Lighting: Bedroom

Post production: Lighting setup

 

Playing on the Memento inspiration, I decided to create a cool, cold image for my protagonist because of the turmoil in her head. Because the black and white in Memento allows for it's cynical feel, I am using cold lights to produce the same effect.

I used my brother as a subject to pratice my lighting technique on, allowing me to see the light I had to work with and the probalms I could use to fix this.

How I got the look

 

Step one: Natural lighting

Beforehand I set up the shot with a light on. There where three major problems with this shot:

• The subject isn't defined from the background, causing the image to be flat
• there is a shadow on the right hand side of his face that darkens out his left eye
• Although the hoodie and purple wall contrast well, the subjects skin tone blend into the background

 I liked the way the shadow created a pensive mood on Joshua's face, but I didn't want the shadow to drown out his features and cause unnecessary shadow. I did like the lamplight above because it gave a cynical feel to the subject, however the negatives outwieghted the positives.

Step Two: Defining the subject

 I knew I would have to build the image up step by step to create the effect I wanted. I turned off the light so I could build up from the darkness. This helped me stage the lighting I wanted through the lens and how to get the right atmosphere from the image.

To achieve this look I added a LED torch behind on a table. This was my back light so Joshua could be defined from the wall.What struck me was how cold the blue was. It gave the atmosphere a deep colour that I wasn't expecting, but allowed there to be emotion and depth at the same time.

 

 

Image: I placed the camera in the corner to add an interesting angle off the wall to soften the light

Image: The light was bounced light to define Joshua from the wall

 Image: I used a simple blue torch to seperate the subject from the background

Step Three: Filling out dark shadows

I used my reflector to bounce the light onto Joshua's right hand side of his face. By doing so I was able to define him but the effect left the subject with a heavy shadow, much like the one before I set up lighting. To fix this I added my iPod light to the shot to make the shadow softer.

 

Image: POV of the reflector            Image: I bounced the light off      Image: I added an iPod light to

                                                         the reflector to soften the light      solve the issue of the shadow

What I have learnt:

• Defining the subject is a great way to add depth and make my shoot look more professional
• Different types of lighting can effect the way my image looks to the spectator
• Using simple everyday items can enhance my films look 

Next time:

• Arrange dates for shooting 
• prepare outside lighting