My Thoughts on the Lighting Workshop

I was really intrigued by our workshop today. It was hosted by Chris Scarafile, who has worked on Boardwalk Empire and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, among many others. Chris was extremely knowledgeable and provided us with real, applicable knowledge of production that you really can't get from reading a textbook. He was also very understanding of our student status, and made his talks relatable. During the actual production part of the  workshop he was very intense and fast-paced, but I think that is justified simply because the entertainment industry time-driven and stressfulI, there is no time to waste. I was only able to stay for part of the workshop, but I know I learned some valuable insight when I was there. 

 I will be the first to admit that I don't have a ton of on set experience, so workshops like this hosted by a professional in the field are extremely valuable to me. Chris went over the basic steps of setting up a shot, but more importantly I think he put it in perspective of the entire production, describing when we would be using stand-ins, what departments would be involved, who's responsibility each job was, etc. 

Before we even began the lighting/camera demo, Chris talked to us about each major position on set, conveniently answering questions I had about the duties of the AD from my previous post. We talked about the Director, DP, and Production Design as three main camps on set, and Chris went into each of the subordinate positions in these various departments and the duties that each performs on a daily basis. He gave really helpful 'pro-tips' like considering acting in projects if you want to direct, or working as a dolly grip to get closer to the camera position. 

One interesting side note that I took away from this workshop was when Chris mentioned his on-set experience for the show Blacklist. He stressed to us the important of working with what you have (or don't have). As an example He mentioned that the show was extremely stressful to shoot, because they used three cameras at all times and had a very tight schedule. That is insane. I can't imagine the internal chaos the camera department (and continuity) experience each day on set.  Since all three cameras were always rolling, Chris told us that they used a slight low angle to avoid getting the other camera operators in the shot. This results in what Chris called the "looking up the nose" shot that is utilized so much by the show. I thought this was really cool and practical, but probably a little terrifying to actually utilize on set.  

As you can see above, its nothing dramatic, and if it wasn't pointed out you probably wouldn't even notice it.  Just another trick of the trade I suppose. 

Shot Designer Application

              Due to posting in Arturo's Motion Graphics & Animation class I am always looking for new technology associated with cinematography and its challenges.  This week I would like to talk about an application called Shot Designer. Shot Designer is an application available for both iPad and iPhone in the iTunes app store that allows the individual to create lighting, camera movements and even blocking movements on a floor plan. This sort of floor plan set up can be used along with storyboards to significantly help create the story, especially with a production team with many different elements and view points. As we are recently discovering these issues  working with our own production teams on the short films, I feel an application such as this could be a tool for our projects.  Additionally a major feature that improves this technology is the ability for the program to sync multiple members of your production team.

            While the application is free on the iTunes app store for only $19.99 you get the pro upgrade that provides for features such as exporting, saving and printing scenes and also a desktop version of the software. The app maybe in the beginning stages of its development nonetheless this can be a great tool when on the run or even for a short film.  Here is another picture example of the app...

Lighting in A Clockwork Orange

The name Stanley Kubrick is synonymous with innovation both on the screen and off. He was the first to bring the steadicam onto the scene for the filming of The Shining, and has also created other tools and techniques that make his films stand out as some of the best. As I was re-watching the cult classic A Clockwork Orange, I couldn't help but notice one specific scene where there appeared to be no set up lights, which I found astonishing.

The scene where Little Alex chases, and subsequently murders the Cat Lady is shot on a handheld 18mm Arriflex camera, and involves him moving around the room as the scene unfolds. The camera focuses on all four walls at some point throughout the shot, which means it would be impossible to set up lights in the room (you can see the ceiling too). Kubrick used his innovation, and actually included illuminated sculptures around the walls, which ended up lighting the room perfectly, and was soft enough to cast no shadows, including his own as he moved around the room.

This was not the first time Kubrick had used this technique; he used similar lighting in the war room in Dr. Strangelove and the circular space ship in 2001. I really like the whole aspect of him building the lighting into the scene as opposed to using set lighting. It adds a certain realistic and natural quality to the scene which in my opinion makes this shot rather eerie.