Personal History in Lighting: Part Two

Upon completion of my undergraduate studies, I attended two film courses at two different institutions in order to set my foot in the film industry. 

Yuri Endo 2004

This short film, Fascinado pela Capoeira, is the first short film that I made with a professional film camera. It was shot on 16mm black & white reversal film and features New York based professional Capoeiristas to explore the world of Capoeira, an afro-Brazilian art form that combines elements of martial arts, games, music, and dance. 

While the outdoor sequences were shot entirely with natural light, I used one large studio light (without  any filters or dimmers) for the indoor sequences in hopes of achieving  a highly theatrical  mise-en-scène. Thinking back, especially upon receiving unexpectedly good responses at the final screening, I was certain that I succeed in creating a very dramatic montage by taking advantage of available light sources and this experience drove me to extend my film studies further to the world of cinematography. (Nonetheless when I watched the film for the first time in over five years, I couldn't help but noticing how limited knowledge and experiences in the use of lights I had back then.)