When Cinequest Picture the Possibilities line-producer Marcela Villegas Castanon was putting the support package together for the company’s "Life Is Love" documentary, she chose Litepanels Croma LEDs as their main lighting. The project, which is an inspirational documentary on young women who have been freed from the world of human trafficking and have been transformed through the work of Somaly Mam, in Cambodia, takes the audience through their past and present, to show the possibilities of their future.
The DPs have used Litepanels LEDs before and knew what was needed in dim and small areas (brothels, small houses) for specific interviews. DPs used four on-camera LED Croma Litepanels, one on each Canon C300 camera, because they are portable (no outside power) and powerful, didn’t take much space, and took little time to set up. Their durability and adjustable color temperature was also a plus as the production was shooting both inside and outside.
Throughout the documentary, there were three distinct scenarios where Litepanels provided the perfect lighting support. Two were difficult scenes inside brothels, where the production interviewed clients who partake in the industry, and another with the women who work within the brothels. The rooms were small, dimly lit and bland in color. The Cromas allowed for some depth and color for the interviews and for the rooms themselves. When filming the clients outside, they were the perfect fill light to eliminate shadows on the men’s faces.
The third situation where Litepanels Cromas were a plus was when the small company filmed at a health clinic. The cameras were shadowing one of the survivors who now volunteers her services in assisting women with medical advice. Time was limited, and the on-camera Litepanels were easily accessible and quick to attach. They provided just the right amount of light for the dim and small clinic room.
The camera team often used the Litepanels as backlight or fill light during sit-down interviews. The locations, at times, were too compact to insert c-stands and larger lights. The Cromas were very convenient to place behind the subjects, acting as backlight.
"Life is Love" is slated for completion in February 2013, in time to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. The project will also be submitted to Toronto, Sundance, and will be showcased at the company’s own Cinequest Film Festival in 2014. The company has also struck a worldwide distribution deal for various other festivals, in an effort to raise awareness of this issue. In addition, the film will be used by the Somaly Mam Foundation to boost its fundraising.
Cinequest Picture the Possibilities is set do to another awareness project, involving a youth empowerment program the company conducted in Mexico City and New York late in 2012. It will also use Litepanels’ Croma LEDs as its main source on this project.
