How do you make a scene up with shots from different places? Well that’s what we tried to find out with exercise 13! The point of this activity was to play close attention to the way we light our subjects so that the shots are consistent in relation to one another.

The class split in half to complete this exercise. Here are some screencaps from my groups work.

Choosing an all white wall may have seemed like an easy way out, but it is deceptively simple. This is because  by having nothing much in the background, our attention as a view is drawn to the details of our subjects faces, picking up on how the light shapes them. In our establishing shot, there is no clear direction from which the lighting shines, although soft and flattering, this means that even lighting must be created for the rest of the scene. Also in the first shot Sophia is about to speak so we should have anticipated that her face should be more lit in preparation for her close up maybe.

In the second shot of Sophia where she says her line, the lighting comes from above, creating a dramatic shadow under her eyes and chin. I don’t think that this is the most popular choice for most conversation scenes, but if matched up well it might not matter.

Unfortunately in the third shot, the lighting on Isaac’s face is a bit flat. but at least the lighting on the wall is soft and has a nice gradient. To me we didn’t manage to match up the scenes well in terms of lighting on his face because in the first shot, you can clearly see that there is meant to be more light on his face. But in terms of colouring, it is very consistent and might fool someone!

 

 

 

 

The tessellated green background came as a bit of a surprise but works. It would have looked better if the wall was further back to make it more believable because it seems like the wall would have been further back in the establishing shot. The eyelines are slightly off in the shot with Madeleine, it also would have looked better if Madeline was under less flat lighting. This final shot of Jack is very cool, placed in the center of the shot with his arms crossed he looks like an important character in the scene. I’m not sure if I would have kept the light source in the scene since it is a bit too bright and distracting, also in the establishing shot, the ceiling seems much higher and probably wouldn’t have lights low enough to appear in frame at that front on angle.

 

 

 

 

This was my favorite of the three.

Despite the third shot of John having uneven lighting that might not be possible within the room they are in, to me it doesn’t matter. The mood is overall tied together with this final shot. The dramatic lighting that cuts off at his eyeline somewhat distracts from the fact that the shot isn’t in the same location as the first two. The change in wall paint colour also doesn’t seem to have a negative affect because we can’t see what it might look like in the establishing shot. I think this scene also works because the overall colour pallete is muted and murky, so the slight change in wall colour isn’t noticeable.

 

 

THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION LIGHTING OVER 3 SCENES

Here is a back to back comparison of the 3 scenes I will be referring to. To me, these scenes are a good lesson on how light can be very different for different people in a shot, but still make visually logical sense. There is a clear direction that the light is coming from in each scene, which wouldn’t necessarily create the same effect in real life on set, but we accept this lighting as the reality of the scene because it just works.

The scenes that I found come from the film The Shawshank Redemption (1994) directed by Frank Darabont and Red’s character is heartbreaking.There are 3 scenes with Red throughout the film where he is required to check in with authorities about whether he feels “rehabilitated.” Lighting is used to establish and remind the audience that this has happened before. The three times that Red comes in to be questioned, the lighting and camera movement are similar and create a kind of template for the interview. This plays into the idea of the mind numbing repetition, and infuriating formalities of prison life. This repetitive set up also implies that the other many interviews have been omitted from the film. The point of these scenes are to show that Red has been detained for almost all his life, and that nothing has changed.

Now back to the scenes!

We first see an intimidating establishing shot of the authorities all seated at a table, blooming natural light coming in from behind them. This lighting highlights their figures and shrouds their expressions, portraying them as faceless, indifferent  members of a powerful group. We immediately get a sense of the injustice of 5 people against 1. This expressive backlighting also sets up the power dynamic for the scene. The 5 men look divine and important. Red does not.

In contrast to this, on both of the first two interviews, the lighting does not favour Red at all. In image two, he seems flat and as a result, uninterested, like he isn’t trying. This matches up with his acting because he has clearly done this a million times, his words are rehearsed and falsely enthusiastic.

The lighting on the wall behind Red also ‘makes sense’  because we can see a panel of light to his left that matches the shapes of the windows we had previously seen in the shot before. If he had have been placed directly in the block of light, there would have been a much more different affect, he might have looked too over exposed or just too bright for the scene in general, even if that lighting was ‘real.’

In the third screen capture of Red (in the denim jacket) He is well light on the face, but he still doesn’t seem powerful in comparison to the panel. The lighting is causing a shine on his face that makes him seem shocked on unprepared, emphasizing that he is under interrogation. The way he enters the room is hasty and nervous, he sits down quickly as he if can’t bare the thought of wasting their time.

 

 

The third version below is where (spoiler) Red’s application to leave prison is accepted. The types of shots and camera movement are THE SAME but the LIGHTING HAS CHANGED! This is very exciting to me. The scene feels completely different because of the way the light hits Red.

Red commands the scene with his movement; he slips in and out of the shadows by moving forward into the frame. This time he seems in control, taking his time. The way his face is hidden by the shadow as he enters the room prepares the audience for a grand statement, like someone who is walking into a spot light on stage. It’s like he has paced into the room to reveal his face when he wants to, telling them, “its me again, get ready.” 

The rather high contrast, directional lighting comes at an angle to his face, which is much more flattering. The way the blinds create this striped textured light on him makes him seem different, and paired with his badass attitude towards the panel, he seems mysterious and in cool.