Page 13 - Fujifilm Exposure_29 Trial & Retribution_ok

THE DP VIEW
P PAUL ENGLEFIELD
erhaps the biggest set up in this series was in the episode set in a boys school. We were shooting an end-of-term din- ner sequence, the boys in
rows with masters at the top table. Part of the school tradition is that
one of the masters is designated as a stag and has to enter in a costume with big stag antlers. At which point the light goes out and the boys then set a challenge for the master.
We were filming at Mill Hill School in North London and shooting a day- for-night interior. It was a mammoth tent-out, the biggest I have ever done. It was not just a question of knowing what was required for what would be a very expensive scene but having the confidence to ask for it.
The only way to light it was to bring in two separate tungsten helium bal- loons because the ceiling was so high. We also had this scaffold rig about 80ft high by 40ft wide going out 15 feet. Lights were rigged out on the scaffold- ing because there’s a transition from lit night interior to moonlit interior.
Nothing in the room was ever properly exposed, even the kids round the tables were moodily lit. You had to make it bright enough so you could see people but not so much that it was suddenly as bright as a moodily-lit interior.
The fact that the series is all loca- tion makes for harder work but I much prefer it because real locations always have something special to offer. We do get to work in some fantastic houses and buildings and the truth is: if you get a wonderful room or corridor, good lighting looks even better. ■
Fuji Motion Picture And Professional Video • Exposure • 11