Director: Michael Lawrence
Director of Photography: David Kruta
Update: Check out the new director's cut here.
Every now and again, a project comes along that gives you total creative freedom over the imagery you're trying to accomplish. Already having established a working relationship and flow with director Michael Lawrence, I jumped at the opportunity to collaborate on a quick, one-day shoot with such potential.
We were extremely lucky to get a great location at the last minute, and with a minimal crew, we quickly scouted as India went through the works. My entire G&E team consisted solely of gaffer Adam Coleman - however, it was refreshing to work again in such a hands-on fashion. Our lighting kit was small: a basic Arri kit, Rifa 1k softbox and some basic modifiers. We were able to move quickly and nimbly.
We experimented with typical fashion lighting, using the Rifa softbox without the diffusion. I covered the front of the bulb with blackwrap to give us an even, hard light and cast a beautiful butterfly shadow under India's nose. Overhead, I had a snooted pepper light to edge her out slightly. Further away, behind the camera, I had a Arri 1k with full CTB scrimmed down to provide some background definition and North light. Shooting on the Epic (MX sensor), it's always important to pump a bit of blue in to decrease noise.
When fill was needed, I used chinese silk brocade (pictured below) with a 300w tungsten skip bounced across the floor. It gave us a beautiful, warm, soft texture the looked great on skin.
At times, we backlit India with our projector, which created a mesmerizing texture in the haze. Adam on/offed the image with a flag, plunging our star into darkness and bringing her back up again.
My favorite shots of the day were at the mirror - it was covered with dirt and peeling off and created a nice texture through which to see India. I lit it with the Rifa softbox diffused, the brocade skip bounce off the floor and an iPad on the bar to fill in her face. The way it all played off her martini glass and made her eyes sparkle was just magical.
This film was shot on the Red Epic with Lomo Super Speed lenses. We edited and finished at Replicant's studios in Fort Greene.
Overall, it was a fun and easy shoot. Everyone was laid back, had a good time and was pleased with the images.