The Third Degree of Lighting: On the Set of the Independent Film "6 Degrees of Desperation"

Lighting the Big Finale!

This weekend is designed to be the biggest of the Movie Tao independent film production 6 Degrees of Desperation in that it is the finale of the film which takes place at the Senior high school prom. This also happens to be the biggest night on the production in terms of lighting, which is where I come in.

Writer/producer/director Bren Pettengill scheduled me to be on set this August 11-12 in hopes of giving her production a little flare. I am excited to be on the set as this is the first time I've been given the opportunity to light a prom (although I've done several parties for the Blank Stage production Too Shy To Be A Vampire). My first mistake was not bringing enough lights to accommodate the requirements of the production but like all low budget independents we compromise and make due with what we've got. Lucky for me proms, in general, should be darkly lit so having few lights actual works in my favor. The night becomes more about what to emphasize which is the stage in which the band The Issues is to perform and highlight the event.

Filming on Saturday is at the former Cosa Middle School in Rome, Georgia (home to the Rome International Film Festival and where several other indie productions have been filmed including Dark Remains, Dance of the Dead, and the short film Brutal). The people of Rome are very accommodating as they allow the production to use the abandoned and closed school for the prom scenes as well as use the newer schools for various other scenes.