Taking the F5 for a quick spin

Henry and I took the F5 out for quick test this afternoon. Henry needed some test footage to work with on the edit programmes and I wanted to get myself familiar with then the camera itself. Handily, although the F5 is more technically complicated, it is more or less just like any other camera I have worked with. The main difference is the manual setting of the white balance, which is no bad thing as it gives us more control over the image as making us more attentive to it's final colour.
With the ISO generally starting at 2000 lack of light probably won't be too much of an issue, we may even need to use the ND filters in order to create the image we want.
Overall the camera is exactly what we need to shoot this film and now that I am aware of what kind of footage it produces and how it processes light I can now go on and reflect this in my lighting plans.

A new film, a new script.

Ben Wilson has completed the script. It concerns a man reliving a devastating experience in his life through surreal imagining. Two versions of the same main character are used to explore this persons troubles and duplicity in the events that transpired but also to disorientate the audience, so that they may feel this man's confusion too. The film, mostly, takes place in one room, labeled as a gentlemen's club in the script, but through discussion with Ben (director) and Joeley (art director) it seems the set will be more basic, nearer to a bare room containing the main props. I find this decision  at once a relief and exciting. The bareness to the room obviously makes the organisation aspect easier but also I think having the scene set in a more abstract place will add to the film's subconscious-ness. The room, imagined dark red, is stated to be lit like a Caravaggio, something which further excites me as the lighting in his paintings is very moody and dramatic, something I hope to replicate with the uses of the lighting equipment.

Initial storyboarding has been completed, I have made a rough draft of the whole of the film and how I want the shot flow to look like. Next is to take this initial storyboard plan to the rest of the group to finalise shots and put them onto an 'official' storyboard.

Goals for the Cinematography: Part 1

My primary goal for the cinematography of the film is to create an atmosphere that sustains a level of tension and ambiguity that keeps the viewer wondering and guessing throughout the course of the film what the outcome of the 'situation' will be. I want to do this through a modern and refined version of what I have seen in many of the traditional Noir film, such as The Maltese Falcon (Huston, 1941) and Murder, My Sweet (Dmytryk, 1944). My number one touchstone for this modern noir look, referentially  is Wim Wenders' The American Friend (Wenders, 1977), which itself is somewhat of a homage to Noir films. The film has a long and complicated plot, which really provides the backdrop for the films characters to shine over. The film practically sustains itself on atmosphere for the entirety of its running time and it is this ability to but atmosphere before plot that I want to emulate. Although subtle compared with the 'traditional' noirs of the 40s and 50s, Robby Müller's cinematography creates a lonely, cynical and dark world which is perfect for our set-up.
I want to make no mistakes when planning each shot, I want everything in frame and the angles and compositions to be the product of total construction rather than coincidence or luck. It is important for me to have my and Ben's (director) intentions come out and not be misinterpreted. The way the shots will lead into another will be from a collaboration between myself and Henry (edit) so that we are both on the same wave-length in terms of how the scene progresses and how the tension ramps, this will be very carefully throughout.
I want to make use of light, not just in the construction of the world but also in terms of character construction i.e. light/dark good/bad. Having the characters move in and out of light could also provide away of showing how the situation is progressing, helping with tension management.

Old Days

I will be working on the project 'Old Days' (working title) as cinematographer. The film is about Harry, an ageing and retired career criminal who is put in the uncomfortable position of having the police find evidence of an old crime against him and are pressuring him to tell of the rest of the illegal operation he was involved in, in exchange for a lighter sentence. Harry just wants to live the rest of his days out with his family in peace. He visits Michael, the head of the operation for help, however, Michael might see other ways of stopping Harry's problem, perhaps at the expense of Harry himself. It is this scene, between Harry and Michael that will be the film's 'setting' as it were. Set in a cafe/bar type establishment, the audience will learn of Harry's hopes and problems and Michael's motives, and tension shall be grown from this situation. 

We, as a group, working on the film also have ambitions to lay onto the project certain themes which will come out through the story and the film's formal elements. The contrast between old and new, specifically that of tradition and 'old values' compared with modern day norms and values will be the overriding theme of the film. 

Through discussion with Ben (Wilson), the director of the film, we have decided we want to create a cold and noir-esque setting for the scene in order to reflect a modern world that is cynical and is more obsessed with business and money than that of connections between people and loyalty. Michael's 'hangout', where the film takes place, will be a place that reflects this. Through lighting and angle I want to make the 'hangout' a place where nobody would feel safe, no matter their history or connections. It is through this almost hostile nature of the world Harry finds himself in will we be able to create tension, to keep the audience guessing about what is going to happen to Harry.