Scene Analysis: Sherlock Holmes

 This is the master shot in the scene that introduces the villain of the movie. He is very dark and mysterious because we do not know anything about him, but we do know he is up to no good. This shot is low key and dark because it is where the villain commits his crimes. There is a key-light on his victim because she is what he is focussing on. There is some soft fill light around them but there are still shadows and dark places. The fire behind him symbolizes his power as he tries to lure her into death.

 This is the first close-up of the villain. It is very dark and you can barely make out the features of his face. There is a small bit of rim light around the sides of his hood, hinting that if he'd take his hood off, we might see who he is. He wants to remain hidden while he does his evil deeds.

 After the first close-up, we now get and extreme close-up of his mouth. In this shot he seems to be speaking in tongues. One half of his face is lit while the other half is in shadows. His mouth is filling the frame because it is the focal point of his crime. He's using his words to coerce the victim into killing herself. His mouth is the weapon. Even though we cannot completely see his face, we can see that his front teeth are crooked which is the only identifier we have at this point.

This shot is a medium long-shot establishing that Sherlock Holmes is nearby to try and stop the villain and gather more information about the villain. The columns are lit more that Sherlock because it shows that he is hiding. Most of his body is in shadows because he does not want to be detected.

 The camera cuts to a medium close-up to intensify the action that is about to happen in the scene. His face is framed in the columns and the light on his face is just enough so that he is seen spying on the villain.

The next three shots are establishing shots of the men who have surrounded the villain to protect him. These shots are as if they were the view of Sherlock. The shots show that Sherlock is outnumbered. Each shot is cut quickly to intensify the overwhelming number of men Sherlock spots.

 There are some backlights lighting up behind the men and some soft fill lights above them, but there are soft shadows everywhere to convey the suspense and mystery. The people in the shots are difficult to make out because they work with the villain.

 This one is described above with the other two, but the shot only frames one person. In this shot, the person is walking in from out of the darkness. This shot shows that more people are coming in the room.

 A man is sneaking up on Sherlock but Watson suddenly attacks the man and Sherlock quickly turns to assist. The man can barely be seen because he is trying to be discrete. These shots are Medium shots and are still in the shadows because the people in the main area are still unaware of their presence. This light is soft and seems to be coming from the main area. There are key-lights in the men's faces just enough so we can see what is happening. In the second one, Sherlock seems to have a backlight from the larger area.

 This shot is a medium close-up of Sherlock and Watson taking out the attacker. Their faces are lit better than before because we can now see that the team is complete with Watson in the picture. More lighting represents that together, they are ready to take on the villain.

 This shot is a medium shot of the team. It is angled upward to establish that the men are strong and brave. Also, they had just succeeded in taking out an attacker. They are both equally framed which represents a partnership. The lighting is still low because they are still unknown to the others in the building.

Lighting Styles I Strive to Produce

There are a couple of styles of lighting that I prefer. I love warm lighting with rich colors. Even, high-key lighting is a good example of this. I personally prefer to have everything on set lit because I come from a background of musical theatre. Whenever I think "production," I think of lights everywhere. Shadows can ruin the effect of certain stories.

I also love natural light where there is a good amount of sunlight, but not too much. People look absolutely beautiful in the natural lighting God has provided for us. Why not use it to our advantage? And it's free! I ALWAYS say yes to free.

This first picture is from the stage version of Hairspray,  which is one of my favorite productions. The only shadows you see are at the back of the stage and the floor. Everything is lit. Because it is a Broadway production, there is a lighting grid above the stage. There is a spotlight (key light) on each girl, back lights, and plenty of fill light in between. This lighting to me is beautiful because you can see everything. Nothing is left unseen. All of the colors pop no matter where your seat is in the theatre. The lighting is bright, bold, and beautiful, creating the glamorous effect of the stage.

 Both of these next two pictures are outside, using natural sunlight. Natural sunlight is always beautiful to me as long as it isn't right in my face or someone else's. (Right) This image is of Snow White from the ABC original series Once Upon A Time. She has a beautiful rim around her shoulders and her hair, which I love because she is a princess after all. It seems as though the shot almost completely relies on the sun because the light is brighter behind her than it is in front of her. I love the natural beauty of the way the sunlight really lights up the nature in the background, which creates a distinct outline around Snow and the bird.

(Left)This image is from Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. I love the way the sun is shining behind their faces creating a silhouette or a rim around the "almost kiss." This image is beautiful and romantic because the lighting is natural and the sun behind them in the center creates an intimacy because the couple is sharing the sun. It brings the outline of their faces together.

Portrait of Peace

Portrait of Peace from Katie Stewart on Vimeo.

This is my portrait of a person. She is my roommate and one of my closest friends. This is a portrait of the side of her life that I see day in and day out.

Planning the Portrait of Peace

For my portrait of a person I knew right away that I wanted to use my roommate. My goal in this project was to be make an artistic portrait of an artistic person. Andrea is my roommate and many of her hobbies fit together like clockwork. 

After asking her if she would be my portrait, I started making notes on things about her. I posed the question, "What is the gift of her story?". I thought about what I wanted to convey about her personality, and what things in her life would convey that the best. She is a beautiful person inside and out. She is humble, artistic, spiritual, and introverted. These are the things I wanted to convey in the portrait. That is why I used shots of her drawing, reading the Bible, and reelecting. These things really convey the person she truly is without saying anything. I took notes on these things and made a shot list and we went from there.

When it came to music I went straight to piano music because she has played piano in the past and piano music is played at church a lot. In God is where she finds peace and also in her drawing and reflecting. Piano music was most fitting.

I enjoyed planning this piece and so did Andrea. She gave me input about ideas of things to feature. Because Andrea is such a beautiful person and loves bright colors, I chose the Sony HDV because it picks up the most vibrant, beautiful colors.