In the Lyons Den: Lighting
A meticulous perfectionist. That’s how the people who know Michael Best describe him. Best and his company Widow Creek Films are on the Schism set every time production is scheduled. When he was sick in early December, production was temporarily halted because without Best there are no lights.
Early on in the production director John C. Lyons said that he was going to put heavy focus on the lighting and photography. By the time Lyons said that, he had already met Best, a local filmmaker and lighting guru. With Best and his equipment, Lyons has a professional lighting setup unlike any locally-made film has ever scene.
“I’m extremely anal. I just don’t want junk.”—Michael Best
The shot was only seconds long. An elderly resident of Ball Pavilion is pretending to undergo physical therapy while her therapists are introduced to Neil, Schism’s central character. It’s a nice day shot that requires a lot of lighting because the crew is shooting at night.
Night shooting, however, is actually less tricky than day shooting. Best and director of photography Dorota Swies can work from a blank slate, moving five lights around the room until the illusion of daylight is achieved. With some other scenes shot during the day, the scrupulous Best can’t help but notice just how much of a problem daylight is.
“Even when it doesn’t look like it, (Lyons) will be amazed how much blue is creeping in,” said Best, referring to the daylight from the large windows in the rehab room set the camera is picking up.
Yes, Best is looking for a final product that by low budget filmmaking standards is near impossible to accomplish. He doesn’t hesitate to call what he is doing on “Schism” “very tough.”
Tough or not, working with Lyons allows Best and his Widow Creek Films to gain the experience every filmmaker needs.
“You have to create,” said Best, whose first untitled short film screened at the Erie Art Museum on Dec. 1 and 2. “I’m just looking for 3 or 4 decent small projects.”
While Schism isn’t a small project, Best is able to utilize his growing stable of equipment. He’s not looking for attention, with his MySpace site being his only outlet for promotion at this point. His goal currently is to just to have a comprehensive collection of filmmaking tools, tools that he can put to work.
“I love the truck stuff. I know about the cabling and I know what I need,” said Best. With 20 heavy duty lights, a crane, a dolly and a steady cam, Best can do something important for a low-budget filmmaker in Erie: he can get a production set up.
This article is part four in a series about John C. Lyons upcoming Erie-produced feature Schism. More articles will follow as the production progresses. For more information on Schism visit www.SchismMovie.com.
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