In Tuesdays workshop, we set up a “night time” scene where the subject was asleep at a bus stop with a bouquet of flowers next to him and a window slightly behind. Our set was extremely rough but that wasn’t the intention. Our intent was to really think about the process of lighting this scene realistically. Making the window seem as though it’s the only lightsource in the scene. We discussed many different methods as to how we could light the subjects in the scene without making the window overexposed. We tried a few different lighting setups with an extra two Dedo’s to light the scene. One focusing on the flowers and another focusing on the subject. Before we had enough time to perfect the scene, It was time to pack everything up. Although what I thought hearing other people’s approach and recommendations to helping Robin light the scene was by far the most interesting part. Most had different approaches to how they would light up the subjects and all could’ve worked in their own right. 

In our Thursday workshop, we sat down again and watched a number of scenes from a variety of different films. I won’t reflect on all of them but a number tweaked my interest for both the lighting and practical effects. The first film to spike my interest was The Rubber Head (1901) directed by George Melies. This short was created in the early days of filmmaking yet the soft lighting seems to spread across the scene and look quite modern. The Practical Effect in the film where George Melies pulls his own head out of a box and begins to pump it up is quite impressive considering it was done over 100 years ago. Robin talked us through the process of how this effect was created. Sort of simple in its creation yet an extremely creative effect by Melies. 

That seemed to conclude the semester’s workshops. What I took away from the this lesson was an acknowledgement of the relationship between the lighting of a film and the production design, costumes and subjects. These have a direct correlation to one another which is an idea I never really considered. It’s when all these elements come together in harmony that the film begins to look really impressive. 

In our Tuesday class we went without our usual film and lighting kit and watched clips of film from a selection curated by Robin. Looking at these films with the purpose of analysing and discussing their lighting techniques. We watched a variety of snippets from older films like The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943) and The Magic Box (1951). In both of these films there’s an unrealistic nature to the lighting of a scene. Overall I found the process of looking over these films and discussing the lighting extremely interesting and useful. Robin touched on the lighting style of these cinematographers and how most of them probably didn’t intend to create a style, it more so happens naturally. I’m eager to develop my own style but this, I think,  will come and I does not have to be forced. 

We also spoke about the technicolour process. Like many of the old filmmaking techniques I found this quite fascinating. The use of a beam splitting prism to create an exposure on three different pieces of film, to then take those pieces of film, dye them and stitch them together to create a colour image is crazy. Definitely shocked me to find out this was the process involved.

In our Thursday workshop we aimed to set up a latitude test set with a human subject focusing on the latitude we can gain from the camera when correcting it in post production. This was the first time we were introduced to a light metre. Understanding how these devices work was definitely a useful activity. In the current digital age, light meters aren’t as widespread as they used to be. However, as Robin pointed out these can still be utilised to for a variety of different reasons including having more precise control over your images and matching shots on different days or different locations. While providing filmmakers with a potentially faster setup process and making post production easier.

In Experiment 1; Elannor, Jagger and Noah’s goal was essentially to pick an assortment of shots from different films and see how many lighting setups they could recreate with just one light. They planned to only used a 2K Fresnel with the help of bounce boards, cutters and various types of diffusion. Their first shot was a recreated closeup of Scarlett Johanssen from the film Lost in Translation (2003). The shot required extremely soft light with a dusk feel to it. Their recreation was almost spot on. Perhaps the key side could have been a little less bright but ultimately it fit well. Their second shot was a recreation of the sewer scene from IT (2017). The shot required a very focusable light without it being too hard. Out of all their recreations, I felt this was the least similar to the original. The light they used seemed too soft and not quite narrow enough. In their third shot they tried to recreate the boat scene from the film Her (2013). This shot was originally backlit with a heavy fill from the front. I thought they did a really good job with this shot as their backlight to fill ratio was next to perfect when compared the original film. In their final shot they attempted to recreate a scene from Arrival (2016). This shot required a heavily diffused backlight creating silhouette of the subject with creature like shadow between the backlight and the diffused screen. The group’s use of creativity definitely helped with their end shot and the final product was extremely similar to the original. Their set up looked simple was ultimately effective.

Overall I thought this group did really well with one light source to recreate multiple different shots from a variety of films. Although not completely accurate they were often 90% there which for a one light setup is really impressive.

Today we reviewed the results of Exercise 5 and 8. Both exercises were mostly about balancing the light between two vastly different exposed settings. Attempting to understand the latitude of the cameras and our choices to control these. 

Robin gave insights into the results of Exercise 8. We talked alot about exposure within this scene as the exercise prompted. Having a window behind the subject in a room always makes the decision on exposure difficult. This group chose to expose the subject correctly and allow large amounts overexposed highlights outside the glass. We discussed how there were sort of two ways to approach this scene without getting hot parts in the image. They could either silhouette the character and expose for the window outside or match the brightness outside by lighting the character. Both would have eliminated over exposed sections of the image.

When looking at Exercise 5, this group seemed to handle the bright and dark areas of the image a little better. There were small areas of over exposed sections in the frame, but the group did a nice job of exposing for both the characters in the shade and in the harsh sunlight. However what robin touched on was the discrepancies in exposure between the different shots. Exposure in exercise 5 seemed to change during the scene with the characters in the shaded area. Keeping exposure consistent throughout the scene is also important so if you establish the characters in a shaded setting, keeping them slightly underexposed keeps a visual flow within the scene. Lighting and exposure are two fields that directly affect one another and its important to understand the latitude your camera can handle when shooting in tough situations.

This week we were also introduced to the correct naming terminology of different types of diffusion and gels. Colour correction gels such as CTO (colour temperature orange) and CTB (colour temperature Blue) come in different density’s which can be used to change daylight in tungsten and tungsten into daylight. But can also be used in half and quarter density for effect and or to compensate for different coloured lighting. We touched on types of diffusion sheet and ND gel’s were also looked at. I don’t believe we’ve looked at them before but they are used to dim lights both in and out of shot. 

As part of my preparation for our Second Experiment where, as a group, we will be looking at expanding on our first silhouette experiment and delve into silhouette in a Neo Noir style scene with contrasting colours and shady characters. I’ve decided to analyse a scene out of John Wick (2014) from director Chad Stahelski and Cinematographer Jonathon Sela. This scene and the film as a whole feels as though its a huge homage to the film noir genre of the 30’s and 40’s while strongly fits within the new neo noir genre through its dark themes and colourful, contrasty images. In this scene John Wick infiltrates a nightclub where his enemies are expecting him. Shooting countless henchmen but ultimately ending up empty handed without his target. This scene is creatively lit with extremely warm and extremely cool colours. Both contrasting each other. Depending on where the characters are placed in the environment, subjects in the foreground can be lit with blue light and the background with red light or vice versa. Occasionally a mix of both within the same shot can be seen as the characters move through the creatively lit environment. The moving lights add a lot of movement to the frame and enhance the visual speed and urgency of the fighting. The coloured lighting doesn’t seem to have much of a narrative motivation and seems like more of  a stylistic choice. The stylistic elements of the scene with the neon lighting almost takes a front seat to the action, creating an extremely stimulating image. Spectacle over Substance is a complaint many have with modern films yet there’s something extremely artististic about this scene and the film. 

Overall, I really like the visual style of this scene and the contrasting colours definitely enhance the visuals on a stylistic level. I would like to incorporate similar lighting techniques in our second experiment while similarly choosing Neo noir style action and suspense to correlate with it. 

Scene Link – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-HSoOFdJ3s

Today, In our 16th class we attempted to create a scene in which a man moves from his bookcase to his desk before seeing a ghost in front of him. To start the workshop off we assigned actors and some primary crew before blocking the scene. Once we had blocked we started to think about how we were going to light it. Initially we turned off all the lights and used the desk lamp available to see what that looked like without any extras. Now both the director, Robin, and the crew liked the look of this set up on the subject yet the lamp head was completely overexposed and detailess. To change this we decided to use the dimmer on the lamp to bring down the brightness but this in turn left our subject too dark. So we had to incorporate another light source out of the shot that had to look like it was coming from the lamp head. After the use of 2 cutters, a 2k fresnel and white bounce card we were able to get this result ( see photo below). Not perfect by any means but it’s almost there. The lighting on the book doesn’t match the intensity to that of the subjects jacket. There is also some unusual spill reflecting onto the table from the left of the subject. Yet due to time constraints we were forced to move onto the next shot which was also rushed. 

Ultimately, doing exercises like these is very useful. Learning how to problem solve and understanding how to control the lighting variables within a scene will be extremely beneficial for our future careers. Knowing that we don’t have to be content with mediocre lighting because we know how to fix these issues is fundamentally what this course seems to be about. 

Scene Analysis – https://www.mediafactory.org.au/tully-hemsley/2019/09/01/scene-analysis-the-dark-night/

Reflection #1 – https://www.mediafactory.org.au/tully-hemsley/2019/08/30/week-4-reflection/

Reflection #2 – https://www.mediafactory.org.au/tully-hemsley/2019/08/30/week-5-reflection/

Reflection #3 – https://www.mediafactory.org.au/tully-hemsley/2019/08/30/week-6-reflection/

The interrogation scene in The Dark Knight (2008) plays an integral role in the film’s final act and is the first time the audience see’s batman out of the dark shadows he occupies. The scene begins with the police commissioner interrogating the Joker. Both subjects and seemingly lit by a desk lamp on the table bouncing off the reflective surface onto the subjects faces. This effect creates very soft low-key lighting on the characters faces and creates a dark, shadowy vibe. There is one fluorescent light in the background which adds depth to the room without effecting the lighting on the characters. When the commissioner leaves the room all of the Fluorescent lights are turned on, revealing the Dark Knight standing behind the joker. The rest of the scene is visually lit with the fluorescent lights above. These fluorescents are diffused by white panels and create soft, white down lights. Judging by the shadows on the characters faces, it appears they are not using other light sources to fill. The shadows created by the downlights are quite distinguishable. Making the wrinkles and facial structures of the characters more predominant.

What’s interesting about the use of lighting within this scene is it’s story telling ability. The shadowy figure that is the Dark Knight prior to this scene only appeared in very low lit scenes. However, when the lights are turned on in the interrogation room, Batman is no longer hiding in the shadows. The lighting enhances the action in the scene. Visually exposing the character in light while acting as a reflection of the newly exposed Dark Knight. Director Christopher Nolan has also used lighting as visual tool to reveal batman. When changing the interrogation room from a very low lit space to a very bright room, the lighting change reveals Batman to the audience.

Scene Link – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ChPTKPzB4I

In our Thursday workshop we grouped up and began exercise 6. Within this exercise we were tasked to shoot a simple interaction with two characters sitting opposite each other. The scene required 3 shots, a wide and two MCU’s of each character. The issue that needed solving was that one of these MCU’s had to be shot in a completely different location. To complete this exercise realistically we opted to shoot our first 2 shots in our ideal location without compromise, then look for a separate location for our last shot. We did this because we thought, in a realistic circumstance why would you plan different locations instead of shooting in the same area. Recreating the same setting for our last shot was difficult but what we ultimately looked for was a similar temperature lighting source with similar background colours. Because our original lighting source was soft and an extremely odd shape, we attempted to use exisiting spotlights bounced off two white cards to recreate the coverage we needed. Overall I thought we did a really good job of recreating the setting and using the tools we had at hand. I think our biggest fault would be in the colour temperature of the light source. It did seem that our second location ceiling lights were a little warmer than the initial location. However this could have also been more prominently pronounced due to the different skin tones each character had. This exercise also provided us with more problem solving skills which is a vital aspect of filmmaking.

Robin also touched on the basics of sound recording in this workshop. Talking about the different types of microphones available. However primarily focusing on directional or shotgun microphones and how they are very useful for most on set situations. This is due to the focusable nature of the microphones making it easier to drown out the irrelevant sound and focusing on the sound that is important such as dialogue. Robin talked us through how to set up the shotgun microphones on a boom pole and connect them to the EX-3 camera we are using. This is basic information yet is vital to know when working in these environments.

This week in our main workshop, we organised and attempted to shoot a full scene of dialogue. This was the most extensive scene we have attempted this semester. To create this scene Robin assigned us roles, I was the cinematographer and was required to work closely with the director and the First A/C or focus puller. Although we were unable to finish the scene, I found Robins discussion around on-set etiquette very interesting and ultimately extremely informative. When going onto sets I feel I will now have a greater understanding of what is required of me in my role, how to behave and know who to report to etc. I also thought the step by step process of how a scene would come together on a professional film set was very useful information. The act of blocking a scene proved very useful in this exercise and is definitely I process I had previously underrated.

Lighting this scene was a challenge within itself. We set the scene up how we liked it with a 2k Fresnel aimed at a white card bouncing onto the subjects sitting down. However when the Director, Robin, decided to open the curtains in the background there were some major reflection issues from our existing lighting setup. To solve this we were forced to setup 2 more cutters between the lights and the reflective glass. Ultimately having to move our actors slightly further away from how we originally intended. This is a perfect example of how filmmakers need to be quick problem solvers and was a great way for Robin to let us figure out ways to solve these problems by ourselves. The shot was ultimately better for it as the clear window added depth and extra colour to the image.

Robin also touched on the strength of conventional circuit boards in Australia and why, when lighting scenes with powerful lights, you have to be mindful of the strength of the circuit. Your average Australian circuit is 10 amps. So you cannot plug any lights into a circuit that requires more than 10 amps of power. To know whether your lights are going to max out the circuit, Robin gave us a simple formal to remember: Watts / Volts = Amps. With wattage being the amount of power used by the device and volts being the amount of power able to go through the output which is typically 24v in a traditional Australian PowerPoint. With our lighting setup we were only using a 2k Fresnel so 2000 w / 240 volts = 8.3 Amps which is safe to plug into a 10 amp circuit. This is very useful information that will be extremely valuable knowledge as we progress into future careers.