Kate and the Cosmonaut
Kate and the Cosmonaut (2020) is a dystopian sci-fi short film dealing with real world issues of corporate overreach.
The film alternates between the Wowzah Joy Factory, from its cramped conveyor lines, through dingy corridors, to grand foyer; and Kate’s Home Pod (TM), a tiny apartment where everything, down to the amount of time the lights stay on, is micromanaged by Wowzah.
About the project
This project was done on a small budget entirely by students at York University. It was my first film working as a Gaffer and my first time working under DP Thomas Sandler. The films' look necessitated the use of low key lighting with strong but limited colours in the pallet. Shooting was on the RED Dragon with Angénieux Zoom lenses using a combination of tungsten filament for much of the key lighting and LED bar lighting for much of the colour effects.
This film also involved lighting for a number of VFX shots which I undertook knowing that I would also be the one compositing the shot in post production. Images 4 and 5 on this page are two such shots which had to be lit in order to be matched and composited correctly in post.
Technical information:
Camera: RED Epic Dragon with Angenieux Optimo DP Zoom lenses - 4:3 aspect ratio
Audio: 5.1 mix
