Research & Development: Lighting Tests for film

This was a brief lighting test I did, where I mostly focused on shadows and making them softer.

At the time I thought I was going to be filming in a house so I carried out a test in a similar environment. In the video below I haven't tried out colour gels as I did not have them yet.

This test below was to experiment with the colour gels that I got for filming. Since thinking about how my stylised film might look like I thought playing with different colours and experimenting with various saturation levels would be interesting.

When it does come to the shoot, I don't think I will be going for the type of saturation in the film but I shall definitely be using the colour gels so when I move into colour grading in post-production I can play with the saturation of colour because it will be present in the scene.

The reason for these choice of colour gels is that I know these colours convey certain emotions or meanings. By doing this light test I can see how it might affect the character, in the image below the blue is slightly purple and green which I find creates a sinister look to the model which would work well if I was trying to make my characters mysterious visually. I really like the tests in the image above with the green colour gel because I think that green can mean gluttony or greed which are definitely traits of my characters in different degrees.

Research & Development: Preparing the Theatre set

I visited the Fabworks shop in Dewsbury to purchase the material for my curtains and I decided it would be quicker and cheaper to sew a makeshift curtain myself. This went alright and on the day I will place the curtains up.

I had Jonathan from wood workshop nail both boards together. The reason I wanted the boards was to create a wall and I felt it would help add depth on the set and act as the key symbol of the story taking place in a flat/house.

A friend of mine has allowed me to borrow her rugs, and pillows and I am going to purchase a table cloth from Yellow Sunrise, a shop in Corn Exchange, Leeds, where they sell colourful and sometimes embroidered home furnishings.

I thought the home furnishings from that store would go well with the African theme, even though I was mainly focusing on the theme of colours instead of having obvious African ornaments on set.

This will hopefully come together on the day of filming, but the main colours I have incorporated are red, orange, yellow and green. These colours are I feel are bright and therefore will stand out on the set.

As said in the image below, I decided not to hire wardrobes and beds, instead I used sofas and tables from the University canteen and I feel that this enough works with the minimalistic idea of a theatre set. This will also allow me more freedom with the lighting set up.

Rough model of what I want the board to look like when it gets made

I just quickly modelled the main props I am going to have for filming, and a basic idea of where I shall be placing the lights. 

Research & Development: Suspiria by Dario Argento

This film was suggested to me to watch for the lighting and general appearance of the film.

The story is about a young girl who moves to Germany to start a term at a ballet school just as another girl has dissappeared. As the film progress, Susy learns of the secret to the school.

Focusing on the lighting and set design, I felt that though the film's style is unrealistic and supernatural the set design is beautiful. The image below, the drawings on the wall are really detailed, though you do not really pay attention to it, the deep pink in the middle of the wall fading into soft purple works really well to make the character stand out.

The use of red is very bold in this film. The front entrance to the school is red, and some walls inside are painted in deep red. I am not sure if that is to emphasise the feeling of danger or make the audience unsteady but it works really well. Since watching the film, it has given my ideas of how I can experiment with lighting and the background. Though my film is very lighthearted and not a horror film like Suspiria, there are techniques from this film that I really like.

I have done a simple lighting test in my room, but now I am going to do a lighting test in the location I wish to film, where I will be experimenting with colour gels and spacing. I am going for a stylised appearance, I do want the setting to be influenced by African art and props but not overly expressed because the story is set in England and in modern times.

I am going to experiment with different types of lights such as redheads and LEDs because since colour gels are going to be used, using lights that get hot quickly won't be beneficial but deciding exactly how I want to light my scene and what lights would work best on producing the softest shadows is what I am looking for. 

I noticed that shadows were heavily used in scenes where the walls were bold colours without any patterns, I know that I shall be having soft shadows in my film but it was good to see how harsh shadows can be used in a film like this, especially in the image below with the blue lighting.

Research & Development: Change of Location for Filming

I decided to change the style and location of my film. After the research and development presentation, it was suggested that I consider filming with simplified location and props, which would allow the focus to be on the acting and narrative.

I was not too fond of the idea but after looking at films like Dogville (below), I did like the minimalistic theatre style setting it was placed in. I thought it worked well and though my film will not use the same techniques that are laid out in the Dogme 95 filmmaking techniques, I can really experiment with the lighting.

I know I will find difficulty in approaching this route but I think that it is very possible to complete. The positives filming in a lecture theatre as my chosen location is that I can set up the scene in the way I want. There is a larger space to allow for different equipment such as the crane and since I will be experimenting with lighting, I am going to be using many lights so the bigger the space, the more safe it will be for everyone on set.

I did read the guidelines for making a Dogme 95 film, created by Lars Von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg, however I felt that those rules would restrict me and given the time I had to prepare, it was not feasible to stick to those rules.

I shall be bringing these props onto the set, some are large in size so I shall be hiring a van to move it, but since I am filming 3 days in a row, once I have set up the scene there won't be any changes to it until everything is taken down.

• Cooked Food
• Purse
• Rubbish Bag
• Table + 3 chairs
• Cooking Pots +2
• Long Mirror
• Curtain
• Couch

The problems I am facing currently is working out how to fill out the space. I am deciding what props are actually important to the storyline, for example some scenes are set just outside the characters bedrooms but I do not have to use a bed to signify that it is their room.
I am still deciding how to light the scene so until then I won't know what colours curtains and chairs should be.

Research & Development: What I Am At

For the research stage of this project, I have been behind with the workload. I did seek out help and advice from colleagues and tutors but I felt that I could not get over the obstacle. I have decided on both my stories and how I want to interpret them but it was very difficult to adapt the stories that I thought would be the easiest stage of the project.

Currently, I am scouting for locations, actors and crew.

While in the research stage, I have split up my time helping film crews from other universities; this has helped me gain contacts for when I carry out my filming. I think I have enough contacts to ask for help. For actors and actresses I have been emailing University drama courses and drama schools around Leeds to find people.

Research & Development: Ghana Youtube Series: African City

This show is about a woman who decides to go back home to her country to start a new life. I enjoyed watching this series because I could relate to the homesick feeling the main character, Nana Yaa. It doesn't have folktales as the basis of the storyline but it does put into perspective the complications or clashes that Africans face when they travel back home, it conveys the differences in Western culture to African cultures and highlights how that affects each woman in their relationships, and everyday life.


The production quality is very high, which is the same for many other Youtube web series, again the lighting is not used here to support the narrative but used to establish the location and time. I have included this show because compared to Papa Ajasco, this is a new and modern show but it does influence my African theme project. I feel that this is the type of show that shows Africans in a different light than what is commonly seen. I know through watching these series that I definitely want to make my films more light-hearted with a hint of seriousness, but I would like the acting exaggerated like the show Papa Ajasco.

Research & Development: Nigeria TV Award Winning Series: Papa Ajasco

This was a TV show that I always used to watch as a child into teenage years. It was and still is the most popular show in Nigeria and also now available to watch in Ghana, it is produced by Wale Adenuga Productions.

The show is about Papa Ajasco, the father, his wife Mama Ajasco, their relatives, friends and children. It is a comedy show, however that is not why it became popular, I think it took common stereotypical types of known Nigerian characters and made them unique. For example, Papa Ajasco is always getting himself in trouble and Mama Ajasco is always trying to find out what her husband is up to and their son who always boasts about himself. The other characters like Boy Alinco and Miss Pepeiye, were the trouble makers who lied and cheated to get themselves rewards or out of trouble, of course each character has Nigerian known traits combined to make it appealing to the nation's audience, but most of the humour is made for an African audience. I think it was refreshing because at the time it came out, Yoruba and many Nollywood movies were flooding the network and the show's language was a mixture of English and pidgin english.

The lighting in the show is flat, but I think that's because the focus is on the story, characters and costumes so the lighting is not used as a tool to tell the story, however the scenes are all very colourful due to the character's costumes which are mostly Nigerian attire.

For me, this TV show is an inspiration because though my project is based on Yoruba folktales, the stories told in Papa Ajasco and company are everyday life situations that I think was trying to teach the audience a lesson at the same time as making them laugh. My films are definitely exaggerated in characters, story and influenced by shows like Papa Ajasco, because folktales are told in a way that grabs the attention of the listener for a short amount of time so they can receive the moral at the end of the story.

Research & Development: Locations I Have Considered

The locations for ‘Stolen Goods’ are mainly shot indoors. Most are interior shots. The main location the story takes place is in Aje and Ronke’s flat.

Currently, there are no complications when shooting indoors, however I need to find a flat that has enough space. It would need to be decorated for the film. If I have African actresses, I would like there to be objects and symbols that represent their culture. I am going to ask friends and see if they would allow me to use their home.

The location for ‘The Girl that doesn’t speak’ is similar to the film above because most of its scenes are shot indoors. I will be filming outdoors in the park and coffee shop.

There will be complications with my sound when filming in the park because of unwanted noise from those playing in the park. It is not a huge complication and it can be fixed.

The coffee shop location is going to be used when the Dad is plotting to prank his daughter. I will need to request permission from Whites Deli, Dare & Café Lento. All are small, independent café’s but their interior designs are minimal and do not draw attention.

I am going to ask permission from these venues and see what steps need to be taken when filming in a public space such as request forms.

Research & Development:The Characters

The Stolen Goods

Rough Idea

The characters Aje and Ronke are the two main women from the story. Aje is the poor woman who does not have money and cannot afford a full meal; I have changed her character to being a student living in the 21^st century in Leeds. Her character is kind, shy and quiet. She hates confrontation, her introverted character traits allows her to focus on her work. She has a number of close friends that she is very comfortable with and she is close to her Aunty.

Ronke is the woman’s neighbour in the original story that seduces her neighbour with the egusi soup she cooks everyday. Her modern character is a girl who is not aware when she has upset someone. She does not have boundaries.

I have been thinking about the appearance of my characters, for example I want them to wear certain shades of colours to express their character. It is an exaggeration of the story to really show the audience who these people are with the least dialogue.

Ronke is going to be wearing darker shades of yellowish green to express envy and greed.

Aje is a gentler character so I want her colours to be white and blue. I understand that dark blue can represent coldness but I shall be having her wear soft blue and white.

The Girl That Doesn’t Speak

Bola is the daughter of Mr Akanni, her parents are separated but Bola mainly resides with her Dad. Their relationship is very playful and more of a friendship as her Dad does not place parental guidelines.

I stated earlier and in the image above that breaking down the story was hard and needed to be down so I could understand how to write the script and shot list better. I explain in the image how I broke down the story to understand where the main events take place or needed to take place.

I learned from doing this exercise how to structure my short story better because I did not want to spend a lot of time focusing on the backstory so getting to know each of the characters in and out helped me to try to show the audience what type of person they are.

Research & Development: Final Adaptation of 'The Tortoise and The Princess that never Speaks'

The Girl That Doesn't Speak

What started out as a simple game that her and her father played got out of hand. Bola never spoke a word after one day.

‘’You’re taking this too seriously’’ said Bola’s father.  At first, Bola thought it would be funny; she was close to convincing him that she really could not talk. He bought her some gifts, and she thought of giving up the prank but then the gifts her showered her with were what she had wanted for a long time.

The gifts stopped and instead of the situation being a game, Bola decided to continue not speaking to influence her father to buy more gifts. Her father decided that he would not get his daughter to speak by just buying her gifts, instead why not play her at her own game. He knew he would have to find a way for her to speak again; she would only do that if she felt threatened, nothing serious but proving her innocence was important.

Below are images of the shot list, it will change because I am still working on it but at least I have a rough idea of how I want to frame my shots. I think my films will be shorter than anticipated, instead of each being 5 minutes, it is more likely to be 2/3 minutes long.

I definitely found it hard writing the script and I realised that when I was writing the shot list I thought of it in terms of an editor than a cameraman. This did create problems at first but I don't think it is a bad thing thinking of the finished piece when writing the shot list.

Research & Development: Final Adaptation of 'The Stolen Soup Aroma

The Stolen Goods

In the bustling city of Leeds, Aje and Ronke are cousins who are currently in university. Aje is 20, studying Microbiology, and in her first year at university, after taking out a gap year to work. Ronke is 22, studying Journalism and Media.

The story shows how small, petty annoyances and greed can affect a relationship with a person.

Aje is calm, kind and someone who is slow to react and does not seek confrontation.

Her sister, Ronke, is loud, is kind to others only for her personal benefit and boastful.

She is a curious woman, who seeks a story behind every incident; this is her driving passion behind studying Journalism.

Aje wishes to help cure major diseases like Lupus.

Ronke is very demanding, she does not understand common boundaries and is not aware when she has upset someone.

Ronke lately has been taking Aje’s food without permission or even informing her when the food has run out. This caused Aje trouble because she did not have certain ingredients needed when it came to cooking.  She knew or at least wished that Ronke would replace the items she finished but a month pasted and having left a note on her bedside table, Ronke still had not replaced the food.

Then she called her mother, who she knew Ronke would have to listen. Ronke still did not replace her food, but bought her a chocolate bar.

Aje still could not imagine confronting her, because she did not want to deal with another outburst from Ronke. Remembering that time still left her scarred, Ronke’s voice reached unknown volume levels.

Aje then thought of a way of evening the score, after she spoke to her aunty she took all the ingredients and food from Ronke’s cupboard and placed it in her room. Aje also hid the toiletries to show Ronke how it feels to have your possessions stolen.

Above are images of a rough version of the shot list for the film. I am still editing it so changes are being made.

Research & Development: Short of The Week: The Camera

The Camera (short film / original score) from Peter Lewis on Vimeo.

I have been watching short and long films but focusing on the colour grading styles. This short film is about a girl who finds a Polaroid camera in a strange house and explores the rooms of the house taking pictures, however these pictures tell a new story. The film pace, produced by Peter Lewis, is smooth without any climaxes. I like the simple idea of the story, revealing at the end an important message to a friend. The concept was produced very well. Each of the scenes, compliments each other, he shot mainly at hours of the day that provided the best sunlight. The girl’s outfit has definitely been thought about, the grey top and white skirt are colours that do not blend into the background. The materials are loose around her body emphasizing the calm environment she is exploring.