Writing, directing, and cinematography all simultaneously with a small crew is a daunting task. Until “Let Me Rest,” I hadn’t attempted all three at once since 2019, and even then, it was haphazardly done. Fortunately, my two years of experience in cinematography for other projects had prepared me enough to tackle this personal one.

There wasn’t any specific setup that made shooting “Let Me Rest” particularly challenging. It was just that I had forgotten how much work goes into directing. Keeping the actors motivated for the all-nighter, blocking the scenes, ensuring I had notes and answers to the scenes they had just performed, lighting, and camera operating, all came crashing down on me at once.

Thankfully, the location we shot at was exactly as I had imagined. A modern cabin nestled in the middle of a dense forest, up in the mountains. The challenge then became, how do we light this in a way that doesn’t intrude on the actors? How do we give them the freedom to move around the space without worrying about how the light is falling on them? And lastly, how do we achieve this in a set that visually looks perfect but is a real place that can’t have walls taken down to fit equipment?

A compromise had to be made. I knew that the practicality of the lighting would be the most crucial element to this production, so I intentionally aimed to create a natural and realistic lighting style. We didn’t just use the actual lights that came with the house. But we also avoided overusing too many flags, fills, or backlights.

The heart of the film takes place at night in the kitchen. We were fortunate enough that all the ceiling fixtures were LED. The string lights under the cabinets were a key and fill light for certain angles, while we set up our own key light for the wide shots. I wanted the kitchen to feel like you were stepping into someone’s home without the lighting being too distracting or “cinematic.” Again, a natural approach.

*String lights below cabinets acting as the key light, with the original wide shot key light acting as a fill for this angle.*

For the living and dining room, while it may seem like a practical light already integrated into the house, it’s actually a 300-watt light we placed in the loft, pointing straight up into the ceiling and spilling light over the lower level. Our primary kitchen light became a fill light for a single shot in this area.

*Dining area with key light bouncing from the ceiling above, original kitchen key being used as omnidirectional light.*

*Kitchen to Dining room transition with key light bouncing from the ceiling, and original key light from the kitchen being used as a catch light.*

*Living Room lit with the same key light as the Dining room, bounced from the ceiling.*

All the daytime shots were captured using natural light, except for the bedroom scene, where we used the ceiling spill technique with the 300-watt light from the previous night’s shoot. The outdoor scenes lacked any fill or bounce, although in retrospect, I wish I had made the effort to incorporate them in this instance.

Overall, I’m pleased with the outcome, considering the simplicity of our intentions. I would just improve the outdoor methods if I attempted a similar look for another project.

Cinematography Breakdown Vol. 4

Should LUTs Be Free?