Light Extreme – Cinematography Workshops – Los Angeles, California
Cinematography Workshops – Technical and Creative Elements of 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 cinematography 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 about how to express the idea. The relationship between the tools and the idea determines the ever so illusive quality of the art. In film production, 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 that does not change. 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. The technique leads to the development of a personal style in cinematic expression.