Are you a filmmaker who’s constantly stressed out before a big shoot? Do you find yourself worrying about every little thing, from the coffee shop being open to the lenses showing up on time? Well, there’s one thing you can do to eliminate a ton of unnecessary variables from your film set: pre-lighting.
Extra time is perhaps the hottest commodity on any film set, and you should always fight for the chance to pre-light your set. A pre-light is simply lighting the set earlier in the day (or the day before) of shooting, when nobody but you and the lighting crew is on set. This creates a truly comforting environment, where all you’re doing is lighting, discussing, and problem-solving.
As a cinematographer, this eliminates a whole world of stress and many unnecessary variables. No matter how experienced you are, and how much you’ve planned and diagramed your setup, there will always be something that doesn’t go quite according to plan. These are all variables that you can control with a pre-light.
If you have the time, you can even bring your director in and walk through blocking. You can also plan how you’ll light for coverage and keep an open line of communication with your team (grip & electric). Picture this: a fully lit set and a game plan for the next morning — you and the director both know exactly what is going to happen. Sounds nice, doesn’t it?
Pre-lighting will enable everyone to be at their best during the most important part of production. This will please the producer and the director alike, since you’ll be able to make the absolute best use of time during recording. And while things still may go wrong, there won’t be a million issues . . . while the AD is (rightfully) breathing down your neck.
So, fight for a pre-light, and you can take all the time you need the day before. Dial it in just right. When you arrive on set, you can flip the lights on one by one and look at the assistant director and say “All right, let’s make a movie.”
Don’t let limitations determine the pace of your work. Create an environment just for storytelling — an environment wherein the actors and the director are free to move about the set in a way that brings out their best. This is why you do a pre-light.
So, if you’re looking for a way to reduce stress and eliminate unnecessary variables from your film set, pre-lighting is the answer. And if you’re looking for more cinematography tips and tricks, be sure to check out our other articles.
Other Articles
Top 6 Video Industry Conferences to Attend This Fall 2016
Canon 5D Mark IV set to launch soon
