I first understood the studio as a place to not only analyse the look of a film’s lighting, but also how lighting is achieved, and why certain decisions are made. I think this studio will be a great opportunity to learn lighting techniques in a meaningful way. After the first class I had learnt many ideas that could be put to practise. This includes the core boards, the purpose of which something I never knew until this week.
My approach to the interview was to film “correctly”. As a class looking back on the accumulated footage, I have understood “correct” lighting to be a construct rather than a set of rules to be followed. This was demonstrated when looking over the pieces, seeing everyone’s interpretations on what looked good for their shot. The shot of Joseph, which I helped to shoot, had an interesting distribution of the light and shadows. What I think would enhance it is experimenting with the way he is orientated, and how that reveals his face differently. Overall though, I was happy with what we came up with. I think it became a dramatic shot in terms of what the meaning could be behind it – a big aspect in this was the shadow cast over his face. We could still see the light from the window on the bridge of his nose, as it was the brightest point on his face. In future I will take influence from my classmates and also our particular attention on modelling in Thursday’s class, and experiment with the subject’s positioning in relation to both the light source/s and the camera. I enjoyed looking through everyone’s shots and seeing what they came up with, which proved that one shot can be achieved so many different ways. I look forward to developing my knowledge on all the techniques and elements involved in lighting.
Generally, I am interested in how lighting can uncover information about the subject. How lighting creates atmosphere and consequently what that means to an audience is something I am keen to explore through learning in a technical sense, and also in reflection. I have found watching film clips in class a good way to introduce lighting terminology, and help me to understand what the implications of different methods are – because I can actually see what happening. It’s like picking up a new way of watching films, and I am excited to learn more each class. In order to develop my understanding of lighting and how it can be created I will try to be more aware of the lighting I see in film and television, and try to identify what is actually happening.