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Zahlemah wants a bright cheery vibe for Melissa's shots, a darker tone for Andy, and then the darkest tone for Cupid after the tonal shift.

A visual breakdown of the script would look like:

~Office~

Lighting

Bright and mundane, the office should be lit in daylight Kelvin, with a potential green tint, like the matrix uses to denote being a part of the machine in Neo's office. This visually sets up Cupid as someone in need of excitement and why, when presented with the hecticness of Andy and Melissa's relationship, Cupid can't help but get involved.

In terms of contrast ratio - there shouldn't be too much shadow on the face of Cupid, we need to connect with them as our protagonist. Cinematography rules dictate we need to see their eyes, and not to light them in a way that conveys instability or evil, like downlighting or too extreme a contrast ratio.

Could be interesting to experiment with changes in positioning that make half of Cupid's face disappear in shadow, as we only know half of Cupid's vibe at this point. Worth exploring but if it contradicts the rest of the look then leave it out.

Framing

Should be very simple, with static camera positions and wide shots that align with the mundane lighting.

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Aspect Ratio of 16:9 for the countryside - it will widen the frame and luxuriate out in its space

Aspect Ratio of 4:3, or potentially 2.35:1 for Brum - it squeezes the framing and creates a more penned in or squashed down effect that I resonate with while in the city.

Notes for Thame filming:

ISO

Aperture

Shutter Speed

Framerate

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Thame:

Colour:

Green - the countryside will feature the most, combined with sun and natural shadow to create texturally beautiful shots. This symbolises the life and power of nature and the overwhelming peace I feel in the countryside that will always remain a part of me, when surrounded by the colour green.

Blue - The sky (hopefully depending on weather) takes on a large portion of the frames, to backdrop the green foreground and also to boost the peaceful serenity of the country.

Lighting:

Bright! These countryside shots, will primarily be made up of bright scenes, with a lot of sunset shots and sunrise shots. Golden hour is a premium so must be carefuly selected. I drove through the surrounding villages during golden hour a few days before shooting so I knew where the sun would be and also what effects it creates.

Dark! These shots will never really be dark, but will take place during blue hour after the sun has gone down. I hope to include footage either at local pubs or in the busy high street to showcase the life after dark that exudes throughout the countryside.

Framing:

Close - Shots that focus close up on wildlife, flora and fauna alike, will be a view into the power of nature, and the abundance of it in the countryside

Far - I aim to take wide landscape shots, either from the car or from standing points in Notley Abbey and Kingsey, perhaps Bledlow Ridge if daylight time allows. At the chosen hours of filming these landscapes should be bathed in golden light, boosting the colours and texture in the clouds to give a sense of the space you can feel in the countryside.

Movement - Camera movement should be fairly still, with mainly (handheld) static shots that allow you to breathe in the shot in its entirety. However, I will bring some faster moving shots that showcase how the light embellishes the beauty of the country side when you move through it, seeing the lighting change under dappled sunlight as it pokes through hedgerows and trees.

Birmingham:

Colour:

Grey - Birmingham, while a culturally diverse, bustling city, doesn't capture the same feeling of life for me as Thame, and so I will be excluding some of the nicer, more colourful parts of Brum in favour of the grey, concrete sadness that washes throughout the centre of town, particularly the gun quarter.

Graffiti - I do intend to showcase some of the nicer parts of Brum as life shines through even in cities.

Light:

Dark - Birmingham should be darker and more overcast than the countryside in this film, due to it representing how detached I feel from nature when in the city. Cloudy, grey skies are the aim to film in, with rain, puddles and drab buildings being the focus.

Framing:

Birmingham shots should take place specifically low to the ground, with lots of footfall to show how busy it is, but also from high up - I aim to shoot from the top of the library to show the bustling centenary square. The busyness of these shots aims to create a similar yet different vibe from the countryside - where people are busy, but in a sort of melancholy way. My feeling is that when in the countryside I am freer and more content, while in the city, despite loving being there among friends and activities, I don't feel as connected to the earth or nature.

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This Etude will use montage to create symbolism.

Montage Notes:

The term "montage sequence", used primarily by British and American studios, became the common technique to suggest the passage of time. A montage is a French term meaning "assembling shots" or "putting together". It is a film technique for putting together a series of short shots that create a composite picture. A montage can be described as a series of separate images, moving or still, that are edited together to create a continuous sequence. Montages enable filmmakers to communicate a large amount of information to an audience over a shorter period by juxtaposing different shots, compressing time through editing, or intertwining multiple storylines of a narrative.

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Zahlemah's film 'Cupid' is a drama/horror, starting off quirky and resulting in a body horror-filled gory ending.

The transition from these two styles will be a big challenge to organise, relying on the framing and lighting of each section.

(This is my interpretation based on the script)

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Casey in backdrop of big window

Wide with casey separate

2 shot with casey separate

Revolving shot

Push-in

Grab for milk focus pull

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(scene 5 and 7)

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Review, analyse shots, evaluate progress and learning objectives

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This project will be a set of 3 2min vignettes - a chance to show of my skills as a cinematographer and camera operator.

Vignette 1:

Travelling home - I want to show the transition from busy Birmingham to quiet Thame, and convey in my shot choices the feelings that travelling home evokes in me.

This will be a very personal film, and should lean into the visual storytelling aspects of cinematography. Since the lighting aspect will be settled mainly by natural lighting, it relies on the framing and composition.

It will take place over the course of a day - or potentially 2 days. I need to find a rainy day to shoot in Brum, and a bright, sunny day to shoot in Thame.

It's a very simple concept that should be easy to convey in the film.

No dialogue.

Vignette 2:

Brighton Pier - This one will have dialogue - I'll need lav mics and a boom mic. Needs more crew.

This concept is going to revolve around 2 people on a pier, talking about [something, tbc.] I have a poet friends at home ready to compose something beautiful.

This film will start with these two people talking on the pier, with the camera breaking away to the surrounding area. I'd like for the day to be blustery and blue, with a somewhat remorseful air, and for the people to be talking about something cheery. This will be to mirror the inherent ~vibe~ of Brighton, a holiday town of years gone by - a place that used to be much more highly regarded than it is now - somewhere that has almost fallen from grace. This will be contrasted by highlighting the beauty in the flaking paint, rusting signs and eroded landscape, the beauty that I always saw in a place with such personality and such rich history, making this another personally significant project.

Will need to find a way to make this significance relatable to other people.

Vignette 3: [TBC]

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Lemonade Stand is a comedy film that focuses on Darren, a down-on-his-luck idiot, trying every get-rich-quick scheme he can think of! It's especially focused on Darren's tenacity in his hair-brained schemes and his unrelenting efforts that only end in disaster.

Visually, it should look very simple, as the shotlists I have devised only have a few different shots - but each of these shots will have to be repeated around 11 times with different lighting and costume for the film's centrepiece montage.

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Planning meeting this week - weds after match

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Planning meeting this week - weds after match

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To Plan:

Overall look of the film

Casting

Locations

Scheduling

Shotlists

Kit Hiring

Crew

Roles

Sorted it all in a meeting with Eric! (in Doc)

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w/c 15th, 22nd, 5th

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Finding shots that will convey tone of the episodes

Forming interview set-ups

Whole match filming

Condensing all the footage (glad it's not my job lol)

Picking the best moments - you have to be ready for them

Choosing what to film at training and match days

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(poppy)

(dane)

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(hands with backlight scene 4)

(walk of shame 2-shot scene 12)

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(scene 4 + 12)

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Getting ready sequence

(scene 2)

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Bathroom

(sc 8)

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Hard sunlight behind them

(sc13, flashback and present)

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This shoot was a great success!

Due to location details, we had to cram 3 scenes into 1 day, making the scheduling while doing the shot lists quite challenging. We overcame this as a cohesive cinematography team, though, using the natural light in the house to inform and supplement our lighting and framing decisions.

I'm happy with my framing ideas as well, using the environment to bring the characters together and push them apart at different points.

Having to work in tandem with natural light was an interesting challenge, matching our lights' intensity/softness and creating a believable light while also resulting in the correct contrast ratio and dramatic highlights and shadows was a balancing act.

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Martin Parr.

seaside photgraphy

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Had some footage and stills reviewed, turning to Matt for guidance on lighting scenes in tandem with things to consider when colouring in post-production.

Exposing to the right (ETTR) - when working with highlights in a dark scene, try to bring the histogram further to the right by using a bounce/fill light, so as to have less noise in post should I want to brighten the image later.

Method for using film looks - use a colour space transformer to make the blacks/shadows into true black, so that no noise remains and the shadows are more natural looking.

I'm very happy with this feedback and look forward to implementing these techniques in the future.

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Scenes for shoot 31st-1st

Scene 2 - Montages - bedroom, bathroom

many diff shots with reverie lighting - try to match with shots from scene 9

scene is is different environment - need to implement natural motivated light.

Can use lens flare/soft focus to create necessary vibe that matches.

Use hidden hard light from same side to create the flare. Use bounce to ettr - try to keep everything slightly over exposed so to play with in edit.

Kit:

2x Apertures for coverage and lens flare (with light domes)

2x C-stands

bounce kit

gels for colour

Scene 8 - makeup scene - bedroom and bathroom again

this has the same locations, but needs a different feel. It’s still daytime, so will have to make use of natural light, but can use rigs to create a colder feel.

Flatter lighting? less intimacy now, the feeling is flatter, number.

Bedroom lighting - use the natural light, use bounces or fills.

contrast this with very textural shadow lighting on Casey as he wipes off Lee’s makeup attempts.

This is in bathroom so lighting switch can be done - create contrast in light with downlighting for shadow over eyes, maybe use kickers to highlight cheekbones and create more jagged, angular look to emulate the fracturing of their relationship.

Kit:

Kinoflo Diva Freestyle

C-stand

Dedoflex kit with soft boxes

Gels for any additional colour needs.

Scene 13 - final scene - letting go.

This scene completes the film, but also uses many different setups due to flashbacks which will all use reverie lighting.

Therefore shoot these flashbacks after scene 2 to ease gaffers’ job, with rest of scene before scene 8.

the non-flashback scene is different from 8 though, and will require a different time of day to create the look I am envisioning - script says day, I’d like to save this for later in the day - to have more motivation for a natural shadow

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Now we have more exposure, more colour temp difference, and more interesting framing, with the practical in the back bringing the eye towards right side of frame - as well as using all my research in texture into focus.

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Back to reality with a focus on character lighting

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Back to reality with a focus on character lighting

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This shot uses the same lighting as the more intimate scenes, although with a colder temperature on the character witnessing the intimacy - conveying how he feels cut off from this new relationship forming.

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This shot also utilises good shadow, colour temp, higlights, and framing to create a uniquely separate shot from the scene it's in.

Since it is from the pov of a character that sees these characters as a threat to his relationship with one of them - it makes sense that the colour is heightened, the sensuality of it is heightened, and the framing is highly suggestive of a relationship that threatens his own.

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This shit slaps

Using a lighting setup that I'll go into in a sec - The contrast ratio, the warmth, the foreground and background, which you can see in the video - it all comes together to see a warmer tone than what the other character sees. Bussin.

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This was the first attempt at this shot

Underexposed in some key spots

Not matching shots before

Good framing but not quite right

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Move to finder or davinci to show specific shots

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Move to finder or davinci to show specific shots

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However - the emotion elicited from sports in a moment of pure athletic triumph is unparalleled in comparison to any emotionally charged or composed piece of art.

I finally understand why people care about sports. Once you have any emotional investment in the players and the team, any win for them is a win for the viewer.

In this revelation, the cinematography of each try and triumph takes on more emotional weight - which I have attempted to capture in the shots I've directed.

Granted, most of the credit goes to Callum - his intuition when it comes to what to include in a shot is unmatched - he captures what is wanted to be seen.

But, the cinematography involved in setting up the interviews contributes in order to command emotional and visual storytelling - using the first interviews of the episode to show the starting point - the lighting is naive, simple, where I plan to create more complex lighting setups to convey more complex situations later in the season.

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This project has been a complete departure from everything I've shot before - shooting sports was never a part of my plan.

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This week's shooting I've been especially proud of my putting theory into practice.

I wanted to move away from simple motivated lighting and more into stylistic lighting with a focus on visual storytelling.

This week I believe I've done that - the lighting setups I've created assembled perfectly - with use of backlighting, kickers, catches and the use of highlights and shadows, along with different colours/temperatures to protray different emotions - all in all it's been a very creative couple of weeks.

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These are shots that I am excited to show off, based on my learning from my reading and my implementation of shooting and lighting techniques.

(move to finder)

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These takes were an experiment in lgihting the same scene twice - I wasn't happy with the first take - and so wanted to use the setups I'd used for the particularly great shot and augment it so it worked for this shot also.

Show diff attempts

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I'll be DoP on this project and aim to create a visual style that embellishes each character's mental state and personality.

Implement lighting techniques from BB's Cinematography: Theory and Practice

Backlighting: highlights and shadows, kickers and catches.

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'The Argument' is a short film written and produced by two students on the Feature Film Development Masters.

The film is a drama that aims to capture the intricacies of an english argument.

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Worked on:

Holding On (22nd, 23rd, [25th])

Specific lighting techniques

Colour and aspect ratio

Shot-lists

Working with an Art Director

The Argument (19th, 21st)

Working with unorganised directors

Improvising lighting setups

Using shadow and highlights to create texture.

Road to Varsity (15th, 22nd, 24th)

Capturing sports footage - fps changes etc

Documentary set-ups, b-roll, interviews.

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We headed over to the Alexandra theatre where we'll be shooting 4 scenes of the film, using different locations throughout the bar/restaurant as the characters' relationship changes.

This was very useful, as seeing the space allowed for me to plan each shot for each scene, and feel out where we could set up lights to achieve various different techniques I was interested in.

Creating the correct vibe for each scene was also important, as we start in a corner, with only our couple in frame, then moving closer and closer to the middle of the bar as the rest of the world moves in on their relationship.

The restaurant is very intimate already, with lots of ambient, soft lighting, and the luxurious red colour theme carries with it plenty of significance, starting with love and then moving onto lust and rage.

Kickstarted my motivation to get moving on this project.

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Blain Brown's 'Cinematography Theory and Practice'

Read over the course of the term, making notes of specific practices and styles that I liked the look of.

Blain Brown's 'Motion Picture and Video Lighting'

Read over the course of the term, create specific notes for techniques and how I can implement them into my projects.

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This 2hr meeting was a great start to the project, outlining all our roles and the layout of the project schedule.

I took notes in this meeting which I have to;

Must write up and put into separate padlet.

This was where we discussed ideas and created plans for the visual style of the film.

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Since this film is silent, the visuals need to be as visually significant in telling the story as possible.

To do this I'll need to focus on capturing microexpressions to best convey the emotions of the characters, which I aim to do with lots of ECU shots following the actors' eyes, and a 4:3 ratio to limit the background area.

I want to work on Kai's aim of implementing colour theory to subliminally mirror each character's mood or mental state.

I want to create lighting that while following the basic rules of cinematography, also excites the eye and experiments with artistic and abstract techniques.

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Kai's FMP, 'Holding On' is a romance-thriller-drama, with an almost 'Black Mirror'-style premise: two people in a relationship cannot separate their hands.

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Using my skills in cinematography, I aim to DP on as many projects as possible to build up my portfolio and hone my abilities.

I want to build my style as a DoP, using research, theory and practice.

Specific areas I hope to improve in are:

Lighting faces - separating subjects from backgrounds and introducing texture.

Artistic knowledge/frame of reference

Understanding of camera specifics.