Tal Lazar

Working with a cinematographer is a skill which every Film and TV director or producer needs to master. What do they need to know to do their job best? What decisions are made by the director and what by the cinematographer, and how to make these decisions? How to lead a technical team without being a technical master yourself? This course will take you to the heart of your own story. You’ll learn how to find and communicate the core of what your images need to express, and make decisions like where to place your camera and what lens to use. You’ll learn to harness the immense power of narrative perspective, move the camera purposefully and lead your team confidently in making these decisions.

In this hour-long session Tal Lazar takes a deep-dive into the type of preparation a director does in order to initiate a successful collaboration with a cinematographer. Topics covered include: What in the script is used to create images? What in the script is used to create images? What is the role of the director when working with a cinematographer, and how to lead a creative conversation without needing much technical knowledge?

Lighting is a language communicating information and emotions to the viewer. It is also a language visual artists use to communicate with each other. This course is not just about lamps and lighting conventions. Learn to see light like a professional cinematographer and design it to tell a story. What is the purpose of lighting in a scene and how to connect it with your character? What is the difference between lighting on set or on a soundstage? How do you lead a team of lighting technicians? What is the best lighting unit to choose, and why? All these questions and more are answered in this course, filmed on a soundstage and utilizing demonstrations and many scenes from great films.