Looking back on my experience with the film internship, It's been the
most rewarding and great experience in any of the internships I've
ever had the privilege to take part in. Personally, I've always had an
intense interest in the film industry and this has given me the
opportunity to experience the industry first hand and learn from
people with the experience I need to succeed in such a demanding and
fast paced career.
Working with Greg, our resident grip, taught me a lot about lighting
and everything involved with lighting. I learned about gel use and
what types of gels create different effects, for example a softer more
aged look can be achieved using a warming gel, which is similar in
color to an amber colored stone. The idea behind the warming filter
is that it gives skin a more luminous and alive look, yet a more aged
look to the skin. Warming the skin is good for creating a leathered
look. Another popularly used gel is the pearl gel used to soften and
create a smoky look, a cooling gel which is light blue is used to
create a natural lighting effect, a rose filter to create a candle
light effect which also softens imperfections.
Working with Greg and afforded me the opportunity to learn about
lighting for film, and photography, which I have an avid interest in.
Greg also taught me the concept of three point lighting, key lighting
which is the strongest of the three parts, it has the most influence
on the subject or scene. It is placed to one side of the camera in
order to create a shadowing effect on the opposite side of the
subject. Fill light is used on the opposite side of the key light to
eliminate some of the shadowing caused by the key lighting. It is
usually softer and less harsh then the key light, which can be
accomplished using a frosted, pearl, warming, cooling or rose tinted
gel. The third part of three point
lighting is the back light, which is used to separate the subject from
the background and create a three-dimensional effect on the photograph
or film screen. If desired, you can use a fourth light to light the
entire background, to greatly reduce shadowing or create a brighter
photograph or scene for film.
I also had the opportunity to work with Jackie on makeup design and
execution. I learned basic aging and injury makeup. I am taking makeup
for theatre at the moment so I was able to compare and contrast the
different elements of stage makeup versus film makeup. Everything is
less accentuated and bold with film makeup and the amount of
highlighting used in greatly diminished. I was able to help with some
of the makeup used for the strip club scene, and basic imperfection
reducing makeup.
I was also able to discuss makeup coloring and how to make a subject
as natural as possible and still be as perfect as possible. For
example blush used on almost anyone should be a peach based blush, as
it is the most natural and fits almost any complexion. As for eye
liner, if the subject has small eyes then lining the eyes outside the
eyelashes is recommended as it enhances the eye shape and size.
However, if the subject already has prominent eyes, then lining the
eyes on the inside of the lashes is used to balance the other facial
features with each other. A neutral lip shade of medium glossiness is
recommended as well, however, it should be fairly translucent, so it
doesn't come across as too artificial in the photograph or the film
screen. The idea behind film makeup is to accentuate the subjects
natural beauty and features without coming across as made up.
Over all this internship has been a very rewarding and fulfilling
experience. It has given me insight into the career I plan on working
in the rest of my life. I hope that this opportunity is afforded to
future students here at UAF. I hope the state of Alaska becomes part
of a massive growing industry, the fast paced world of the film and
entertainment industry.