Tackling the challenge of lighting in simultaneous, multi-camera cinematography was the topic of a recent Australian Cinematographers Society workshop, held at Flinders’ Bedford Park TV studio.

The event was hosted by Director of the Flinders University Drama Centre, Richard Back, and led by cinematographer and news operations manager for the ABC (SA), Chris Moon.

Mr Moon presented to participants, including Flinders students and alumni, on some of the “tried and true” solutions to address the lighting conundrum faced by most cinematographers at some point in their careers.

He began with the “Back Cross” theory of lighting a sitcom/drama, which alleviates shadows and allows boom operators unfettered access to actors for dialogue recording.

Mr Moon then turned to the current affairs style of interview setup, encouraging participants to consider ways that the best lighting options might be achieved.

The group worked through some of the pitfalls that are all too common when trying to achieve the best possible visual outcome with the needs of the editor, sound recordist and producer in mind.

Mr Back says hosting practical, industry-targeted events like this at the University is a valuable way to maintain the all-important connections to industry and stay up to date on the newest techniques and technology in film.