Lighting and Cinematography on our short

[Ville Leskinen]

Hey guys and girls!

I would like to get some feedback on the lighting and cinematography on our recent short. The outside shoot was very unforgiving as it was sunny as hell and we couldn't afford any silk. So what do you think? Does the lighting and cinematography fit the mood and advance the story?

Make sure to watch with subtitles as it's in Finnish.

 

[legrevedotcom]

Looks like you were trying to emmulate a Wes Anderson type feeling?
Almost feels like it was overlit, or not enough control of the light... Even in the indoor stuff.
Cinematography wise I felt the pace was too slow... Might have been interesting with some snappy editing up to the "climax" to throw the audience off. Ie. more detail shots in rapid succession.

 

[Noel Evans]

Couldn't understand the content, so clearly I can't make comment on did the cinematography suit the piece. I thought the art direction was good.

 

[Ville Leskinen]

Looks like you were trying to emmulate a Wes Anderson type feeling?
Almost feels like it was overlit, or not enough control of the light... Even in the indoor stuff.
Cinematography wise I felt the pace was too slow... Might have been interesting with some snappy editing up to the "climax" to throw the audience off. Ie. more detail shots in rapid succession.

Thanks for taking the time to watch it and comment!
Yeah, it was a test on the Wes Anderson-style. The overlighting had definately a lot to do with the fact that the lights, two 650w Arri's and a 800w redhead - with a 250w lamp though- , were blasting full on as we didn't have a dimmer (talk about low-budget).

Curious about what shot you would have included in the detail shots?

Couldn't understand the content, so clearly I can't make comment on did the cinematography suit the piece. I thought the art direction was good.

Again, thanks for taking the time to watch it and comment!

Did you watch it with subtitles? I'm just wondering if the "punchline" or the set up was still to vague as it seem some people who've viewed the short haven't gotten the joke. But I'm happy you liked the art direction as that was my main focus!

 

[cpc]

A few thoughts, thinking aloud:
- I like the colors in the room. I'd switch the places of the red coat and the yellow bag in the first shot. Maybe warm the light some more.
- Girl putting shoes on and at the mirror is kinda straightforward angled, not matching the feel of the preceeding shots.
- At the station, maybe shoot both the closeups up front looking in camera. Also not sure about the shadows in the wide shot, they sort of contradict the 2d framing.

 

[abreu-canedo]

Cool stuff.

Personally, I think the sound where you dubbed what could have been diegetic sound could be done more subtly. The over exaggerated envelope and paper sounds didn't add to the quirkyness. In addition to not being matched to the movement, pace or weight of the papers and hands, it put me (the viewer) inside the envelope...too close. While this exaggeration can be used successfully, it didn't seem to fit what you were going for.

I also agree with the lighting comments. I think you can probably re-shoot this if it's worth your while, with better lighting. Try using some reflectors to tone down the contrast where needed.

The slow pace of the edit has potential, since you have a very soft emotional tone to the piece, but it still has to be captivating. The shoe scene could be redone. Perhaps a frontal and symmetric close up of her putting on shoes that slide on really easily...so you get that symmetry a la Wes, with a surreal smoothness to mundane processes...like putting on shoes.

Lastly, try looking into filmconvert for grading. This piece had a very digital, clinical look to the detail of the images and colors. I'd try to soften things up with some filmconvert film color palettes. Just don't over do it on the grain and you'll be fine!

Just nit-picking on some details. Overall a fun little piece. Keep up the good work!
-All the best, Rafael

 

[Ville Leskinen]

A few thoughts, thinking aloud:
- I like the colors in the room. I'd switch the places of the red coat and the yellow bag in the first shot. Maybe warm the light some more.
- Girl putting shoes on and at the mirror is kinda straightforward angled, not matching the feel of the preceeding shots.
- At the station, maybe shoot both the closeups up front looking in camera. Also not sure about the shadows in the wide shot, they sort of contradict the 2d framing.

Thanks for taking the time to comment! Agree with the shot of the shoes. It also shows the ugly floor way too long! :-D I wish I could have done something to the shadows outdoors. This wasn't actually my first choice but when we got to the park location, we found out there was a construction work going on so we had to move to the second best location (atleast I can say that I've learned something; ALWAYS have a backup location)

Cool stuff.

Personally, I think the sound where you dubbed what could have been diegetic sound could be done more subtly. The over exaggerated envelope and paper sounds didn't add to the quirkyness. In addition to not being matched to the movement, pace or weight of the papers and hands, it put me (the viewer) inside the envelope...too close. While this exaggeration can be used successfully, it didn't seem to fit what you were going for.

I also agree with the lighting comments. I think you can probably re-shoot this if it's worth your while, with better lighting. Try using some reflectors to tone down the contrast where needed.

The slow pace of the edit has potential, since you have a very soft emotional tone to the piece, but it still has to be captivating. The shoe scene could be redone. Perhaps a frontal and symmetric close up of her putting on shoes that slide on really easily...so you get that symmetry a la Wes, with a surreal smoothness to mundane processes...like putting on shoes.

Lastly, try looking into filmconvert for grading. This piece had a very digital, clinical look to the detail of the images and colors. I'd try to soften things up with some filmconvert film color palettes. Just don't over do it on the grain and you'll be fine!

Just nit-picking on some details. Overall a fun little piece. Keep up the good work!
-All the best, Rafael

Thanks for taking the time to comment! This was our first time doing foley and it was rushed, so yeah, next time we'll try to focus on it more. Again, agree with the shoes. The reason why it looks digital.., well, you know. :-D Would love to shoot to film sometime though. I'm not really a fan of "film look" anymore as I'm more interested in the story and art design then the "film-shot quality" when using digital cameras. But it could have suited this project like you say.