How Do I...

Light with Minimal Tools?

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Download transcript here.
NAME: Willie Dawkins
TITLE: Gaffer and lighting technician
SELECTED CREDITS: Parks and Recreation (2012–14); Brothers & Sisters (2009–11); Eagle Eye (2008); The Rock (1996)

As we have discussed in this chapter, the strategic use of lighting is central to good filmmaking. As student or even professional filmmakers, you may not have unlimited amounts of lighting gear at your disposal. But veteran gaffer Willie Dawkins points out that you don’t need that luxury to create strong lighting. He talks more about using minimal lighting technology in a video interview available only in the Chapter 8 Video Activity.

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Discover:

  • image Why skills matter more than tools do
  • image How one or two lights can make a subject look great
  • image How Dawkins used a minimal lighting setup to get results for Michael Bay’s action film The Rock