COLOUR SPECIAL
MODEL MOVIES Kyasimire touts Stranger Things (this image) as a shining example of good practice in lighting skin tones; he also employs several lighting tricks in his miniseries Four Kings (far right)
We sit down with BAFTA-nominated black filmmaker Stewart Kyasimire to discuss the pitfalls and best practices of lighting diverse skin tones THE STAR TREATMENT GIVING SKIN
T he industry hasn’t always been kind to people of colour. Not too long ago, filmmakers would smear Vaseline on those with darker skin tones to make their faces more reflective. This degrading tactic has thankfully been left in the past, and colour science has come a long way with time. Still, skin tones continue to present a technical challenge for gaffers and cinematographers – in part because it’s vital to get them right. “I always felt like black people weren’t lit to the best ability,” begins Stewart Kyasimire, a BAFTA-nominated black filmmaker and founder of Create Anything, a production company based in Scotland. No matter who the actor is – but especially for the lead – “you want them to look amazing.” Kyasimire, who directs and produces both unscripted and scripted projects, has developed his own techniques for lighting skin tones by studying the work of black cinematographers. “You need good
WORDS KATIE KASPERSON
38
DEFINITIONMAGAZINE.COM
Powered by FlippingBook