LIGHTING

Here are some excerpts from a letter Christophe sent me after he and I returned from Colombia ~

Lighting is going to be a huge aspect of the visual story-telling. You and I are both fans of high contrast, soft directional lights and strong saturated colors - reminiscent of 70's chrome photography. We don't want to get encumbered with heavy lighting gear. One of the advantages of HD is a high sensitivity - allowing us to play with less light; cultivating moods with smaller instruments.

I want to mix practical lights belonging to the various locations and enhance the vibe of these places with our own instruments. Kino flows and chinese lanterns would suit our needs for soft directional light. I want to capture the inherent energy of the city, rather than to fight it.

Light panels may also be interesting; consisting of flat low profile panels with small LED bulbs mounted. Regular light bulbs, hidden or not, in the right place are also great instruments. Fluorescent household light bulbs which come out on film (or HD) in a greenish, sickly tone are great for certain scenes we have discussed. Sodium vapor lights, used mostly for night construction or lighting highways come in small sizes and would be ideal for night exteriors.

Christophe doesn't just understand light. He's completely reverent to ambience and the feeling created by it. He never wants an audience to sense a scene which has been lit. Anything which feels contrived or 'movie-like' can cause a spectator to withdraw from the most important aspect of film-making: the communication of ideas between the artist and the audience.

HIGH DEFINITION

I am passionate about shooting on HD for a number of reasons. Chiefly: I believe the biggest problem with films is film itself.

It's monstrously expensive. Actors feel obligated to 'get it right' within one or two takes (especially on independents) and post production is burdened with a whole other mountain of expense. There is the problem of processing - and viewing the work as you shoot can be both inaccurate and misleading.

Not only is the quality of picture becoming increasingly beautiful on HD pro-sumer cameras, but the progressive frame-rates allow for phenomenal post effects and a movement within the picture that looks exactly like film. With HD you can immediately view precisely what you are shooting with a decent monitor to prevent the agony of having to re-shoot scenes due to poor light.

HD offers a greater visual immediacy than film at times. It holds an extraordinarily tangible quality with powerful dymanic and honesty. People often say 'the camera doesn't lie' when they talk about film. I believe this is an even more accurate assesment of HD.

Back to Christophe ~

We are now looking at the Sony HVR-V1U. The manageable size enables us to create an intimacy with the actors and to combine ( for some moments in the film) fiction and documentary. Introducing your actors to actual situations (having them interact with real people) without commotion created by heavy film equipment is an exciting prospect to me.

There's an enormous freedom within the fact that you are not shooting on celluloid. Believe me - this relaxation creates a significant ease among actors and crew alike; engendering a wonderful liberty to the creative process, where I believe the greatest performances take place.

We don't just want this movie to look like a movie. We want 'Broken Kingdom' to be an exquisite experience.