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.