Opening sequence to Skyfall

[ben_r_05]

Hello,

I am a university student currently studying Film production in the UK; I was wondering if anyone would be able to help. I am trying to recreate the lighting for the opening corridor shot of Skyfall for an assignment. Recreating the lighting effect is the focus of the assignment so I thought I’d drop a message in here asking about what equipment was used for the sequence and if it would be at all possible to look at a floor plan. If not I of course understand. I have a range of hard/soft lights which can be booked out so I’m hoping with some more information about what was on-set I’ll be able to make an informed decision on which lights to use.

Any help at all would be appreciated,

Thanks,

Ben

Topic

[Roger Deakins]

I could tell you exactly how I lit the opening sequence but how would that help you?You would be merely copying what I had done.

• This reply was modified 9 months ago by Roger Deakins.

[ben_r_05]

Hello,

Thank you for your reply, I apologise for my late response. To demonstrate my ability to light a sequence, I am replicating this scene, and with the knowledge I have gained from the exercise and research I am undergoing, I will then create my own version of the sequence with different lighting techniques and compare the 3, explain why I made certain choices etc.

[LucaM]

As always, since i’m just an amateur working on a little project i don’t think that my opinion is particularly relevant, but even in my little i try to take inspiration from Roger’s masterpieces. But i came to the conclusion (and it happened many times, in other completely different contextes) that, while it’s highly interesting and informative to know how Roger (or other great cinematographers) created a given scene, the point is not doing the same thing , but thinking in the same way.  At least it works for me, i can’t speak for anyone else. But if i just try to copy something i can obtain, at best, a decent copy. If i try to think in the same way of someone that created something i really like, in that moment i understand and learn. Of course there’s some subjectivity in it, but an educated  guess is better than no guess.

So, my humble advice : study that scene from Skyfall and try to guess why Roger did this or that, not just what he did. If your goal is creating an exact copy of that scene do it, but perhaps i think it would make an even better impression to show that you can create a scene – even a different one  – in the same way Roger would. Just my opinion!

[Stip]

I think copying is a natural part of the journey, but it should happen in the very beginning.

From there people usually develop their own way of doing things down the road.

[ben_r_05]

Thank you for your responses, I am hoping to create a simple guide that demonstrates the basics of how to light a sequence. I am recreating the skyfall shot (because I really like it), but also to help demonstrate the professional techniques used and why they are used, etc.

The piece of work needs to be academically referenced with industry-level research. So if I were to just recreate the scene based on what I see, I wouldn’t get a passing grade. I was hoping for more information on the sequence so throughout the video guide I can explain why I did something and refer to what information Roger has given to me as reasoning behind the decisions. When I create my version of the sequence, i’m going to be referencing other more broad sources.

I’ve tried to explain it the best way I can so hopefully it’s more clear what I’m looking to achieve.

[Deano]

Hi Ben – Did you read through the information in the ‘looking at lighting’ section?

Skyfall is covered in quite a lot of detail, including lights used for the scene you are studying.

Hope this helps.

Dean

[Author]

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