Paul Zadie

Here are a couple of great YouTube videos that I came across. There are some valuable lessons here from some of the world’s greatest cinematographers.

Part 1 of the Lighting Segment from “Cinematographer Style” Directed by Jon Fauer.

The industry’s best talk about proper lighting and equipment know-hows. Films are much more than a good story or good laughs, its technique and supremely efficient execution is what makes our eyes wander the screen and our minds when we think about a great film.

Part 2 of the Lighting Segment from “Cinematographer Style” Directed by Jon Fauer.

The industry’s most talented and visionary cinematographers explain the importance of proper lighting and the techniques required for appropriate illumination.

Cinematographers in interview:
Vittorio Storaro: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005886/
William A. Fraker: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005710/
Fred Murphy: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0002320/
Bill Butler: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0124832/
Gordon Willis: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0932336/
Bill Dill: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0226778/
Remi Adefarasin: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001899/
Daniel Pearl: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0669050/
Denis Lenoir: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0003631/
Richard Kline: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0459660/
Russel Carpenter: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005665/
Vilmos Zsigmond: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005936/
Stephen Goldblatt: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0003552/
Robert Primes: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0697543/
John Toll: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001799/

I have never directed a film before so when my assistant editor Adam asked me to direct an entry to the National Film Challenge, I agreed. Who in their right mind would turn down a fun, sleep deprived weekend of filmmaking? Not me, that’s for sure. And fun it was. We had a weekend of DV Rebel style filmmaking with a one day shoot that took place at a small carnival, and a day of intense post-production.

The weekend started with a brainstorming session with most of the crew present, then our writer, J.M. Moeller, went off and wrote the script that Afair is based on. Then we shot for a full day at the carnival, arriving before it opened to shoot some or our scenes, and staying until after dark to take advantage of the visually rich backdrop of the colors and  lights available to us. Speaking of light… This film was shot entirely with available light and a bounce board. This caused us some problems with shadows and noise, but with a bit of attention in After Effects, I was able to remedy some of the issues. It’s not perfect, but I’m satisfied.

Director of Photography, Ryan Krause, shot Afair on my HVX-200/Brevis35 camera rig. Editor, Adam Lee, composer/sound designer, Justin Sisley and myself did all of the post in Adobe CS3. While this final version of the film is not exactly what was completed over that weekend, it is pretty close. After our entry was submitted to the contest, I went to work fine tuning the edit, color grade and titles while, Justin worked on refining the music and sound. 

You can view Afair in HD at the official Afair website, or on Vimeo. Or watch in low resolution below. I recommend the HD version. While you’re at the Afair website, you can download an iTunes version of the film, an Afair logo wallpaper for your computer or the script. There is also a flickr photo set, and an Afair Facebook Page, so please become a fan.

I am interested to hear your thoughts on Afair, so leave a comment below or comment on Vimeo. Thanks and enjoy!

AFAIR from Paul Zadie on Vimeo.