Class Reflection

For me, one of the most beneficial aspects of this studio has been the practical activities undertaken during classes. This has been something that has been missing from many of my prior studios, so it was a significant and welcome inclusion in the curriculum.

A notable such class took place on the 8th of April that covered a number of different techniques, their thematic results and the equipment needed to create that result.

Taking place indoors, the first manipulation of lighting took the form of a large duvetyne. This large black cloth had the property of absorbing and thus blocking all the natural light coming in from the north side of the building. The method we chose to set it up involved setting up a row of C-stands; taking special care that the centre of gravity of the whole set up remained at a safe stability. Another property of the duvetyne was that it absorbed lighting coming from the artificial lights in the set itself. This ensured that the scene could be lit only as intended: the light we coordinated would be used as it hit the subject, then eradicated by the absorbent cloth. In other terms, it made sure no reflections could interfere with the scene.

Using this piece of equipment has made me consider a great many applications in my own future film work. I have begun to consider its use in the construction of scenes requiring an more close connection between character to be portrayed. In other words, neglecting to use a duvetyne in some circumstances may lead to the introduction of distracting lighting artifacts that would construct a visual statement that amounted to: the characters have little focus and regard for each other’s company. On the other hand, a tightly controlled lighting set up with a duvetyne could remove this and make the two characters seem more engaged in each other’s presence. A real-world example of the above was an instance where a shot I created had a number of flashes coming from passing cars reflective surfaces in a outdoor setting. This could have been prevented with a duvetyne.  The relative simplicity of the set up and its effectiveness means that although it seems peripheral to the project at hand, it nonetheless makes a huge impact.