ETC panels play key role in Horsepolish shoot
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This recent art film project saw Lily re-acquainted in a professional capacity with a familiar London-based artist - her mother, Oona, who also lectures in art. It was shot in and around the The Ragged School Museum on the Regent’s Canal near Mile End in London.
Lily argued for and succeeded in her quest to film in black and white Super 16mm, feeling it was the best medium to capture the rough landscapes favoured by neorealists. Her approach to lighting combined the use of a lot of natural light with supplementary fos/4 LED panels from ETC, as she explains:
“The film was planned rather than written, leaving us many more creative decisions to take. As far as lighting was concerned, we used natural light on the canal towpath, and then as a result of a conversation with Barry Grubb at 3LR Lighting, decided to use two of ETC’s beautiful fos/4 LED panels. The fos/4 PD8 and PD16 use daylight HDR 6 chip LEDs with high output, and so could augment sunlight, provide subtle fill or act as strong directional key.
“In keeping with De Sica’s film, we wanted simple directional lighting, and often used the sun as our key back light with subtle fill from the fos/4s. When we lost December light at about 3pm, the PD16 stepped up as our ‘sun’ and the PD8 provided fill.
“The fos/4s boast a ‘deep red’ in the fixtures, allowing for subtle nuances in skin tones, so we knew the tonal range was there. The lamps can run off DMX technology but we used their very intuitive control panel. We didn’t get to explore the amazing range of colours and effects, so I’m now itching to use them on a colour project, and I’m also looking forward to using the new fos/4 fresnel.”
At the conclusion of the filming, Horsepolish went to post-production with Lily satisfied that she had captured the perfect atmosphere for this homage to De Sica. Now completed, the film premiered at The Ragged School Museum’s Ragged Art Festival 2021 and is lined up for gallery screenings in London and Milan later in the year.
