A Brief Exchange

We were given a brief to film a short film that demonstrated our capacity to generate a range of shots which we could use to create a coherent and visually articulate representation of a simple interaction within a scene. The brief specified that two protagonists would interact, in several distinct shots, and we would have enough in the rushes to craft a 1 to 2-minute edit. We decided to film a ‘brief exchange’ of a shady figure handing a suitcase over, which is revealed to be a… (no spoilers!)

For A Brief Exchange, we used three high-angle Zylights to create a standard cross-key lighting setup. We set up two key lights on short key, cross-lighting the subject – flooded so the subjects were backlit and not overwhelmed by light – and moved the third ‘fill’ light on the camera side to create contrast where needed. We followed the 180- and 30-degree rules – keeping to one side of the table so as not to disorient the viewer.

We positioned the establishing shot directly between the two characters, with the vertical halfway dividing the table to imply an adversary relationship. After the establishing long shot, we broke with convention and cut to a wide shot, which introduced the briefcase and accentuated the uneven power dynamic. We used a ~35mm equivalent focal length to accentuate the foreground – making the character dirtied in each shot-reverse mid-shot appear physically larger – creating an ever-changing power dynamic. For each shot, we carefully decided between altering the focal length or camera distance, understanding the effects of each on the distortion of (and spatial dynamics between) subjects (and the camera). We had to pick up the close-up shot of the duck in the briefcase later, so we carefully matched the lighting at home for continuity.

We wanted to emulate the chiaroscuro lighting of classic black-and-white films. We achieved this using a higher contrast ratio than the typical 2:1, and Rembrandt lighting. We chose Zylights for their high intensity and uniform distribution of light, with diffusers and snap grids to soften and direct the light.