Post 13: Advanced Production Skills Workshop 3

During a class lesson, we were having group discussions on ways of how to improve the quality of our video work that we done through the technical element of lighting. We needed to develop a sense of style on our own production work so to start with, we looked at how lighting effects sources and colours. We looked at a quote from 'Broadwell & Thompson' which was "In making a documentary", the film-maker may be limited to shoot with the light available in the actual surroundings.

Most fictional films however, use extra light sources to obtain greater control of the images. In most fictional films, the table lamp and street light you see in the mise-en-scene are not the principle source of illumination for the filming.” Most fictional films use light sources to get hold of greater control of the images.

We were then given two images from the film 'Forest Gump' to look at and were to have group discussions about the different types of lighting used in this shot that we notice as well as the shadows.

From this image we are able to see that shows  use a lot of natural light which makes the lighting seem very soft it gives a cool and calm style to the shot. It also shows a lot of attached shadows but only if you look closely  can you notice them. If you look under Forests' blazer sleeve you can see that both characters are placed under a tree due to the darkened light. The lightest part of the image is at the back on the right, which shows little sun.

This second image that we looked at shows a use of hard lighting which makes the image look very artificial. The hard quality creates a bleached effect on the clothes of the characters meaning we are unable to see any shape of attached shadows. If we focus on the background, we can see that it differs by a large amount in comparison to the first image. You can also see that the brightness is blurred out due to the amount of contrast in the image.

The next image that we were given to look at is a scene from the film 'Harry Potter' which we were told to have another group discussion where we noticed additional lighting they have chosen to add into this scene. The light source is intended to be coming from the old style street lamps. This would not however illuminate the characters enough and would cause a lot of shadow.

On the set of Harry Potter, the film makers in this shot needed to take into account the amount of available sources of light they had and how they will be able to use the sources of light. This is why the street lamps are used to add extra light.


Next we looked at two images of which we had to identify how different sources of light can create a specific atmosphere.The first image that we looked at is of a plain corridor with no movement or anything specific involved in it.

We can see that the hard lighting creates a reflection which  bounces off the walls and doors of the corridor. We are then able to say that the light in this picture is therefore a source of natural lighting.


In the second image, the lighting is contrasted as shadows have been created below the lightsas well as other essentials of light that are hidden in the ceiling within the image. With this happening, we can now notice the middle of the corridor.

If you look carefully, you can see another light below the character which reflects his face facial expressions. An additional light source can also be seen at the end of the corridor, which makes it noticeable and recognisable to the audience.

  

Post 12: Advanced Production Skills Workshop 2

During class we were set a task to think about the quality of Lighting by looking at two main elements which were direction and quality. For quality, we were told to focus on the intensity of the illumination such as ‘Hard Lighting’. 'Hard Lighting' is the direct light source which creates bold shadows that includes edges and textures & 'Soft Lighting' is indirect light of diffused which blurs textures and  is a softer contrast between light and shade.

When looking at the direction of light, the light source can be positioned differently for example back, front, side, above and how it bounces off different surfaces. Every light source has a point where it is brightest & darkest.

During the second part of the lesson we were separated into two different groups, one looking at direction and the other looking at quality. In my group we were given direction to focus on and as a group we had to allocate these roles to a Director, Camera, Clapper, Recorder and Gaffer.

Throughout a class lesson, we watched a video by music artist Madonna – Vogue. The reason for watching it was because it used the different uses of lighting to its advantages. This helped us in the next stage of the project.

Below is Madonna's Video - Vogue:

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNgSy8HGWkk

The Madonna music video will manipulate our film as the lighting can be used to our advantage. After looking at this video, we can now decide on whether we should use the direction and quality of lighting within each scene.


Direction

I chose to take on the role of Gaffer and my job was to change the style of shadows by moving the barn doors.We were given a range of equipment to use in our experiment and were left to come up with our own decisions on how we would like to set up and arrange our experiment.

Below is the following Equipment List:

. Mini DV camera

. Tripod

. Batteries

. Base Plate

. Tape

. Laminated Whiteboards

. Marker Pens

. 1x Lowel Pro 250W Lamp

. 1x Stand

. Extension Lead

. Barn Doors

. Torch

. Black Wrap & Crock Clips

. White Materials & Tin Foil

. Safety Gloves

Our teacher then asked us to view images from the 'Vogue' music video, then identify the concept of direction of light within them. As a group we came up & noted down the following points:

. The Direction of Light helps to show the main characters

. It helps creates shadows and effects within the pictures

. Shows body features such a clothing differently depending on the direction

. Helps to highlight facial expressions

. Help to add tension into a scene

We then had to discuss what the equipment will do to the quality of light. As a group we thought that the black wrap would focus the light and make it darker opposed to the foil which makes it brighter. We also said that the umbrella would give it the effect of making the light softer which would give it a different view. The tripod is when we can steady the filming when moving the camera, it can also be known as a ‘stand’.

The white sheet would be used as a back drop which would block out any unwanted shadows so that it would create a clear background. The whiteboards would then notify the audience on what they are about to watch.

As a group, we were  then  given the task of identifying factors that we would need to adapt. There were two tasks that were set and we were given the task of the intensity of the light. We would need to be able to change the equipment and materials to show the different directions.

Before we were able to start filming, we had to make sure that the Gaffer was wearing safety gloves when operating the lights; also we have to keep the position of the camera the same throughout.

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbtuEdR4PaQ&feature=youtu.be


After watching the video clip, we can now clearly see the use of different equipment and reflective surfaces which change the direction of light. As a group, we noticed some examples that we all individually looked into further:

As we approach 0.06 seconds of the video clip, we can see that we have used a front light as well as the use of barn doors. It also shows the brightest point of intensity from the light to the side of his presence whereas in the top right hand corner, the light is fading away into the black background.

As we approach 1.06 seconds of the video clip, the Barn Doors are used & we can see a tunnel effect where the light is focusing on his body and nothing else around him in the background.

As we approach 5.45 seconds of the video clip, we can clearly see that we have placed a white sheet underneath the actor to try and reflect the light and make his face brighter. We found this successful as his face is much more illuminated.

Our experiment was successful in my opinion because we successfully showed the different positions of light that can have an effect on the direction. We as a group thought that the barn doors were the most successful throughout our experiment because with them, you could see the difference in the direction the most compared to the other equipment.

In this conclusion, I feel that if we were to do this task again that we should be more prepared than  the first time round for example, we should have prepared the room better & and should  have checked for any dangerous surroundings.

Quality

The opposite group were then given the task to look at quality of lighting. They were able to use the following equipment.

Below is the following Equipment List:

. Mini DV Camera
. Tripod
. Batteries
. Base Plate
. Tape
. Laminated Whiteboards & Marker Pens
. 1x Lowel Pro 250W Lamp
. 1x Stand
. Diffusion Attachments
. Speed Ring
. Black Card
. Black Sugar Paper
. Scissors
. Safely Glover
. Extension Lead

My Predictions:

• Able to compare differences between ‘Hard Light’ & ‘Soft Light’ through the use of equipment.

• See the difference of the quality effects throughout different shots.

Issues That Will Need to be Changed:

• The diffuser that will be included will need to be changed to show the effect it has on quality

Below Is a Video Clip of The Following Task:

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZRhnYux4SI&feature=youtu.be


After watching the video clip you can see that their film was very short compared to ours  which made it  hard to see the changes between each scene. When you pause the image and then compare,  it is much easier to see the difference for example in the image below.


One improvement that I think this group could have made was to extend each shot making it longer. Each shot I felt was too short to acknowledge and  I felt it was a bit rushed. I would recommended  this to them if they were to repeat this task.


Conclusion


In conclusion, I think that doing these experiments was a good idea because they will save a lot of time when it comes to filming. I feel if we choose to influence ourselves with direction or quality we can relate back to this. The two experiments have shown what different shots would look like when the lighting has been played with. 

Post 11: Advanced Production Skills Workshop 1

Lighting is used to shed light on characters on screen. Recently in class, we looked at the different types of lighting and how it can be used during film scenes to create different effects and illusions. We were introduced to Film Noir ‘Black Film’ which was a 1946 film produced by Nino Frank who was a French Film Critic. 'Film Noir' became known as a style that can be used to create mood, tone and to show point of view. 


There are many different definitions and opinions that people have on 'Film Noir'. It became popular within film making as it was important to develop conventions that where associated with this style.

Below are the following three links that support 'Film Noir':

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_noir

• http://www.filmnoirstudies.com/

• http://www.filmsite.org/filmnoir.html

Many characteristics were associated with ‘Film Noir' such as examples of Dark, Downbeat and ‘black’ looks. Also it showed that the themes were evident. 


It was discovered that most films display the insecurities of the time period as well as counter balancing Hollywood’s musicals and comedies.


The story showed a hard hitting male character who encounters a beautiful “female fatale.” The women would manipulate him which often lead to a murder.

During class, we watched a clip of the 'Film Noir' Double Indemnity, of which we studied the story line during those times.

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hn-RWYZYbsY


After watching this short clip, we then looked more closely at the lighting that has been used and the different positions of the lights. It is used as a way of highlighting and creating shadows that can be used to influence a scene. A shadow is a region of darkness where light is blocked.

These are the following existing shadows:

• Cast Shadows - "These are when objects block the light source and shed a shadow."
  
• Attached Shadows - "These are when the lighting fails to illuminate parts of the object due to its shape and size."

This Image on the right, is an example of an attached shadow as it consists of two important characters of whom  are surrounded with minor characters that are used to set the scene in the background.


If you look carefully, you can see that the face of the man positioned on the left in the image has an attached shadow on the right hand side of his face which is created by his material figure creating it. 


This image below is an example of a cast shadow as it is created due to the fact that the blind appears to be blocking the direct light source from the sunlight from outside.

Therefore a Cast Shadow is formed onto the man's man's jacket and tie standing directly opposite.

After learning about the affects that both cast and attached shadows have, we then as a class looked into the affect that both lighting and shadows have on the shape and texture of objects. 


We found and watched a short video that demonstrates perfectly the manipulation light can have on objects.


The video is centred around a lemon of which light is directed from different angles which affects the lighting on the texture and shape of the lemon. 

However at some points during the video, if you look carefully, you will understand that it can be difficult for the viewer to understand what is actually being filmed as the differences that are created are due to the shadows.

Below is the video Lemon - Hollis Frampton:





Link:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-nBjFze-J4


We then were given the task to duplicate the video of the lemon using our own object  given to us which was a shell. 


Below are the following Equipment that we used:

• Torch
• Black Sugar Paper 
• Camera

Our task was to create 'illuminative shadows' that would look highly effective from the lighting  shown and would ultimately look effective.

Below is the Shell Video that we done for our task:

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpupIdPBqjc&feature=youtu.be

This task has made me realise that when it comes to the lighting of my film there is a lot to take into consideration.


Below are the following to be considered:

• Natural Lighting
• Artificial Lighting 
• Coloured Gels
• Strength of Gels
• Shadows
• Types of Shadows

This task has however made me realise about these, however to ensure that I am fully aware of everything  when its comes to filming  I may need to research it further.