Lighting gives me a genuine buzz. It is the element in filmmaking that I’m most thirsty for and I get excited when thinking about all of its possibilities and complexities. It is always on my mind. My eye is constantly observing light, anywhere and everywhere. Sometimes I’ll realise I’ve stopped listening to someone in conversation because I became absorbed in the light on their face or surroundings. It seems to suck you in and once it has a hold, completely takes over your world. And I’m OK with that.

I feel fortunate my studies were founded in the screen AdvDip as I have a basic but good understanding of lighting and camera. Our cinematography studies allowed us to explore and put into practise some of the possibilities of lighting, for instance how it can communicate emotion, character, setting, etc. However we only scratched the surface, so this studio, for me, is really about focusing on and honouring light. It is also about studying and collaborating with other students who (regardless of experience) are just as motivated by light – we all elected this studio because in one way or another light has got our attention!

Throughout this studio some key aspirations include:

• Expand and advance my current lighting knowledge and skills.
• Analyse and learn from both veterans of the film stock industry and current practitioners working in the digital age.
• Learn how to better replicate what the naked eye can see and achieve it in camera.
• Understand why some lighting set ups (at an amateur level) look convincing/natural but other times retain a distinguishable quality that looks ‘lit’.
• Improve lighting terminology to an industry standard.
• Critically and technically understand why I find particular lighting scenarios more aesthetically pleasing.
• Answer one of the studio’s questions – How should we think about light in order to use it as an expressive element in film production?

Ultimately I will treat this studio as my capstone, as at the end of the semester I graduate! So will eagerly take as much from FILM LIGHT as possible as I hope to further pursue lighting in my future in media.