Major Production - Luke Bryant - D.O.P Research

So for this unit, as my role within it is being the cinematographer, I need to get a better understanding of shooting bigger projects as this one will be the largest yet in terms of everything. I thought there wasn't really a better way for me to grasp what it takes and what i'll need to consider before I shoot, than to make contact with professional D.O.P's already out there, that're currently working on similar content to what i'll be shooting.

Luke Bryant was a cinematographer I wanted to research and contact due to his work having similar themes and comical value demonstrated within it -

RESEARCH WORK & DETAILED ANALYSIS OF IT -
Below are two screenshots of the series Drifters that Luke DP's for. I've chosen these as I feel they highlight certain aspects of his work that i've taken inspiration from in terms of the consistent colour grade and the angles. This sitcom is more naturalistic than the other two DOP's work that i've analysed an contacted. I wanted to get in touch with Luke as I wanted to know how it is shooting a particular piece like this and get some insight into cinematography from his perspective behind the lens. The show's themes and topics covered throughout are quite one level, they're post-uni students who're having existential issues about their love lives and job prospects. 

Once again I'd like to highlight in both of these screen shots the consistent colour palette presented in both. See these colours are more naturalistic than my other DOPs work I analysed. This is due to the narrative of this project, as it is a story about real life issues i.e character having existential crisis about what to do post uni, so this particular colour palette makes the piece more relatable to its audience. The relatable is key for this series to work, as the script and characters portray topical issues within our society, so keeping the colour tones life like creates more of a connection between the audience and the series, allowing it to be a more enjoyable experience. The way each sequence in this series is shot is also another reminder that it's a down to earth, realist yet comical series through it's deployment of using techniques such as the over the shoulder shot for conversations, singles for character confirmation and reaction shots. The show often operates with handheld to allow the audience to engage with the characters conversations and feel as if we are then in the living room with them.

The lighting throughout this episode is always as natural as possible, following suit an adhering to the concepts realist themes it is tackling. So that's why when you look at the skin tones and the characters surroundings, everything looks very generic, as this is the aesthetic they require, to convey and support the narratives overriding tones about real life women in today's society who are struggling with what comes after university. As these are issues that anyone can relate to, it makes sense for the lighting to be as authentic/natural for the audience as possible as it makes it more palatable and believable for the viewer. The show highlights these issues in comical ways, but at the same time keeps the aesthetic natural, to serve as a reminder that these issues are humorous but also real and that we the audience are going through these similar struggles in one way or another. The shot types are never too tight or too wide, they're always relatively a medium shot if we single out a character, or a medium long shot if we are to include other characters within the shot. This again supporting the series issues it raises, making it more naturalistic to add to the comedy value of the piece. The fact that it's not shot cinematically, also strengthens its appeal to the general public, as it's once again more relatable to them, and the characters presented are not shown in any particular light other than a natural one, so the audience therefore attach themselves to the narrative in a nuanced way in comparison to the previous shows spoken about.

What cameras were used for the filming of Drifters, and what format was it recorded on? 

So we shot series 4 of Drifters on the Alexa, in 2k resolution using Cooke 5i lenses. We used the Cookes because they're fast (F/1.4) and they're slightly more beautiful than similarly fast lenses such as the Master Primes. I used a black frost diffusion filter in front of the lens at all times so the image was slightly softened and the highlights slightly flared. We shot in Log C but monitored in Rec 709.

How closely did you work with the director to capture the right aesthetic & tone for the piece?

We did about 1 days grade per episode and the aim was to keep everything as naturalistic as possible. When we were shooting in the studio I tried to keep everything as window motivated as possible - if we were facing towards the window I would try to bounce back the light coming in so we never had any hard light in the faces (I've attached an example below so you can see what we're getting at.) I spent a few days before the shoot going through the lighting approach so the director was totally on board.

What I have learnt from this dialogue -

I didn't get loads of feedback from Luke, however I got enough in regards to how I should piece my project together and what I should be thinking about. It made me think more about preparation and how long I should be spending on setting up the lights and camera. I've took from this conversation that I should be more experimental with my lighting set up, so when it comes to the shoot day I'll think more creatively about how I can approach it. I'll have to converse with Will also about how he wants the lighting set up, as from this conversation with Luke states, the director and DOP have to be singing from the same hymn sheet in terms of the lighting and what we want it to be.