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Erik Smitt at the fmx 2019

Stylized cinematography is the topic of Erik Smitt’s presentation at the fmx 2019. He considers cinematography as an important part of authoring. Therefore, he seemed to be very grateful to be involved early in the creative process and be able to set up lighting before animation. Erik is convinced that it makes a remarkable difference if he lights a scene like he would in a real set. Defining the range of movement in a lit scene supports authenticity and believability. 

For “The Incredibles 2” Pixar Animation Studios, he carefully orchestrated contrast, camera movement, distance and framing. Traditional lighting techniques were pushed, an eye illumination system applied for caustics, haze and fog were used to enhance depth and color complexity and to add richness to the sets. He studied references of the 1960s and used shaped light like in Hitchcock movies, worked with silhouettes and various color temperatures according to the time of day.

Inga Wätjen and Erik Smitt
Photo©Peter Ruhrmann

Inga Wätjen, student at Stuttgart Media University, is interested in the challenges of creating a visual style for a sequel and Erik’s work as a DoP for animated features. 

Interview: Inga Wätjen
Camera and sound: Peter Ruhrmann

Interview: Katja Schmid and Inga Wätjen
Camera: Peter Ruhrmann and Katja Schmid
Audio: Peter Ruhrmann
Editing: Katja Schmid and Inga Wätjen

Article written by Katja Schmid

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