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Dean Semler (Road Warrior, City Slickers, Dead Calm) demonstrates the techniques that won him an Academy Award for the cinematography of "Dances With Wolves." Dean's background in documentary films is a major influence on his visuals. This workshop recreates the lighting of an interior fireside scene from "Wolves", using an exact replica of the teepee set. The workshop footage was shot anamorphical, using a Panavision camera and a crane.
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS Dean discusses and demonstrates: wide screen composition, relationship between lighting design and coverage and the best use of high speed film stocks in low light situations.
John Seale (Rainman, Gorillas in the Mist, Witness) conducts an intensive and inspirational lighting workshop in the studios of the Australian Film, Radio and Television School. The dormitory set from "Dead Poets Society" was painstakingly reconstructed for this workshop. Even more important than the technical knowledge it contains is the insight this program gives into Seale's working philosophy.
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS Seale guides the students and our camera through the lighting setups he used for summer, for winter, for night and for day. Tricks and techniques are divulged which he uses to achieve extremely difficult effects while maximizing the num
Two internationally renowned cinematographers light the same shots from the same dramatic script in this back-to-back workshop. Don McAlpine ( Patriot Games, Breaker Morant and My Brilliant Career ) and Denis Lenoir ( Monsieur Hire, Clear and Present Danger and Mrs. Doubtfire ) vividly demonstrate how differences in creative style and approach affect the impact and tone of the scene. This program is packed with technical information, demonstrations & insights into the role of the cinematographer.
Location lighting, utilizing the equipment one truck can carry, is the most common task a young cinematographer will face. Geoff Burton ( The Year My Voice Broke, Flirting, Wide Sargasso Sea ) condenses his many years of location lighting experience in this highly practical and useful workshop. Geoff's approach emphasizes maximum use of natural lighting resources ( daylight and practical ) and imitating these sources with the light he adds. Geoff shows how to work with the limitations of locations space and design ( in this case three rooms of a cramped apartment ) rather than against them. He demonstrates how fast stocks and fast work can be critical to success.
Allan Daviau ( E.T., The Color Purple, Empire Of The Sun ) and Sacha Vierny ( Hiroshima mon Amour; The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover, Prospero's Books ) are given the same script and set. Daviau creates a series of intricate setups, clearly explaining each problem he encounters and the solutions he finds by using filters, lights and F-stops changes. Vierny experiments with a simple and elegant camera move that encompasses much of the action but presents him with a new challenge: hiding the dolly track. Computer graphics of the lighting setups as well as side-by-side comparisons of the finished scenes help you to better understand the techniques and appreciate the results.
Robby Muller's credits include Repo Man, Paris Texas, To Live and Die in L.A., Peter James Shot Alive!, Rich in Love and Driving Miss Daisy. Both were given the same script and set constraints. The beautiful images they created reflect their different backgrounds and philosophies on the art the business of filmmaking. Muller creates a moody and impressionistic feel that is characteristic of his approach. James on the other hand neatly sidesteps the problems caused by cyc too close to the set and creates a wider view of the windswept dusty cafe. Both men prove to be generous teachers, sharing many creative and technical insights that come from years behind the camera. The video culminates with a split screen comparisons of each cinematographer's finished piece.
French cinematographer Denis Lenoir ( Monsieur Hire, Paris Awakes, Shuttlecock Zone ) and Sacha Vierny ( Hiroshima Mon, Amour, Prospero's Books, Stavisky ) explorethe world of cinematic fantasy and magic. Vierny generously shares one of his special secrets, shoeing how to create a magical beam of light without the usual need for a smoked filled room. The effect is electric. Lenoir takes you through each step of his lighting design and also gives invaluable information about the use of fluorescent lights. This program explores the techniques that make magic on the screen, but more importantly the cinematographer's creative thought process behind the magic.
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS - Lenoir demonstrates the ability of one special effect to hide another and how to combine several effects to create magic.
Allen Daviau ( The Falcon and The Snowman, Avalon, Bugsy, Twilight Zone, The Color Purple ) takes students back to the golden age of cinematography - the 1920's. He painstakingly recreates the shooting style by employing the filtration, vignetting, aspect ratios and shot coverage of the period. In doing so he evokes the spirit and dynamic of the B&W silent screen masterpieces. Denis Lenoir ( Monsieur Hire, Daddy Nostalgie / These Fooling Things, Paris Awakes Shuttlecock ) creates an intriguing comparison to the work of Daviau by using modern cinematic techniques featuring a moving camera. He shoots with both color and B&W stock to make the comparison complete.
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS - As well as being a storehouse of practical information, this program is an ode to the haunting beauty of black and white cinematography and a wonderful essay on the changing art of the cinematographer from the 1920's to the present day.
This video was added to our catalog on February 01, 2007 in Film::Camerawork and Film::Lighting.
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This was my favorite of the set. Because I am not a cinematographer, the tech information was over my head. This series was about watching a known cinematographer in action- setting up the lighting. I liked the look and information of Dances with Wolves, better than any other disc in this set. I learned a couple of lighting tricks, but the set was about watching cinematographers trouble shoot the lighting of 3 shots within a scene on each of these DVDs. Worth watching, but the information was hard to retain if you are not a cinematographer.
Extremely short and disappointing. A VHS-to-DVD conversion, obviously. I must say, except you are a beginner and know absolutely nothing about shooting, this will offer you nothing you don't already know. Not recommended to any serious film-maker.
"Studio Lighting: A Comparative Workshop with Donald McAlpone and Denis Lenoir" was definitely a better DVD
"Shooting for Fantasy with Sacha Vierney and Denis Lenoir" was technically a better DVD that the wolves one I got the first time. I had more stuff to teach.
"Shooting for Drama with Robby Muller and Peter James" was a good DVD.
"Lighting Dead Poets Society with John Seale" was not my favorite of the set. It was too short and I was left wondering what just happened when I saw the credit begin to roll. It did not do much for me.
"Shooting For Black and White With Allen Daviau and Denis Lenoir" was more like it. I think this was a good watch. There was more to learn from the different approaches of these to cinematographers.
I enjoyed the DVD and how they showed the challenge of the shoot.
Lighting Dances With Wolves with Dean Semler
An interesting look at lighting a campfire scene in an enclosed space. We learn why beauty lighting fails when attempting to set a mood- and being in a small enclosed space makes it all the worse. Information is delivered very quickly, so be prepared! If you don't have a background in photography and don't know how f-stops relate to aperature size and light quantities- you may want to start with something more basic. Left me wanting more- in more than one way- and I found it with the next disc in the series, Lighting Dead Poets Society with...
Cinematography Master Class is a fantastic series. Seeing how a world class cinematographer handles lighting, on set and on location translates well to still photography and will prove to be a valuable on future projects.
Excellent for the serious learning film or digital future cinematographer
Excellent -- very informative and well produced.
