The future of lighting control

[TinTin.Wang]

Hello Roger,

I have watched Empire of Light and have a few questions about lighting control in the future as a cinematographer.

Based on your interview about this film, I found that the lights you chose to use and the way you light the scene isn’t traditional. Such as lots of cove lights and the combination with natural lighting, the remote control with the controller to make entire set more flexible and fluid, and talking with the art department and making the practical light as a key light in the scene, also lots of the lights you used are LED. You made the lighting control more flexible and shapable, which is very important and useful.

What do you think about the lighting in future cinematography, what kind of new lighting strategy or technology do you think you will have a try later?

Thank you.

Topic

[Roger Deakins]

What I did on ‘Empire’ was only an extension of how I always work, choosing practical sources, rigging additional lighting in a concealed way, adding only minimal floor lighting when I have to and always working closely with the art department. What was ‘new’ for me was lighting almost entirely with LED sources.

It may be that lighting becomes entirely ‘controlled’ through an LED wall or some other ‘environmental’ source but that is not something that I see myself involved with.

[Author]

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