Making a short film is a unique challenge—you have a limited amount of time to tell your story, and often even more limited budgets. You're also likely competing with other filmmakers in a very crowded field. With the advent of affordable camera equipment, editing software, and distribution methods, more creatives than ever before are able to make and distribute short films. More films being made and released every day, making it harder for individual filmmakers to shine.However, filmmakers can stand out from the crowd by developing their visuals. Strong cinematography and lighting can help elevate a short film, grabbing viewers' attention instantly. That's certainly the case of "Ministry of Loneliness", a moody short about bureaucrats working in an office that distributes aid and advice to lonely constituents. The DP responsible for the look of the film was Jackie Fang, a Chinese cinematographer based in Los Angeles who drew inspiration from classic film and used color to show the characters' changing emotional journey. We spoke with Fang via email about her work on the short. She shares her lighting and camera setups and offers advice to beginning DPs. Enjoy! "Ministry of Loneliness" screens at the LA Shorts International Film Festival on July 26. Ministry of Loneliness ProvidedNo Film School: Please share a bit about how you got into cinematography.Jackie Fang: I think my early childhood experience set a base for my cinematography career. I grew up in a country where color contains a lot of metaphorical meanings. As a kid, we...
Published By: NoFilmSchool - Thursday, 18 July, 2024