Dramatic Lighting

FADE IN:
INT. STAGE – FRANKIE’S LOFT — EVENING
The crew settles. WIL and MAUREEN take their marks. A BELL RINGS and the crew falls silent. The CAMERAMAN, a serious, artistic Spaniard in his 30s speaks.

CAMERAMAN
Hold the roll, please.
(to the gaffer)
Would you please close the doors a bit on the key light?
I want to light this more dramatically.

The GAFFER begins to work. Wil gets a mischievous glint in his eye, and dramatically takes his mark, stomping his foot on the ground and presenting his hands, upturned in front of him.

WIL
(grandiose)
Dramatically? Perhaps I could act it more dramatically!

The crew LAUGHS.

CAMERAMAN
(beat)
Oh, let me just do it with the light, please.

WIL and MAUREEN collapse into giggles.

FIRST AD
Okay, everyone, very quiet please, here we go…
FADE OUT.

70 thoughts on “Dramatic Lighting”

  8. hope your back is better. sounds like acting is a hard job. I guess I should try it somtime. It is my birthday (25). I feel old.

  10. Now I have this image of Wil ala Jon Lovitz on that SNL skit. “Acting!”
    Wil, I’ll need your address for my therapy bill.

  14. I use the term “Cameraman” to refer to the “Director of Photography,” who is in charge of the look of the film. In addition to composing the shots, he works with the Gaffer and the Key Grip to set the lights, and create the visual “mood.”
    Some of you may be confusing “Cameraman” with “Camera Operator,” who is the guy that actually runs the camera.
    Forest.
    Trees.
    HTH =]

  15. Or, if you’ve worked on a PBS set… “Cameraman” means “Director of Photography”, “Gaffer”, “Soundman”, “Production Assistant”, “Cable Puller”, “Guy sent to get doughnuts”, etc.
    😉

  17. I know you’re just joking around and trying to lighten the mood, but having worked voluntarily on many sets in my young time, including as cinematographer+camera person+lighting+doughnut runner etc 🙂 I would like to say, *please* Wil, be nice to the D.O.P, they just wanna make y’all look purtier on the screen – you could act as dramatically as hell, but without the proper lighting no one would see it :[. Have a look at the lighting and the framing of the shots in your favourite films – see how much better good light and frames make the performances look. Use it to your advantage – don’t knock the poor person on the other side of the lens.
    Ok, I’ll get off my ex-filmmaker high horse now :).

  18. Very funny, but I would really like to see a more detailed posting as to why you left Arena. You will be missed there.

  21. I don’t know if you mentioned it before Wil, but I saw a infomercial you did for X-3D early yesterday morning. Cool piece of tech there, though *not* Mac (oldschool or OSX) capatable.

  23. still havn’t seen that infomertial- yet and I am always up late—
    Jon Lovizt– “I was mearly Acting!”
    one of my faves along with-
    – “I’m married to Morgan Fairchild Yeah that’s the ticket!”
    Feel better with your back? i agree i want some of what your taking for that back pain… 😛

  24. Wonders if that story is meant to be funny? Glad you’re able to do camp. Nevermind me…I’m just jealous cause I’m not making a movie for Pax.
    I wanna see the informercial! Maybe there’s some sort of website?

  25. You have to be kidding about Arena. Ugh. No offense Wil, I think you did the best you could turning turds into pearls, but the show was a bad idea. Actually, G4 is a bad idea too. The whole network should be a show on TechTV, not a waste of cable TV bandwidth. I mean, this channel manages to make videogames look boring.
    I look forward to seeing you on Pax. Sounds like the energy and humor is good. Bodes well. Any hints as to story line?

  26. Doesn’t it bug the fuck out of you when girls come on here and pretend they know you? **giggle giggle** that’s acting for you Wil…**giggle giggle*** that’s for the laugh Wil. Oh God…gag me!

  27. Nothing at all to do with the post but for all you Americans out there FOR THE LOVE OF JEEBUS VOTE TODAY!
    The rest of the world is watching and hoping like holy hell!

  28. “well that’s just plain fun!”
    “LOL! Thanks for the laugh, Wil.”
    “Cute!”
    “Genius!”
    I know I can always count on this website when it comes to sycophantic fools.

  34. >I have become disturbingly addicted to these updates.
    >Posted by johnp at November 4, 2002 09:13 PM
    So have I. Pretty fun to see a movie from the other side of the camera.

  37. This person who is in charge of the bell ringing sounds like a powerful position to have on a movie set. But one open to the creation of mischief if he has heard of Pavlov.

  40. I did my part today by voting…I second the former comment and encourage all in the US to go out and vote.
    I was forced to vote within a church that condemns me to hell, but I showed them….I voted for Satan. (Well, from their perspective I probably did.)

  41. Hey, Will. I’m surprised given the Iraq link you didn’t put a note at the top of you site about today being election day.
    So go out and bote early and often, folks!
    You too Will…tell ’em to hold the set until you get back.

  43. For even more drama, I suggest:
    FADE IN
    Wil Wheaton, sitting on a chair and dramatically back-lit, discussing TNG. Intercut shot with Patrick Stewart, then interview with Patrick Stewart, as if discussing the definition of “drama” for TNT.
    Reverse to WW, then to PS again. Dialogue ensues with both actors praising the work of the other. Repeat several times, intercut with scenes from WW’s final regular cast appearance on TNG, as well as an episode featuring WW and PS from season 2.
    Touching farewell scene between Crusher and Picard, final comments from WW, final poignant (sp?) from PS. Captain gets the last word. Move on to Marina Sartis (she’s cuter now than she was then – selling point!).
    Yes, I just picked up season 4. Dude, I gotta say your hair has definately improved.

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