Motivated Lighting Examples by Roger Deakins — Cinematography Techniques Ep. 4

Roger Deakins walks us through his motivated lighting examples from 1917, No Country for Old Men, and Sicario.

What is Motivated Lighting in Film ►► http://bit.ly/mot-li
Special Thanks to the Team Deakins podcast ►► http://bit.ly/td-pc

Chapters:
00:00 — Deakins on Motivated Lighting
01:04 — The Falling Lamp
02:11 — Oil Lamps in 1917
03:21 — Overhead Lights in Sicario
04:02 — Table Lamps

In this episode of Cinematography Techniques, Roger Deakins continues his conversation on the value of practical lights and motivated lighting. Specifically, he addresses lighting challenges in films like 1917, Sicario, and No Country for Old Men.

Does the existing practical lighting in the set help tell the story? With film lighting, can we find a middle ground between artistic expression and narrative function? These are questions every cinematographer is confronted with at every location in every project. Let’s gather round and let Roger Deakins show us the light, literally, when it comes to using motivated lighting in film.

Deakins’ first example comes from a shootout scene in No Country for Old Men. In a motel room, the decision was made that a lamp should end up on the floor. This way, it would project light upwards on Anton Chigurh, casting him rather menacing, “noirish” light. This is a great example of blending practical lighting with motivated lighting with production design in a way that makes the clearly intentional choices seem organic and accidental.

In 1917, Roger Deakins explains how difficult it was to use motivated lighting in the bunker scene early in the film. The underground set is lit only with oil lamps, which would be historically accurate but would there be enough lighting with practicals alone? The solution was to fit two bulbs into the lamps — a rather simple but elegant fix to get cinematic lighting out of 100-year-old practical lights.

Finally, we have Roger Deakins on lighting the immigration detention scene in Sicario. Not a claustrophobic bunker as in 1917, now the challenge is lighting a massive area with dozens of extras. The existing sodium mercury lamps would not do so Deakins requested 50 conical lights to be fitted with 2K blondes. These were attached to the ceiling of the depot and gave enough illumination to the large set and multiple characters.

Sometimes, practical lighting and motivated lighting require a small adjustment to the existing lighting conditions. And other times, as in this Sicario example, it requires a complete redesign of the lighting. We may not have the budget or resources that Roger Deakins has on a given project but the lessons here are universal — motivated lighting can give a location personality, and give the scene authenticity.

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VIDEO EDITOR: BRANDON SCULLION
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Spotify Playlist ►► http://bit.ly/rd-ml

Songs Used:
War - Edwin Starr
Wallace - Blade Runner 2049 Soundtrack - Hans Zimmer & Benjamin Wallfisch
Faded - Red Licorice
Carter Burwell - Blood Trails (No Country for Old Men Soundtrack)
Lockhouse (1917 Soundtrack)
Jóhann Jóhannsson ‎– Sicario (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Audrey’s Dance (Twin Peaks Soundtrack)
Final Song by Devon Cole from “Roger Deakins On Cinematography”

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Music by MusicBed ► http://bit.ly/2Fnz9Zq

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