Creating the Image of Five Seconds to Air

The art of cinematography includes way more than just lighting. We caught up with Brendan to discuss his plans for "Five Seconds to Air" and what skills aspiring cinematographers need.

Michael and Rowan help set up the lights in the studio

Q: What was your vision for this film in terms of setting the space and lighting?

B: I felt there was an interesting opportunity to explore the vast difference between the on-camera and off-camera worlds of news broadcast. On camera, everything is so vibrant and warm and brightly lit, and then just meters away off stage, the cold and sterile reality of news-for-profit churns away in an effort to hold up that beautiful facade of warmth and familiarity. Through this film, I wanted to explore the two facets of broadcast news life and create a visual dichotomy to represent that.

Q: What was the most challenging thing about making this film?

B: The challenging aspect of the film was that in truth, it was not my first choice to work on as newsroom dramas are not something I would consider to be 'in my wheelhouse', and I worried about not feeling especially passionate about it. Thankfully, the script was well written and the crew was an absolute joy to work with, so nearly all of my reservations about how well I'd perform melted away pretty quickly.

Q: What kind of skill does someone need if they are going to be a cinematographer?

B: A passion for light and color doesn't hurt. It's not all just camera angles and shot composition, you spend a good deal of time trying to implant narrative clues into the way an actor or scene is lit, or using a certain color cast to draw the audience eye. You don't want to rely on the dialogue to do all the 'talking', in a sense you are crafting the environs to help support the narrative in any way possible. Due to how tricky and nebulous that can be, you need great improvisational skills, be comfortable with fast-paced problem solving, and be willing to raise your voice and make tough decisions to keep things realistic and on track. 

Brendan hanging lights in the studio

Q: Was there any kind of special equipment that you used to make this film look the way it does?

B: We built a pretty interesting  12x12 super-soft setup that took a dozen people and some tricky maneuvering over an active set to install. We used a TON of lights, practically every lighting kit from the school was in our studio. We made great use of the Gemini light panel for rim lighting, face lighting, and monitor flicker. 

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Q: What was your biggest concern on set?

B: My concerns mostly dealt with sheer number of people we had initially planned to have on set. Between main crew, extra hands, main actors and background extras, we had predicted 40+ on set/on hand which made me extremely nervous about pacing, spacing, and cooperation from everyone when we needed to film. Thankfully, everyone was extremely professional, and we ended up with a smaller contingent than planned which gave us plenty of room to work in.

Q: What do you want people to take away from this film?

B: I don't like to color an audience's perspective or tell them what I want them to enjoy about it. Just watch it, I guess.

The slate used during production

Q: In terms of lighting the newsroom and the studio how did preparation for both of those set ups differentiate?

B: For the Studio setup, it was in a way very simplistic because I had a lot of source material to reference. My main goal was to basically replicate Fox News as accurately as I could from a lighting perspective. It turns out most news rooms use a 1:1.6 lighting ratio which is relatively easy to accomplish and I had a lot of fun with that lighting plan.

For the newsroom, things were a bit trickier. I wanted to pay tribute to various news dramas that had come before me, such as The Insider, or Newsroom. They all use very ominous lighting to establish tension in the control room. For this, I concocted a 12x12 supersoft suspended in air above the entirety of the set, using 4 ARRI 650w lights gelled with CTB pointed through a 12 foot silk to cast a soft, all-encompassing blue glow across the room. It was tricky to design, it was even trickier to put up, but it was VERY satisfying on camera.

Q: Do you have any upcoming projects or things you would like readers to know?

Waiting out the plague times, and then back to the film grind the second we get the all clear.