#002 Disk Two - Light and Shade (Understanding Light and How To Use It)
Running Time:Three Hours, Five Minutes
TWO-DISK SET
Broken down into 50+ Chapters
Shot in NTSC but playable anywhere
Price $45.00 US
(NY State Residents Pay Sales Tax)

You've gone out and bought some lighting equipment, but your shots don't look like the professionally lit scenes you see on t.v. and in the movies. What's missing? This is one of the many questions Walter Graff answers in his latest DVD, Light and Shade. To understand how to light a shot, you have to understand and manipulate light and its sources. You too can use your mind like a camera, recording thousands of images of light, which you can then draw on to re-create the appropriate lighting for any scene. Walk through this process with a pro to see what tools he uses and the resources he draws on from within in his own mind.

Many professionals rely on both their own memories and the images they see in others' work to create lighting masterworks. Walter teaches you how to find motivation with real light and then how to imitate and recreate it in your own lighting.

In Disk One Walter explains the mind set, techniques and tools he uses to envision and then implement the lighting of a scene. It's more based on thoughts and theory. The first disk is one hour and seventeen minutes of discussion and ramblings about what tools he uses in his mind to capture moments and memorize them so he can draw on them later. Using many photographs he lets you in on how pros look at light, what they see, and how they take what they see and apply it to what they later recreate with lighting. In the end he bridges the gap in what he calls the gray zone. He define the gray zone as the area where many people are; they buy lights, but really don't know what to do with them. After this disk everyone will have a better idea.

The second disk in the set is one hour and thirty-five minutes long and it takes what is discussed in disk one and applies it to the real world. Using two settings, a bedroom and a dining room, he discusses what motivates him in such a scenario and demonstrates a number of set-ups based on the natural motivation of each room from sunny days to dark nights. Walter uses various post production techniques of color grading and effects such as 24p to show you possible final looks. He also shows how other elements such as music and sound effects can help make something believable.

Both disks are packed with helpful photos, images and illustrations that help you to see how Walter dissects and then recreates the properties of light. Tips for lighting on a budget and answers to frequently-asked questions about lighting fixtures round out the discussion. You will learn more from this disk than ten books could teach you--and you'll be able to apply these new techniques instantaneously. This is a must-have for both the novice and--dare we say--the established cinematographer. Walter considers it one of the best programs he's ever made as it gives you a look inside lighting that no one has ever attempted before. This disk will set a new standard for teaching the art of lighting. If you ever wanted to learn an entirely new way to look at light, this is it!