Week 3 Blog Post:

Week 3 Reflection: Depth of Field

Week 4 Blog Post:

Week 4 Reflection: utilising basic cinematography to aid a story

Scene Analysis 2:

Scene Analysis Part Two: Bridge of Spies Scene

This was a shot taken from a scene in the film: ‘Bridge of Spies”. The two men are listening to music whilst they set up another defence in the next hearing. The key light in this scene is coming from the back window. The key light is very soft with a temperature that is very reminiscent of a cloudy day. There is also a soft fill light emitting from the front, which is designed for us to see the subject. If the fill was not there, the subjects would be silhouette. The fill light could also be potentially be caused by the scattering of the key light off the walls rather than actual light source. This wide shot of the two men has been exposed for the subjects, hence the blown out highlights in the back windows. The scene has plenty of contrast between the highlights and the shadows which does the job of separating the subjects from the background.

It is a lot more apparent on how soft the lighting is when we observe the close ups of the two subjects. The fall off in the highlights is very gradual amongst their faces. There is no clear drop off in the highlights. Through the two close ups, I feel as though the fill could be a result of the key light bouncing off the interior rather than the use of a less intense light source. This is because there are plenty of patches of blacks on the fill side in which the key light could not fill on the subject.

The lighting in this scene was very supportive of the dialogue. It made me feel that the Russian Spy (the guy who is not Tom Hanks) was genuinely a good man who was just serving his country. Who did not appear to be sinister in this type of lighting.

This week we got to have a little fun.We had apply all the things we learnt so far about lighting and camera settings to a script. We had to act and film for two different scripts. There were also different parameters that had to be met in order to accomplish the task. These set parameters were designed for us to think and work around potential complications that would may and truly well happen when we enter the industry. I found this exercise to be refreshing, exciting and a great learning experience. I got the opportunity to work along side with my peers, have a laugh (maybe a lot more laughing than there should be) and get the job done (questionable).

We all took part in the project and designated ourselves a specific roll. Some were actors, a few gaffered and the others directed, camera operated or edited. I helped out with the lighting and offered to edit the videos. During the filming exercise, we had the freedom to use the lights, gels and cards.

This was the sequence that we did for Exercise Three: ‘Emmaline Dreams of Play time’

Establishing shot

Emmaline looks off to the window

Front mid shot

Close up detail shot

Close up head shot of Emmaline to focus on her dialogue

We key lit the scene with a 2k and a blue gel to match the temperature of day light. We opened up all the blinds to fill in the light. In terms of aesthetics, there was not anything wrong with them. However if we look at the task, we were required to seperate the two scenes together. We also failed to simulate the sun coming up as well. In the case that we ever needed to redo the exercise again, we should have closed down most of the blinds. In setting up the scene this way, we are able to gradually open up one blind to allow some light on to the subjects to simulate the sun coming out. The establishing shot was also not necessary for the scene as well as the 2k light as it was an option, not a necessity.

Exercise Five: “Mullins Returns”

Establishing Shot

Mid Close Up of Sophie

Mid Close Up of Mullins

In this exercise we went outside to shoot using the natural light that was available near the cafe. We lit the subjects using a silver reflector. One key parameter we did not meet was to shoot Mullins at a different location. This was a test to see wether we could replicate the same look in terms of lighting and colour in a different location. This limitation was designed for us to prepare for potential complications in the future when shoots need to be redone.