Apologies: Paul, Michael, Sarah, Stewart
Welcome all. Looks like the severe weather warnings of doom and gloom kept many of the regulars away for the skills workshops; however, 13 braved the elements, including 1 guest, Nikita.
Glenn opened the night by showing a film bite in lead up to the UGG Competition on 3 May, which has the themes of light and shade or stuffed animals. BTW, the UGG competition is due 3 May. The video 5 EASY Music Video Lighting Techniques! was actually a precursor of what was to come in Nigel's workshop.
David W announced he has lined up Brendan King, Producer of Transference and Eternity for a zoom presentation for our meeting on 18 April 2024.
Special Note: Due to limitations on the Zoom account, Brendan will be linking in at 7.30pm sharp. So the meeting will start promptly at 7.30. It's a discussion you won't want to miss!
We then launched into the workshops:
Workshop 1: Prop weapons handling (Freddie Lee)
With the aid of 3 plastic replica gel blaster handguns, Freddie Lee took us through the basics of prop weapons handling, with an emphasis on safety. Despite being only prop or replica weapons, many do discharge harmful material, and live ordinance should never be used on set. It's actually an offence NOT to disclose prop weapon use on set in public settings so as to not freak out any members of the public, so if you are planning on shooting your next action flick in public, make sure that you notify the relevant authorities!
Workshop 2: Magic mask hands on (Glenn)
Glenn used Davinci Resolve Studio to change the colour of a car and T-shirt. This tool, available only in the paid Studio version, allows you to isolate one or more objects within your composition by applying nothing more than paint strokes to the object. With the Magic Mask applied, you can either generate a mask for the entire object or switch the operation to focus on a specific feature. It then automagically tracks the object you have masked and applies the desired effect. Cool as!
Workshop 3: Shooting like a cinematographer not a videographer (Nigel)
With the aid of a willing subject, 4 lights (2 white, 1 red, 1 blue) and a camera hooked up to the TV screen, Nigel demonstrated the creative and important role lighting plays in our cinematography, using Freddlie Lee as his subject. Starting with no light, then adding key, ambient and then set lighting, Nigel gradually built up his makeshift set to create this eye popping shot of Freddie Lee:
He finished the night off using the white balance setting in camera to turn Freddie Lee into Mr. Freeze (played by Arnold Schwarzenegger). In summary, we as creative film makers should use lighting to tell a story, with it serving a purpose. It can be used additively or subtractively (negative fill to create shadows and add dimension and depth to otherwise flat shots. It can be 'motivated', meaning that it accentuates existing/ambient light sources. And in some productions, complimentary colours are used to stunning effect. You will be surprised just how much lighting design goes into a production. The next time you go to the cinema or watch a movie, see if you can spot these lighting techniques in use. You will be surprised just how much lighting is used to enhance a scene. The concepts of Nigel's presentation are explained in Shoot Like a Cinematographer, Not a Videographer.
Agenda for our next Meeting 18 April
Film Bites- Glenn
Special guest: Brendan King (producer of Eternity) via Zoom. Note: As per above, this will start at 7.30 sharp.
My experience as a grip (Freddie Lee)
Nigel
Secretary
Brisbane Movie Makers
Storytelling Through the Lens
