Lighting Tasha Reynolds

Lighting-

The lighting that we want to use in our short film will vary in each scene as particular scenes will need staged lighting whereas others we will use the natural lighting available.


Lighting equipment needed:

• Backing light
• Tripod
• Possibly gel covers
• Batteries for backing light
• Light diffuser

Location 1 (In house/bedroom):

In this scene we will most likely use the natural light coming in from the bedroom window if it is a sunny day. However, as we can't rely on the weather we may also use a backing light to give the scene a neutral effect. There is also the option of using the bedroom light as you can adjust the level of light coming out. Unfortunately, as the bedroom is mostly red and the light cover is red; the light therefore comes out in a warm reddish colour, but this could still be used to create a realistic home setting.



Location 2 (Walking to school):

This scene is mostly constructed trough a tracking shot of the two characters walking to school; since this will be shot outside and natural lighting will be available we will probably not use any lighting equipment. In this context it doesn't matter if the weather is rainy and grey or sunny and bright as our film is set in England which is known for its mixed weather. We will be shooting this scene in the early afternoon so it won't be too dark either.

Location 3 (In school):

These scenes will take place indoors so we will either use the lights available in the classroom or use a backing light to create more focus on the action taking place. In this location their are multiple shots of the protagonist in the hallway and in the classroom, so we want to maintain the same quality and usage of the light presented in each shot. To make sure we achieve this we will go through with some test runs in the pre-production stage and see what lights we should use, before the actual filming takes place.

Location 4 (Brighton):

We will be filming around 3:00pm in Brighton during which we will be filming outside the entire time. Therefore, we will have to be aware of the natural light decreasing as the day comes to an end; it starts to become dark at about 6:30pm now that its autumn. However, the fact that we will lose light isn't a crucial issue in relation to the storyline, as in this location the two characters spend the rest of the day doing activities in Brighton till it gets late. So as long as we film each scene in chronological order the lose of light won't be an issue in terms of effecting the storyline. However, if the light decreases to the extent of effecting the quality of the shots then we will use a backing light or edit the light level in the post production stage.

Location 5 (Graveyard):

In this scene we will be filming in the late afternoon as we want it to be slightly dark to help connote the mood and atmosphere we want our film to obtain in this moment. Additionally, like I said before about filming outside in Brighton; we will make sure the quality and visual aspect of the shots are all to a good standard. We will do this by using a backing light but not to the effect of it looking like an overpowering spotlight. To prevent this we will adjust it to a setting that will present the light in the scene as natural and subtle. Furthermore, we may also use a light diffuser as this will help prevent the harshness of the light from effecting the realism and believability of the scene as it will spread the light out evenly whilst preventing any defiant shadows in view.

Overall, these decisions that we have made on the use of lighting may change/alter once the actual filming commences but we will update our blog; reasoning and explaining behind our decisions for any changes that may happen during the filming process.