director’s Briefs, $8 →
VF

Viewfinder

Live

Four controls on the brief's own plate · the meter is real, so you can blow a frame

Pulp Cover reference frame
Standby50mmf/5.6 · 1/125 · ISO 400

Running the list sets the camera for every shot in turn. Load your own photo to light and expose a frame you actually shot.

LGT

Light the set

3 lamps

Drag a lamp and watch the frame above change. The brief's own note is the preset

KeyThe light that makes the pictureMediumEye level
FillHow far into shadow you can seeSoft, farEye level
BackSeparation from the backgroundSoft, farHung high
On the brief
CS

Contact sheet

00 / 12

Nothing on the sheet yet. Set the camera, then take a frame.

SEQ

Shot list

00 / 05

Tap a pad to mark the frame shot · saved on this device

A figure turning at a lamplit doorway, a hand reaching from the shadow, red and yellow lightsetup50mmlow light
A woman on a night street under a green neon sign, looking back over her shouldersetup50mmlow light
A laboratory or cockpit lit from below in acid green and night bluesetup50mmlow light
A hand holding a key or a glass in the foreground, a figure blurred behindsetup50mmthru glasssoft focus
A newsstand rack of painted covers, one being lifted outsetup50mm
Rolling
Take it to set: all 151 briefs as one PDF · $8
LOC

Locations

05
A night street or alleyA lamplit doorway or hotel corridorA bar or dinerA laboratory, cockpit or engine roomA newsstand or bookshop
REF

Explore the aesthetic

Style guideColor palette
DOC

About this brief

How do I photograph the Pulp Cover aesthetic?

Stage one dramatic instant like a painted cover: low angle, lurid colour, a title's worth of empty sky.

Every frame is a cover: leave room at the top for a title, put the figure at the most dramatic instant, shoot from low and let colour go lurid. Add grain, halftone and a creased edge in post so it looks painted and printed. The tone is knowing but not mocking. No natural light, no calm, and no clichés without a scene to carry them.

Director's note

What shots should I get for a Pulp Cover photo shoot?

Leave with every frame on this list.

Shot list

  1. A figure turning at a lamplit doorway, a hand reaching from the shadow, red and yellow light
  2. A woman on a night street under a green neon sign, looking back over her shoulder
  3. A laboratory or cockpit lit from below in acid green and night blue
  4. A hand holding a key or a glass in the foreground, a figure blurred behind
  5. A newsstand rack of painted covers, one being lifted out
What lighting works for Pulp Cover photography?

Theatrical and coloured: hard key from a low angle, a coloured rim light, a lurid gel on the background. Deep shadows and hot highlights; nothing natural.

Light

Where should I shoot Pulp Cover photography?

Scout these before anything else.

Locations

  1. A night street or alley
  2. A lamplit doorway or hotel corridor
  3. A bar or diner
  4. A laboratory, cockpit or engine room
  5. A newsstand or bookshop
What wardrobe works for Pulp Cover photography?

Period-adjacent and dramatic: trench coats, satin dresses, hats, gloves, a uniform; saturated single colours that hold under coloured light.

Wardrobe

Omoro Studio · Creative System

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