The Lightcrafter

Light painting − the process of taking a long-exposure photograph in a darkened area while selectively lighting elements with a flashlight − is a photographic technique that can be traced back as far as 1924 (when Pablo Picasso drew a quick sketch in an image with a handheld light source), and perhaps further. However, this technique is not widely known, and it has only recently been adapted for use in animation. In the eyes of many artists, it is in its infancy. With my winter and spring project, I hope to make some bold steps forward with light painting in film.

The storyline/concept of the piece revolves around a silent protagonist (“The Boy”) who enters a surreal world through dreaming. In this strange, dark, and foreboding place, he is alone aside from his flashlight, the only object that has carried over from the real world. When he turns it on, unusual light entities begin swarming out from within the light source, and snatch away the flashlight, carrying it off into the woods. With nowhere else to go, The Boy follows a trail of strange illuminated destruction the light has brought upon the world as he tracks down his flashlight, seemingly the only means of controlling anything in this unfamiliar place. Before long, he is confronted by three of the world’s twisted inhabitants who have been corrupted by the light and use light painting as a malevolent force.

Each confrontation revolves around a certain theme relating to the inhabitant and a certain aspect of light painting. The first is known as The Trapmaker and uses light painting to construct obstacles, dangers, and creatures to impede the boy’s progress during a chase sequence. The second, known as The Swordmaster, uses light painting to manipulate and maneuver a hovering blade that attacks the boy. The final, The Light Spirit, uses light painting to manipulate their own body in a fight against The Boy by stretching out its limbs and duplicating arms. The Boy, through ingenuity and luck, manages to outwit and defeat the three villains, and returns back to his own world when he wakes up. However, it appears that it was not all merely a dream, as his flashlight still contains the power to light paint. He sits on his bed, light painting in the darkness, as he ponders the power he has acquired while the screen fades to black, ending the film.

The film has no dialogue and contains many elements of the classic “hero’s journey” structure of storytelling. However, my project will reverse the classic treatment of light equals good, shadow equals evil, where the light represents an unfamiliar entity that spreads like a virus through a dark, ambiguous world. To accomplish my vision for the piece, I intend to create my own light painting techniques.

Much of the animated light painting I’ve seen is rather basic, with light being shined into the camera lens and “drawn” with to achieve what is often referred to as “light graffiti.” The sense of depth is often flat, as background and foreground elements are seldom acknowledged. Additionally, as far as motion is concerned, the movement of the light is usually shaky and abrupt, often because the light sources are handheld and lack real-world reference points to draw off of, which causes a lack of stability required to create more subtle motions.

The way I’d like to advance light graffiti is to use flexible models made of wire to form the underlying structure of the light, which will then be outlined by flashlights (thus causing the wireframe to disappear from the image). These models can then be bent, twisted, added to, and otherwise animated by hand for each frame to result in a complex, smoothly flowing image with a degree of tangibility − something that has not been done with current light painting techniques. Additionally, rather than just shining light into the camera, I want to adapt the lesser-used technique of lighting subjects in front of the camera for animation. By lighting people, environments, and objects (all in a darkened area), and combining it with light graffiti, I want to create beautiful, unique imagery that has previously only been seen in still form.

There will also be a fair amount of the film shot on live-action video, mostly for the beginning and ending sequences (the “reality” scenes) and for scenes of the protagonist when not interacting with light (walking, running, etc.). Due to the sheer number of light painting shots in the film, I will use live-action video whenever possible, though careful attention will be paid to the lighting to ensure a consistent look between the two styles.

If I am able to successfully implement these ideas for light painting, my goal for the project is to share these techniques with the artistic community to inspire others to utilize them, finding ways of advancing and improving them. In that sense, my audience is (in part) the experimental media artist community. However, I hope that The Lightcrafter with be strikingly beautiful and engaging, and will likely be able to attract a very wide range of viewers who will be able to appreciate the film’s storyline, exciting confrontations, and very unique visuals.

I have gathered a small group of dedicated and talented helpers to assist in the artistic and technical aspects of the project. They are:

Sean Parker: writer/director/editor/creator, camerawork, light painting, music
Harmony Lawrence: light painting, camerawork
Tommy Thompson: assistant, consultant, part-time collaborator
James Enns: light painting, camerawork
Erik Moen: wireframe construction, light painting
Sean Downey: music composition
Chandra Farnsworth: light painting

The cast members are as follows (subject to potential change):

Sean Parker: The Boy
Trevor Hart: The Trapmaker
James Kupihea: The Swordmaster
Harmony Lawrence: The Light Spirit

— Sean Parker