#QOTD

For our Transitions project, I decided to take on the role of DOP as this is where my skillset is best and I already have a wide range of knowledge in this area which I would like to explore more by taking on the role of DOP. As DOP, I will be working closely with both the Director and the Editor, as I need to know the Director's vision and be able to bring it to life through a lens, whereas with the Editor, I need to relay the Director's vision and guide them through the storytelling process. The main roles of a DOP are:

​

1. Establish the look of the film and its scenes, working out what will go where and how it will look on screen. This involves working closely with the Director and looking through the script to produce a storyboard, which will then lead to a shot list for the day of shoot. In relevant circumstances, they work with the design departments e.g. costume or set design to dress the set and the characters so that the DOP can know how the Director's vision is going to work and plan accordingly. A shot list is formed from the following steps:

●  Scene Number + Shot Number help to break down a scene into a certain number of shots. For each scene we use a number and each shot we use a letter.

●  Shot Description should include a subject and an action, for example "Matt bites an apple".

●  Framing describes the vantage point from which you choose to shoot and the aspect of your subject you wish to capture. Check out an array of different shot types here.

●  Action helps to express camera movement, for example 'Camera dollies towards Vimeo Man' or 'Pan to Sam'.

●  Dialogue gives a snippet of the characters conversation within the shot. 

 

My version of a shot list was a bit different to examples I've seen online, as I've done mine more of a bullet point list, but I feel that it's easier for me to understand it the way I've done it and as long as I can explain to the group how it's going to look and they understand my vision, it will work well. I also made some notes on my script about shots that would work, which I would keep on me during the shoot as a safety in case I needed to revert back to them. 

​

​

2. Choose the kit and trial out the scenes on a test shoot to ensure everything will go as smooth as possible on the day of shooting. It is important that I understand what equipment is available and using my storyboard and shot list, I book out the relevant pieces of equipment that will aid us in our shoot and allow us the possibilities to film what the Director envisions without worry of restrictions e.g. lighting. If we was to shoot a scene where it required a setting of low lighting, I would need to research into a camera that performs well under low-lighting circumstances and can capture footage clearly, as if it was well lit. The same applies for if we are doing a scene that requires a lot of attention to detail, I need to make sure that the camera I have has the accessibility to zoom into parts of a room I need it to, or if it's a DSLR, I can get hold of a prime lens that allows me to focus solely on getting the finer details of a scene. The camera I decided to use for this shoot was the Panasonic 4K as the quality of the camera is very high and with the right planning and preparation, you can get very good content from using it. The scene hasn't got a problem in terms of lighting, as there are no elements which are going to be shot in

a quite-dark environment and the Panasonic's are not good under low lighting, so I think it is the best camera for the production. 

​

​

​

​

3. Once the storyboard/shot lists are confirmed and the kit is prepared, I then need to work out how the scene will be lit and what lighting I'll need. Of course, this will be thought about whilst I am organising the kit to ensure I get the right camera, but it will now be time to work out what lighting I want to use on the shoot. Lighting is key to a shoot and it's important that this is settled, trialled and perfected for the day of the shoot, otherwise it can cause a huge delay on the day and put the team behind schedule. I will need to work out what type of lighting I need quite early on in the pre-production stage and begin the plans before we get to the shoot day. The types of lighting you can use are:

​

●  Key Light - A Key Light is quite intense but it is the primary lighting, especially if you're using a 3 point set-up, used to illuminate or bring to life a certain object or important subject for that scene. It is the most direct light source and will be the first one set up on the day of the shoot. It's advised, when using a key light, to avoid placing it near the camera as it can make the lighting quite flat. Placing the light to the side or back of an actor can give off a dark tone, resulting in a mysterious but dramatic mood.

●  Fill Light - A Fill Light highlights/illuminates that shadows that the Key Light will most likely create. It is not as powerful as the key light, which makes it able to be placed opposite the key light. The closer a fill light is to the camera, the less shadows it will create, but it's also important to ensure that no shadows are created by the fill light itself.

●  Back Light - A Back Light is quite self explanatory in the sense that it's used to hit an object or actor etc from behind and from above them. This light gives the object more shape, depth (so it doesn't look 2D) and can separate it if it's against a dark background. If used together, these 3 lights make up the 3 point set-up as mentioned earlier. Removing the first two lights and exposing this back light can create a silhouette for photography, film etc.

●  Bounce - A Bounce Light (or just simply, a Bounce) is when light is reflected from a silk board, foam board or even off the walls or ceiling - there's not many things you can't bounce light off. You can also buy things called Reflectors, which have a silver, reflective material that creates a hard light.

●  Hard/Soft Light - Again, this is a light format that is self explanatory but is still worth researching so I know 100% what lighting is available for me. Both hard and soft lights are dependent on the size of the light source, not where it is placed in the scene. A soft light will produce little to no shadows depending on the texture and commonly comes from a large source. Hard light will produce sharp and harsh shadows and is not usually light that people want on their shoot; hard light comes from a small source and the midday sun.

●  High/Low Key Light - High Key Lighting is a bright type of lighting which emits no shadows because of the level of fill lights. It's not as commonly used in films as it used to be, used mostly now for advertisements and sitcoms, but it is not completely removed from the industry. Low Key Lighting is, obviously, the opposite of High Key and emits more shadows that light. You would commonly find Low Key Lighting in the Horror or Thriller genre.
● Natural Light - Self explanatory, again, but this is the light that is available to you by

nature and you can't really control it - the most common source is the sun/moon or even street lights. It's not the most reliable of all of the lights mentioned but it can be very powerful and create something very good for your project.

​

Looking into these types of lighting have definitely showed me that there is more than just the basic lighting that I originally thought there was. For location shots, I will more than likely check the weather forecasts and use natural lighting as it will add to the scene but for shots inside, like the Diner, I will look into using LED's or a Soft Light technique so the scene isn't too harshly lit. I will also, looking into the colour theory and how I could incorporate this into our production, look at what filters are available for the camera or what lighting is available in the Diner to create some ambience/tone. 

​

​

4. Once all of this has been finalised, it is then to liaise with the camera crew and start preparations for the shoot day. In common cases, the DOP doesn't actually operate the camera on a shoot, they oversee the camera crew and make sure that the Director's vision, which has been all planned out up until the shoot day, comes to life. In our case, however, we do not have a camera crew so I will be the one on camera to shoot the scene(s). A DOP will sort out how many cameras are needed, where they will go and where their movement path is (if relevant). The DOP will also work with the camera crew to make sure the scene is framed properly, the camera settings are all identical on all cameras used and that if there needs to be a filter of some sort, this is all sorted prior to minutes before filming. Being a DOP is all about being organised in your department, as you are in charge of how the production actually comes together visually. The Director may have a vision and the Producer may help organise all the elements, but it's down to you to actually bring that vision to life - this can be a lot of pressure but as long as you're organised and on the ball with what you are doing, you will be fine. 

​

Written by Laura Jane Dagga. 

​