Rose Cain
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.
