Forum Replies Created
-
Replies
-
We chose to shoot Josh and the river in the morning as it would then be back lit and fit more directly with the timeline of the sequence. It was only a matter of the time we made it to the location and the composition of the shot that led him to be three quarter back lit. I would have preferred the light to be shining on the river as a direct backlight.
I seem to remember that I chose specific practical lights for the scene and mounted inside them some 1K clear bulbs that I had bought for a previous film. That was it. No ring light or any other source. Not that I can remember!
I study all kinds of visuals and photography is just one. I think the more you study how others interpret what they see around them, whether through painting, photography or design, the more you will find your own way. Photography, drawing, practice in any visual medium will help you develop.
In that kind of situation I would judge my exposure from the ambient light, setting my stop where I wanted the daylight to fall. The practical level and any other detail I would judge by eye. But there are many ways to judge exposure and mine is just one. Other cinematographers might use a spot meter, which can produce a quite exact reading if used correctly.
I love black and white and I shoot all my stills in monochrome. Color can be a distraction – or just eye candy – if it is not well controlled.
I believe I had a small ring light above the frame. It was probably skirted to control the walls but its not something I remember well.
There might be less distinction now that people have such large TV screens. Even then, I think it is still harder to play a scene in a static wide shot for TV. I see few scenes covered in a wide shot when I watch a series but, maybe, that is just because directors and cinematographers have a ‘go to’ setting for TV.
I like having an overall concept but rules are always there to be broken. If it feels right it may just well be right.
Other than the fall-off of the light, a big source far away is similar to a small source close in. Only one of those references has a bounce source wrapping extra light on the face. And am not saying which one that was.
The blocking of a scene and the choice of the time of day are key. Why is one character backlit and the other in full sun? That is a conscious choice.
I really agree with those last comments. I don’t consciously think about depth and composition when I am shooting. I too work in an instinctive way and shoot what ‘feels right’. Its the same with technology. If your mind is on the how and the why you are loosing part of your emotional connection to what is in front of you.
I was hoping someone else would attempt to comment on this post!
Yes, a director and cinematographer will usually discuss a general approach to the visualization of a film, and we often do storyboards to illustrate what we intend, but I don’t believe moment to moment decisions are made in such a calculated way. Images are about feelings, as experienced by a cinematographer when composing a shot and, hopefully, in the same way by the audience on viewing it.
