February / 2012

Notes from the 2011 CSC Lighting Workshop

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Another successful two-day lighting workshop capped the year 2011 for the CSC. Over a dozen students participated in the workshops held November 5 and 6 at William F. White and led by President Joan Hutton csc, assisted by Ernie Kestler csc, Carlos Esteves csc and Sarah Moffat. As usual, the course was customized to the experience and needs of the participants. The first day included demonstrations of basic portraiture, lighting with three lights, and day and night dramatic scenes. On day two, students designed their own exercises, with each participant choosing a setup and doing their own lighting under the supervision of Hutton and Esteves. Unlike previous lighting workshops where students completed just one lighting setup, in this latest course participants were able to do three or four. In another first, all participants went home with a DVD featuring each of their lighting setups in a navigable DVD menu. Participants also got a tour of the facilities at William F. White. Describing what distinguishes the CSC lighting workshops, Kestler says, "It's not, 'How do I take this light, this light, and this light and do something with it?' It's, 'What emotion do I want to create? How do I want to make the audience feel?' Once that decision is made, it's, 'What lights do I need to use to do that?'"

Some participant testimonials:

"Very hands-on and practical. Best lighting workshop in Toronto. Any aspiring DP/cinematographer should attend this workshop."
Arjun Manokaran

"Comprehensive and professional. Recommended for all aspiring gaffers, sparks and DPs."
Sean Marjoram

"Intense and educational. I came away with info I can apply to my next shoot."
Robert Howard.

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