Major Project Unit: Research

I recently watched the film Control (dir. Anton Corbijn, cinematography by Martin Ruhe). The film entirely is in black and white. I loved the bleak look of the film and the way it was edited so it would let the shots breathe. I'm researching into how to tell the story through the visual language; looking at lighting techniques and production design. From looking at films such as this and reading about cinematographers, I've learned that it's not about pointing the light in the subjects face all the time so everything is lit, it's about creating a mood. It's also about understanding the way a camera shoots lights, as it differs from the human eye in terms of contrast. I especially like the technique whereby the backlight is stronger than the key. In Control the lighting had a natural feel, coming from windows and lights which were part of the set. We have a window as part of our set which we'll aim to put a studio light outside. However, we're still considering using a room on location if we can find one suitable.

Backlit

High angle

Look for interesting angles, shoot behind

A bedroom set

Interesting frame

Subjects are not well-lit

Window light from the left, lamp on the right

Backlit

Window light

Interesting framing

Silhouettes