This week I gained more awareness about lighting setups for different shots and how that affects the continuity when editing. It is important to note that starting with the mid-shots when shooting means that the baseline is set, and the close-ups can therefore be refined to exactly how I want, whilst still fitting in to the overall scene. I always find it interesting to see the set up of the shot we create, and how it looks to the naked eye compared to through the camera on the projector. I think that it would be helpful for me to draw diagrams of the practice shots (as I do in the exercises) with my notes so I can refer back to examples instead of just re-reading “key light was x”, and having to figure this out. So, I guess that this class has also helped me with my note-taking skills, which is something I would not have initially predicted! So I will definitely be bringing some physical paper for the next class.
Introducing the gas discharge lamps, and in this class the Kino Flo lamp, was interesting and good to know especially for shooting, when needing a soft light in a small space. In further research, I have read (just on Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kino_Flo), that in the production of the movie Barfly [1987], the Director of photography was filming in a cramped interior space and therefore could not fit a traditional lighting set up. the gaffer and the best boy came up with the fluorescent light with a remote ballast so that the unit was light enough to be taped to the wall. They then created the company Kino Flo! It makes sense that these sorts of things are created out of need, and makes me intrigued in what technology and equipment is still to come in the industry.
On reflection of Exercise 6, being behind the camera was a good experience as I realised I did not have the best knowledge to be working on the shooting. This is definitely because I am not very experienced in setting particular elements (for example, the f-stops) and therefore I need to work more with my camera at home and also the school cameras in solidifying these elements. Apart from this, the exercise was good and the group collaborated well. I know I definitely need to have more confidence in my abilities and just go for it when it comes to these exercises, and try to put to use all that I have learnt so far.
In terms of analysing films, I found it interesting to think of the concept that quickly, we are able to believe what we see in a film is it’s reality. I think this is part of why can look at a scene and say it was “good”, because it has clearly been thought about and contains stylistic elements – as opposed to just setting up the camera and shooting. This is especially true when we analyse a film and can understand the motivations behind different decisions, but it is interesting too when these elements are merely functional.
In the Sudden Fear clip, watching the moonlight through the blinds, of course this is not realistic to the life we live in. When I watched it, I did not think twice about the fact that the whole room is lit up at night time. This reflects a concept from the Nicolas Roeg reading, that more striking lighting decisions are acceptable when the image is in black and white. I think this is something I will look out for when watching films. Noticing lighting choices that may not be a stylistic necessarily, but are more so achieved for practicality. Further to this, how choices may differ between colour images and black and white.