T351 Lighting Lab

Field Lighting Exercise

Overview - In teams, you will light and shoot a product shot and an interview during lab. Each person will rotate through all of the required lighting shots.

Instructions: Form teams of 3-4 people. While you shoot, visibly and audibly slate each lighting set up. You may also want to log your footage while you shoot to save time. For each rotation, you must strike the lights and change the orientation of the product and interviewee.

Individually review and critique the completed tape.

When you turn in your critique be sure to include a copy of the footage log and the field sketches.

You will be graded on both your lighting and composition. While audio is not critical, be sure to record some so you can field slate your takes and give us something to listen to.

Section One – Indoor Interview

Compose, light and shoot an interior shot of someone being interviewed. (The interview will be of one of your partners.) Position them as if they were facing an unseen interviewer positioned next to the camera. (MCU- no interviewer visible) Use at least three different lighting set ups without changing the camera shot. Choose from the following, or makeup your own: broad with soft key, narrow with soft key, broad with hard key, narrow with hard key, artistic, silhouette, etc. You might try a gel over the back or hair light. A slash of color in the background adds visual interest.

Field slate your takes visually and audibly to help you identify your lighting setup. (You can use the camera mic or a lav)

Be sure to actually ask your interview subject questions so we can see them in the full context of the scene.

Section Two - Product

Compose a display for a product advertisement (cell phone, personal CD player, wristwatch, sandwich etc.). Try to create a style or mood through your set and lighting. The backdrop along with the lighting will be important. Use at least two different lighting setups without changing the camera shot. Once you have the product set up and composed, try both hard and soft light. Perhaps a colored gel as a backlight. Which do you think makes your product more appealing? Does it look good enough to be used in a commercial?

Section Three (optional) – Area lighting - Interior Scene

Shoot a scene in a large room or apartment. Include some talent movement (someone enters a room) and a static shot (two people sitting at a table talking etc.) You can use existing lighting, reflectors, lighting kits.

When you are through, log and critique your footage. You will turn in:

• Tape
• Log - (note timecode #, take, and lighting setup)
• Critique - What shots looked best to you & why? What was easy or difficult about the process? Do you feel more comfortable with lighting?
  

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