Test Shooting 1

Testing 1 from Robert Hull on Vimeo.

The first two shots in this test footage were lit using one red head. A red gel was placed over the light. However this didn't seem to match the style I was trying to recreate. The first shot was a bit too pink in some places. The gel wasn't dark enough so for the second shot I switched to a darker red. This was closer to what I was trying to achieve but the light was still very intense. The room I was shooting in was quite small so perhaps if I could have moved the light further away from the shot it might have more closely resembled the style from the opening of Bronson.

This image is from the final shot. The red head was swapped for a bedroom lamp and the dark red filter was held over it. Because this light was not as powerful I was able to retain a lot of the darkness in the shot and achieve a much more atmospheric look.







Comparing this screen shot from Bronson with the image above it is very similar. Depending on the locations that are used in my final film I will adjust what type of lights I use. If I use a big space I might try to use red heads and simply position them further away. In smaller spaces I will use simple household lights to achieve the right look.

Researching Composition

While listening to the director's commentary for American Beauty, Sam Mendes mentions throughout that Kevin Spacey's character is constantly filmed through windows or behind bars of some kind or stuck inside "jail cells" of some kind such as his cubicle at work. The composition in this film is very effective at getting across the sense that Kevin Spacey is trapped in a life he no longer enjoys.

 This shot shows Kevin Spacey looking out through a window. He seems to be trapped behind the glass and the bars across the window also suggest a prison cell. This is the kind of composition I will be trying to replicate for my film.

 The clever use of the reflection in the monitor in this shot means that Kevin Spacey is framed within the frame just as he was in the window but in a more indirect way. The text on the monitor is also formatted in such a way that the he seems to be behind bars once again. Also another aspect that I get from this shot is that he appears to be very small and insignificant within this small frame. This is a good example of quite subtle but effective composition.

This shot of Kevin Spacey and his family is also framed within the cameras frame by using the doorway. Another subtle way to suggest a sense of being trapped.

This kind of composition is something I will be experimenting with during my test shoots and combining them with the lighting style of Bronson as shown in my previous post.

Analysing the Style

The lighting Style of Bronson is very theatrical. Parts of the film even take place as a sort of one man show on a stage. This style carries through to most of the film.

The scene above is lit with a single light from above and also slightly in front of Bronson. Almost like a spotlight. Bronson is also directly in the centre of the frame and the shadow of some bars is falling on his chest. The way this shot is composed suggests a sense of isolation and imprisonment. The space on either side of Bronson and the lack of any kind of background except for blackness give the shot a very dark tone and gives me the impression that he is stuck in a very dark and lonely place.

This shot shows a slightly more realistic style of lighting, however it is still quite stylised. While most of the light seems to be coming from the fluorescent lights on the ceiling and also the walls seem to be reflecting quite a lot of the light as the actors are quite evenly lit. Either that or a film light is being used off camera to light the front of the actors. The scene is quite over exposed which almost gives it a kind of glow There are a lot of vertical lines in the composition of the shot and it is at a slight low angle which gives the impression of the two men in the shot having strength and power over Bronson. The colours also seem a bit washed out in this scene and even slightly blue. When trying to recreate this I will see how much of this effect I can get just using the camera but may also have to do a bit of colour correction in post production. The challenge with this type of shot will also come from seeing how far the over exposed effect can be pushed without losing too much detail in the image.

This scene is very stylised. The red light and the very dark shadows create almost an evil atmosphere. It is quite hard to tell where source is but I think it may be coming from the right side of the cage and shining straight across so it doesn't fall onto the back wall. I will be using red gels on the lights to recreate this look.
Again the composition tells us that Bronson is, literally in this case, in a prison. The different sections of the cage form frames within the frame of the camera, reinforcing the fact that he is trapped.

I will be trying to adapt this theatrical and stylised look used in Bronson to my film and will also be researching into films which use a similar style of composition to find how best to create a claustrophobic and trapped feeling for anyone viewing the film.

Introduction

I will be recreating the style of the first part of this clip in which Charles Bronson talks to the camera. The minimalist style and the effect of prison bars gives the impression that he is alone in a cell but the background is so dark we can't tell where he is.

Hospital

This scene is Bronson in the mental hospital. The slight over exposure and the cold colours are another inspiration for my assignment.

Opening Scene

This is the opening scene where Bronson fights with some prison guards in a cage. I will be recreating the lighting used in this scene. The red light contrasted with very dark blacks.

Bronson

I will be trying to replicate the style of this film for my assignment.

Cinematography

I will be using this blog to show my research and testing for my cinematography project.