Today we completed my first workshop of this studio; Film Light. As Robin quickly pointed out, this class is about so much more than using lights.After my initial introduction to the course, I’m of the opinion to say it’s about learning to control the light for a desired purpose rather than learning to engineer lights to brighten a subject.  Now this can be done through lights but can also be done through dictating the light at hand. As this studio moves on I’d love to continue to look at this class through this point of view and continue to develop my understanding of film production lighting.

Through the completion of this studio I hope to have a firm grasp of lighting terminology and understand the thought processes that would go into lighting a scene or a subject. I would also like to have some knowledge and physical experience with the operation of professional equipment. Whether that be with professional lights, stands, bounce cards and even cameras.  Ultimately understanding the creative and practical reasons behind the use of light beyond the basic terminology of “It’s too dark, we’ll need a light”, is the primary goal in the completion of this studio.

Changing the way we think about light is also something Robin touched on today. Questioning our thinking towards the use of light as an expressive element in film production. Understanding that light is everywhere and, as filmmakers, we can use this light to develop emotion, mood or style is a critical component of the course. The absence of light can be considered “lighting” just as much as the presence of it and no lighting is “incorrect” as long as its achieving its intended purpose were phrases that took me by surprise. My introduction to the studio was great and I’m excited to continue to develop my knowledge of theoretical film lighting while learning the practical skills to put these into effect.