Lighting Portfolio- Horror

Horror Lighting:

Readings:

Shot at a 4.0, 50mm Lens

Daniel- 2.0

Readings: 

Shot at a 4.0, 50 mm lens

Kyerra- 2.0/1.4

White blanket- 1.4

Coming into TCF 444, I had a little bit of experience with lighting from working on the lighting crew in high school but that was about it.  Lighting is one of the most challenging aspects of cinematography that I have encountered.  I did not realize the importance of lighting initially but as we progressed in the semester I realized that lighting can change not only the mood of a scene but the story.  During this class, I have seen how much work goes into the design and set up of lighting.  The teams that are responsible for lights have to be organized and know how to communicate with each other to work as a team efficiently.  Not only is lighting extremely difficult but it can be dangerous and safety protocols need to be followed to avoid damaging lights, catching them on fire, tripping, or blowing the circuit by using too much power.  During my lighting project, I saw how difficult it actually is to light a scene for a particular genre and how much artistic thought goes into it.  Learning the angles that lights can be at the convey a certain scene or location has been one of my favorite parts because it allows you to control what is exposed or the length of the shadows.  Changing just the angle the light is from the camera has a much larger affect on a scene than I imagined.  Another interesting aspect is not only what lights are used, but how light reflects off of surfaces. I believe that learning what goes into lighting will greatly help because good lighting is one of the most important things when filming.  The cinematographer needs to be assured that the lens, camera, lights, props and scene he/she is not going to cause any unnecessary reflections, glares, etc.  Learning how to operate a light meter and how it affects the settings on the camera is probably the most interesting thing I have taken from this class because the light meter can assist in telling the cinematographer what settings the camera needs to be at.  This class has been a great learning experience because it has taught me how to better my films in the future by knowing how to properly light a scene.