French DP Bruno Delbonnel AFC ASC discusses his cinematographic opportunities on The Tragedy Of Macbeth

“The light in the film was never justified by the movement of a character. It was more of a graphic element, often with ambiguity about whether it might be day or night, shifting between dark and shadowy, grey and soft, looks according to the ebb-and-flow of the murder and madness in the story.

“Essentially, light was a counterpoint of the language. Sometimes the light on the set went against the rhythm of the language and sometimes it followed the rhythm of the language.”

However, the relatively short production schedule, combined with the need to create a steady flow of expressive, often sharply-cut, lighting designs, meant having to eschew the use of Fresnels. This saw Delbonnel working closely with gaffer Mike Bauman, and lighting desk operator Dave Kane, to introduce remote-controlled, rock ‘n’ roll, concert-style moving fixtures, in the form of ETC’s SolaFrame Theatre lights. These deliver constant, high-CRI, bright white illumination, the ability to focus the light, incorporate gobos for hard edges, and can project animation effects through prisms.

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