Victoria Cowburn

LIGHTING IDEAS

LOW KEY LIGHTING

NOIR LIGHTINGMONOCHROME FILTER

PHOTOGRAPHER - QUENTIN ARNAUD – STARK LIGHTING

DRAMATIC SPOTLIGHT

BACKLIGHT/ SILHOUETTE

STROBE LIGHTS

DARK FILTERS/OVERLAYS/EFFECTS

A strobe light produces regular flashes of light simultaneously at a variety of different speeds and brightness's. Special calibrated strobe lights are capable of flashing up to hundreds of times per second creating a quick and sometimes overwhelming flare. Different filters can be put in front of the light which are thin sheets of coloured plastic called acetate that produces coloured lighting. The beams of light create a straight stroke of light that can be easily depicted in pitch black rooms. I will use strobe lights in order to create fast flashes of light shinning upon my female actress. The flashes of light will reflect the actress’s mental thought process which is very fast-paced and confusing. The effect of this type of lighting is commonly used at live indie gigs to evoke a certain atmosphere that reflects the beat of the music.

STROBE LIGHTS

Father John Misty – ‘Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings’

Ellie Goulding – ‘Lights’

For this style of lighting I would be inspired by French photographer Quentin Arnaud and his series called ‘Shape’. The series features minimalistic faceless portraits of males and females in the same position using the same shot type; face on close-ups. The stark lighting used causes the strong high contrast of light creating heavy deep shadows around the subject matter. The light source highlights the shape of the head but completely leaves the face void of any details, giving a creepy and gloomy look to each of the photos. If I were to use this in my music video, I would feature very short clips (4-5 seconds each) of different people using this effect at the beginning of the video. The different people would set the depressive and dark mood and tones for the rest of the video to follow. Because the people would be faceless, their identities would undefinable causing them to blend into society instead of being individuals. As their lives and personalities are hidden, their regrets are never obvious, linking to the thoughts of the main actress in my video.

QUENTIN ARNAUD – STARK LIGHTING

SILHOUTTESSilhouette photography is when you shoot a subject with backlight so that you only show its outline. The basic strategy needed to employ in taking silhouette shots is to place the subject in front of some source of light and to adjust the camera to set its exposure based upon the brightest part of the picture (the and not the subject. I like the effect silhouettes create as they convey drama, mystery, emotion and mood to the viewers. In my video I would want to emphasise the mystery and melancholic atmosphere in my music video, adding to the sense of regret and depression. I also like the silhouette technique as it only gives only a dramatic black outline of the person, making their identity a mystery. If I were to include silhouette shots in my music video, I would have the artist lip synching to the lyrics by positioning them at a side profile in addition to their body language and movements being dramatic e.g. throwing around their arms, crouching down in destress – overall presenting anger.