Matt lighting workshop- friday 1st oct

1. Matt's lighting workshop In matt's lighting workshop he taught us technical terms used when on set to describe lighting as well as the pros and cons of each style of lighting. We also learnt how to create 'beauty light', 'sharp light' (which we referred to as 'Blade runner lighting') and 'coloured lighting'. Matt showed us the different moods we can create through different intensities, angles and tone through how lighting can be dispersed. Blondes: (in this case the head is blue) Yellow (blonde) headed lamps that shine a bright light onto the subject. Provide a large width of intense light. More powerful than a redhead lamp. We can see the light has blinders on to control the beam of light and help the light target the subject.

2. In the images above we can see the blonde shining backlight (light from behind the subject) onto Emily. Below we can see the blonde shining front light onto Emily. However, a blonde on its own is too bright and whites out the image. To beat this, Matt showed us how to disperse lighting to create a softer lighting on the subject. Matt help a sheet of trace in front of the blonde to spread the light rays out and have less of an intense light focused on Emily. Backlighting: Matt showed us the differences between lighting angles and how it can affect the subject. For instance, it creates a sharp outline around the object in focus and changes the mood of the shot by making it much more gloomy and possibly angelic by highlighting things like hair, side features and providing a soft light and shadow to the shot We can see Emily’s face is half in shadow and her side profile is outlined by the light. When the lighting is slightly adapted, and the camera exposure turned down, a soft light is cast onto Emily, which looks quite pretty.

3. Light reflection: Matt talked us through how sometimes key lighting doesn’t always get the correct image on screen and that we have to use other sources of light to achieve a specific idea. For example, we used a white board of polystyrene to reflect soft light rays onto the other side of Emily’s face which was being lit to create a nice, even and gentle glow.

4. 3 Angle lighting and Photon beard highlight: 3 angle lighting- key lighting provided by three different sources of light at different angles to distribute an even light over the subject and set. Typically used for interviews. Photon Bear highlight- Photon beard (very good light manufacturing company) light that spread a wide, bright beam of white light onto the location. To make the lighting nicer and less intense/ whitewashed, Matt put a massive sheet of trace in front of the light to create a softer, more beautiful side light. Coloured lighting/ moods: Using the same light, Matt showed us the mood change caused by a different colour. We held a red sheet of transparent paper towards the light which immersed Emily in a deep, rich red, creating a passionate and devishly charming atmosphere.

5. For very specific lighting angels, matt showed us these florescent LED lights which can be held and moved by hand to get really interesting and intricate lighting. unfortunately LED’s cant be dimmed/ change brightness so if you want a specific light intensity you have to walk around the set to find an ideal lighting design.