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September 24, 2020 12:30–2:30 pm
Rubenstein Arts Center, Room 232
Film & Video

Film Lighting: Fixtures and Gripping

Partnership with Duke Arts Create & Cinematic Arts

Taught by Steve Milligan

The Cinematic Arts Filmcraft Workshop Series

Duke Cinematic Arts Icon

The Cinematic Arts Filmcraft Workshop Series gives students the opportunity to learn hard skills and advance their ability in practical areas of filmmaking, such as cinematography, editing, post-production, and sound. The workshops run for six weeks, starting the Friday that drop/add ends, September 3rd. Each workshop is offered twice, on Friday afternoon and the following Saturday morning. No experience or registration is required.

Camera Systems and Camera Operation

In this workshop we will light a handful of scenes and sets, and in so doing introduce the goals and workflow of cinematic lighting.  By understanding the simple qualities of light as they occur in the world and as they can be constructed for film, we begin to navigate the infinite possibilities offered by modern lighting tools.  It is a subject worthy of a lifetime of study and practice, but one which still yields valuable secrets with a few hours of exploration.

This is a companion to the Film Lighting – Fixtures and Gripping workshop, in which students learn the use of the specific tools employed, but neither is a prerequisite for the other.

This workshop covers the following elements and techniques:

  • Lighting recipes and methodologies
  • Motivation and style
  • Judgement and speed

About the Instructor

Steve Milligan is a professional cinematographer. Over the last fifteen years he has worked in long and short form documentary, narrative features, commercials, music videos, and projection design. He has been a lecturing fellow in the Duke Arts of the Moving Image program since 2015.

About the Location

This workshop will is located in the Cinematic Arts Film Studio in the Rubenstein Arts Center, room 232.

About Duke Arts Create

Duke Arts Create is a series of free, hands-on arts workshops designed to help all Duke students, including graduate and professional students (including Duke Health), as well as Duke faculty and staff develop a variety of creative skills in the visual arts, dance and movement, creative writing and more. Workshops are open to all skill levels and backgrounds. Most workshops are held in the Duke Arts Annex, the Rubenstein Arts Center or the Duke Arts Office 2101 and are typically held weeknights from 6-8 p.m.

Registration for the following week’s workshops go live on Friday mornings at 9 a.m. – sign up in advance to guarantee your spot. Didn’t get a spot? No problem! We always reserve space for walk-ins. Email DukeCreate@duke.edu if you have any questions. Sign up for the monthly newsletter here, which includes the full list of classes offered during the following month.

Duke Arts Create is sponsored by the Office of the Vice Provost for the Arts (Duke Arts).