Collaborative Lighting
Over the next two weeks, we’re going to be working on our mid-semester project. Filmmaking is a collaborative process, so rather than assigning everyone an individual project, we’re going to work on this project as a group. You will each be graded based on your creative input, your on-set skills and knowledge, and your ability to work as part of a team.
For this project, we’ll be filming a series of shots, each with a different lighting concept. There should be continuity between the shots – such as a character exiting one side of the frame and entering the next shot from the opposite side – but they should have totally different lighting. Our goal here is to showcase different lighting techniques and ultimately create a unified piece – a sort of showreel for the class.
Again, I want this to be collaborative, so we can work on the specifics of each shot and the overall narrative together. There should be at least six setups; here are some things I would like to include:
- One green screen setup
- One setup using a complementary color scheme
- One setup with an analogous or monochromatic color scheme
- One setup using the fog machine
- One setup using cookies to cast deliberate shadows
- One setup with predominant back/edge lighting
Each of you will take the lead as cinematographer on one of the setups. Once we decide together exactly what we’ll be filming, we can assign the different scenes. On your setup, you are welcome to ask questions and get input from the rest of the group, but you’ll be making the final lighting decisions.
The goal is to finish this project during the class periods on March 2 and March 9 – if we absolutely need to, we can wrap things up after the break, though.
Here’s how you’ll be graded on this project:
25 points – overall look and effectiveness of the finished shot
25 points – knowledge and technique during your assigned setup
25 points – input and help on other setups
25 points – safety and correct equipment use
100 points total
Let’s work together, have fun, and make something cool!