Technical and creative elements of cinematic expression

Film Workshops – Cinematic Expression

Lighting from the mind defines the true nature of the creative process in cinematography. It is about realizing the preconceived idea rather than improvising with the monitor. At Film Workshops, we bring the image to life in consecutive order of steps. We deconstruct the mental image into the elements of cinematic expression – Exposure, Light, Lens, and Camera. The Dancing with Light technique is a straightforward and logical method of transforming imagined light values into F-stops obtained with a light meter. Any artistic expression is about the Choices of tools one makes to express the idea. The relationship between the tools and the idea determines the ever so illusive quality in art. At the Film Workshops, our tools are the elements of cinematic expression: Light (quality, direction, volume), Camera (position, movement), Lens (focal length, aperture), Light Meter, and Color (Thematic Relevance). The primary and fundamental choice in the scene lighting is the initial f-stop for the scene which does not change trough out the Scene duration. One can think of it as the 18% Grey Canvas that we paint over with lights. Students learn lighting without the monitor’s assistance. The result is the reflection of the mental image. Our Film Workshops demonstrate the technique that leads to the development of personal style in cinematic expression.