Lighting Seminar

Usually, I feel like I'm learning a little bit at school, but in general it's just a bunch of professors preaching useless information in my general direction with the vague hope that it somewhat matters to me. I've always had a high tolerance for school, though that does not mean that I've actually gotten anything out of it. Sure, I know a lot about American and European history, can calculate the slope of a curved line, and could even engage most people in a philosophical discussion about the life of Siddartha, but where has that gotten me? As a film major, I've always felt like I'm running on a treadmill. Going to class, writing papers, taking notes, of course it's training my brain to understand my field better, but I do not progress. Nothing has ever stood out to me as an experience profound enough that I actually for once feel comfortable on set, creating shots, working high-tech cameras, providing creative input--you know, film major stuff.

However, yesterday and today I got a chance to take part in by far the most engaging and growing learning experience of my entire educational career. My film group along with two other groups participated in a lighting seminar, held in the FAMU studio, which is complete with extensive lighting rigs, movable walls, props, portable lights, filters, changeable sets, everything. In one of our classes this semester, we've been learning camera technology and handling, which is a cool class but cannot be taught in a classroom. Trying to imagine specific lighting situations and figuring out how to set your camera's exposure is nearly impossible when you can't actually look at the set in front of you, not to mention your teacher is a mad man with English similar to Alex in Everything is Illuminated. To give you an idea of how difficult it is to understand what in the actual fuck he is talking about half of the time, take this example as a reference: Now I must tell you more of myself. I an unequivocally tall. I do not know any women who are taller than me. The women who *are* taller than me are lesbians, for whom 1969 was a very momentous year. For me, America is a first-rate place. Most of all, I am beloved of American movies, muscular cars, and hip-hop music. I also dig Negroes, most of all, Michael Jackson. He is a first-rate dancer, just like me. Many girls want to be carnal with me because I'm such a premium dancer.

So yeah, he sounds weird. After all of this time, I think we finally got a grasp on how to use the spot meter, calculate an exposure, understand light temperatures, etc. But with this lighting exercise, it all clicked. We began by getting comfortable with the camera on the tripod, figuring out all of the buttons, knobs, dials, and of course, the lens. Our instructor was this really great young guy named Alesh who within a 9-4 stretch over two days got us to the point of setting up shots with unique lighting sets all by ourselves. He had all the patience in the world, which was a nice change of pace from the rest of our FAMU professors. After covering the basics, he started by teaching us how to work a three point light system with a model on a stool staring into the camera. One of us would control the lights via the light booth, and he taught us how to calculate what the correct f-stop would be with all types of lights. Normally this can be avoided with digital cameras, but you'd be surprised how much film is still used in the movies as opposed to photography. 

We constantly took turns with the different jobs on set. I must have worked as an actor 3 times, a director twice, director of photography twice, spot man twice, assistant camera and light operator once, and even just an observer a few times. Before I knew it, we were all setting up candle-light shots, murder scenes, outside to inside transition shots, scenes from different angles, and even shots with consistent lens flares. I finally got a chance to handle a film camera and call out directions for where I want lights pointed and how I want my actors to enter the room. Alesh encouraged all of us to make our own decisions, which was a great approach to our learning experience. He would ask which one of us wanted to be director, and once we decided who would do it this time, that person had totally free reign over what the scene was--situation, characters, dialogue (if necessary), and how the set 'should' look. Then they would collaborate with the DoP and Alesh to figure out how to make sure everything in the shot looked good. I know exactly how to used a multiple lighting system while ensuring that everything in sight falls into a 0-100% light intensity spectrum, which pretty much means nothing looks too dark and grainy or too bright and blown out. It's a grand feeling, to be honest. I know how long it should take to set up a shot and how to use my time on set efficiently. I set up the location of the camera, figure out the blocking, discuss with my DoP what I want everything to look like, explain the shot to my actors, run a few rehearsals once the lights are in place and exposed correctly, then roll film. It's like I've been hearing for years now the "theory" behind how to function on set and handle a camera, but all of that is dog shit in comparison to a down to earth guy handing you a camera and for a few hours walking you through the actual process of making a pretty looking shot step by step. Sure, theory behind film making is invaluable, but it's also the kind of theory that is picked up most easily by passionate people learning the technological basics and then going out into the world and experimenting, learning what works, what doesn't, and ultimately finding their artistic voice. That's what is truly important in the world of filmmaking--understanding people, trends, love, life, death, and finding a story that expresses your vision of the world. 

It doesn't necessarily sound that complicated, but when someone hands you a camera, some actors, and some lights, would you be able to create a well-lit shot, facilitate a crew and get a good take within 20 minutes? I couldn't before these past few days, but now that I can it's a damn good feeling. I finally feel like I can make a film. Let the fun begin.