Level 1 is our first workshop. We launched it in June and it was so well received that we decided to make it regular.

In this workshop, we will train you to clearly express your lighting ideas, and translate them into reality reliably. Of course, this skill is not acquired in a day, but we aim to give you the conceptual tools - and the understanding of the practical tools - required to fast-track you through the beginning of this journey.

Leading the workshop is cinematographer Lorenzo Levrini, who has worked on a range of feature films, shorts, commercials and music videos. On the side, he works as a lecturer on the filmmaking course at London Metropolitan University.

He is  joined by lighting technician Tom Campbell, who works at Elstree Light & Power, a lighting services provider based at Elstree Studios, who have provided kit and support to films such as The Dark Knight and Inception and shows such as Top Gear and BBC Proms.

ELP provide us with a range of commonly used lighting tools, including dedos, fresnels, kinos, redheads, blondes, HMIs and LED, as well as silks, polys, frames, flags and C stands.

What to expect:

MORNING

We use a three point setup to explore softness and colour temperature. We build on the principles of key, fill and backlight to make them applicable to real film lighting situations. 

We run through a range of equipment and its uses, and discuss on-set safety and electricity.

AFTERNOON

After a lunch break, we apply what we’ve learnt to a location lighting scenario, looking at how we can overcome limitations and work with them. You are split into groups and assigned a role (Director / DP / Gaffer) and invited to create your own look in the scene with Lorenzo and Tom offering help and guidance.