Gnomon releases two-hour Pixar lighting masterclass
The Gnomon Workshop has released a new two-hour masterclass from Pixar Lighting TD Jeremy Vickery.
In Efficient Cinematic Lighting, Vickery goes in depth on topics such as lenses and layout, composition and framing, and lighting for tone and mood.
Vickery begins by discussing the fundamental concepts behind how light operates in the physical world, providing an overview of reflection, absorption, refraction, color temperature and atmospheric dispersion.
He then moves into camera-based composition, discussing topics like camera angles, distance, lenses and depth of field, all of which help to define the mood of a shot.
Lighting for artistic effects
The masterclass then discusses the artistic aspects of lighting, exploring how techniques such as three-point lighting, framing, tonal gradients, implied lighting, atmosphere and varying lighting setups can be used to set mood and assist in the storytelling process.
The tutorial also explores how to handle different day/night lighting conditions, as well as how to use implied lighting and light pools to provide the illusion of an existing world outside of the camera view.
Vickery uses Maya as his primary 3D tool for the work, demonstrating basic lighting using the software’s native tools, then moving on to V-Ray for Maya for more complex GI-based setups.
Jeremy Vickery’s career began as a Modeling/Texture Artist at Chicago’s Big Idea Productions, working on the animated kids’ show VeggieTales. Moving to Pixar in 2003, he has since worked on movies including The Incredibles, Cars, Ratatouille and Wall-E. After a spell of freelance work, he returned to Pixar in 2011 where he has just completed work on the film Brave.
Efficient Cinematic Lighting is available from The Gnomon Workshop on DVD or direct download, price $49.
Buy Efficient Cinematic Lighting from The Gnomon Workshop’s online store
Read our interview with Jeremy Vickery from 2011
Full disclosure: CG Channel is owned by the Gnomon School of Visual Effects.