Magazine Photoshoot Setup:

In order to have a professional set up and atmosphere to take the feature photograph for the magazine cover, I set up various pieces of equipment to help produce the best quality photos I could.

First of all, I set up the screen (backdrop) which would give a 'flat background' of block colour - in postproduction this would make it significantly easier to manipulate and edit the photo on the magazine layout. Next I set up three soft box lights, from previous camera workshops in AS, I had knowledge of how to set these lights up in a way which would gain me the best quality picture for post production use. The light on the left, placed at a higher angle and slightly forward (usually the main light focused on the models face) is the main light used and can be moved further away/closer to the model in order to convey the correct tone to the photo - less shadow, a brighter cover, more engaging/more shadow, low key lighting connotes a more mysterious and ominous feel. The next light is placed on the background, this backlight helps to put emphasis on the background, therefore lighting the whole photo rather than just the models face - the balance of the lighting means that there is not extreme contrasts between the background and the face of the model, this can lead to over exposure and consequently a less effective photograph. Lastly, The light on the floor, again, is there to help balance the light over the models body, this is not essential if taking shots such as close ups yet for long shots, this can help evenly light the model. 




I broke convention when lighting my model as I used a well lit environment, with little shadow being cast on her face - this can be seen to be brake convention for a magazine advertising a film in the thriller genre. However, I did this because although it is promoting  thriller genre, this particular character is the female protagonist ("the good guy" if talking about Vladimir Props theory of narrative)and therefore I thought it was appropriate for the audience to be able to relate to an more innocent looking character - this lighting help convey the fact that she was the protagonist in the film. If I would have used the antagonist (the "Killer") I would have made drastic changes to the lighting such as using low key lighting thus putting the character in shadow - this would have made it clear that this particular character was one of mystery. There was a reason why I didn't use the male antagonist to promote the film and this was because I wanted his character to be ominous and not stand out - this would add to the surprise element of his being the unsuspecting killer.

Here it is clear that the photo was taken in highly lighting for the reasons I have explained above. 
I did not take the poster photographs in the studio using the lights and backdrop as I wanted the poster to convey a scene in the trailer so as to keep the brand synergy to a maximum - I took the poster picture on location in the "Bath Scene", this picture was taken in low-key lighting and connoted the female protagonist in danger. The contrast between the my two ancillary products shows the before and after of the equilibrium's disruption. Although the two cover photos convey a slightly different feel, by using the same protagonist on both, it is clear it's all part of the same end product.