Free Framework PDF
CoursesRoll 08 · One commercial, prep to wrap, in a virtual set

Advanced Cinematography

Location Lighting

Sit beside me while I prep, light and shoot an entire commercial, and watch every lighting decision get made in real time.

The treatment, the director’s call, four location options, the tech scout, the schedule, the pre-light and each setup on the shoot day, built on a virtual set with virtual cameras.

Lessons
55
Runtime
7:20h
Access
Lifetime
Pace
Yours
$399one-time
Enroll for $399▶ Watch the intro · 4:41
30-day money-back guaranteeCard or PayPalSecure checkout on Teachable

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Advanced Cinematography: Location Lighting course thumbnail
Why this course exists

A still can’t show you how it was built.

I’ve always shared my methods and the results of my experiments on the podcast, and something was always missing. There isn’t room in one episode or one YouTube video for all the detail.

A breakdown starts from the finished frame, and you work backwards from stills to figure out how it got there. Here you watch the shots being built. We build, light and shoot the job on a virtual set in CineDesigner, and you see each change and lighting decision as it happens.

It’s the system I use on my jobs day to day, the one behind the Framework, laid out in full. Most of the work happens before anyone walks on set, so more than half the course is prep. You’ll hear why I make each choice, which makes the how much easier to follow.

The parts of the job · and where you watch them
  • Turning a treatment and a director’s call into a plan
    2.2–2.3 Treatment · 2.4 Director’s Call · 2.5 The Sandbox · 2.6–2.7 Blocking
  • Choosing between four locations
    3.2 Rough Shot List · 3.3 Key Items · 3.4–3.7 Location Options #1 to #4 · 3.8 Photo Boards
  • Building the look and the gear list
    4.2–4.3 Look Creation · 4.4 Rough Gear List · 4.7–4.9 Tech Scout
  • Fitting it all into one shoot day
    5.1 The Schedule Process · 5.3–5.4 The Schedule · 5.5 Gear Notes
  • Lighting the set and shooting each setup
    6.2–6.5 Pre-Light · 6.6 The First Shot · 6.14 Going In Tighter · 6.15–6.17 The Pack Shot
Inside the course

One job, start to wrap.

Every still here comes from the lessons.

Treatment pages, location photo boards, plans drawn over the set, the schedule, and the virtual set itself, where the cameras and lights go in shot by shot. You see the whole commercial the way I see it on a real job.

Contact sheet of sixteen stills from the course: Patrick presenting, a treatment page, location photo boards, hand-drawn overhead plans, a shooting schedule, and rendered kitchen and dining-room setups on a virtual set.
Stills sampled across the course: the CineDesigner virtual set, the treatment, photo boards, plans, the schedule and the shoot day.
Who it’s for

For DPs who want to see the whole job.

Made for cinematographers who know the podcast or the YouTube channel and want to see how those ideas work on a set, step by step.

Take it if

  • You’ve studied the breakdowns and want to watch a job lit from the first light to the last, instead of working backwards from stills.
  • You want to see how the treatment, the location scout and the schedule feed into what happens on shoot day.
  • You want to put the Framework to work on your own jobs and need to see it run on one from start to finish.
  • You learn best looking over the shoulder of someone who does this day in and day out.

Start elsewhere if

  • You’re new to how commercial jobs are found, booked and prepped. Start with The Foundation.
  • You want the fundamentals of exposure first. That’s Mastering Exposure.
  • You want blocking and coverage for specific kinds of scenes. That’s The Playbook Approach.
  • You want footage from a physical set. This course is taught entirely on a virtual set.
Curriculum

Every lesson, in order.

Pre-production, four location options, the tech scout and the schedule, then the shoot day setup by setup, from the arrival and pre-light to the pack shot and wrap.

Two lessons are free previews on Teachable, so you can see the course before you buy.

01Introduction3 lessons · 9 min
  1. 1.1 Course Overview3:51
  2. 1.2 Teachable Overview2:02
  3. 1.3 Ad Overview2:49
02Pre-Production PhaseFREE PREVIEW8 lessons · 1h 09m
  1. 2.1 Preproduction6:34
  2. 2.2 Treatment9:17
  3. 2.3 Treatment (Part 2)11:08
  4. 2.4 Director's Call7:48
  5. 2.5 The Sandbox6:23
  6. 2.6 Blocking10:12
  7. 2.7 Blocking (Part 2)FREE PREVIEW ↗6:28
  8. 2.8 Location Ideas11:39
03Location Scout9 lessons · 1h 24m
  1. 3.1 The Location Scout5:51
  2. 3.2 Rough Shot List6:12
  3. 3.3 Key Items5:13
  4. 3.4 Location Option #114:23
  5. 3.5 Location Option #210:00
  6. 3.6 Location Option #313:44
  7. 3.7 Location Option #48:38
  8. 3.8 Photo Boards11:05
  9. 3.9 Pack Shot Boards9:35
04Tech Scout10 lessons · 1h 13m
  1. 4.1 Tech Scout Prep5:34
  2. 4.2 Look Creation10:43
  3. 4.3 Look Creation (Part 2)7:00
  4. 4.4 Rough Gear List9:16
  5. 4.5 Quick Note3:27
  6. 4.6 Tech Scout Process5:57
  7. 4.7 Tech Scout (Part 1)10:54
  8. 4.8 Tech Scout (Part 2)9:47
  9. 4.9 Tech Scout (Part 3)9:52
  10. 4.10 Moving On1:12
05The ScheduleFREE PREVIEW5 lessons · 31 min
  1. 5.1 The Schedule Process4:33
  2. 5.2 The Vast Majority2:15
  3. 5.3 The Schedule (Part 1)10:51
  4. 5.4 The Schedule (Part 2)FREE PREVIEW ↗9:56
  5. 5.5 Gear Notes3:51
06The Shoot18 lessons · 2h 43m
  1. 6.1 The Arrival2:17
  2. 6.2 Pre-Light (Part 1)11:15
  3. 6.3 Pre-Light (Part 2)11:07
  4. 6.4 Pre-Light (Part 3)9:06
  5. 6.5 Pre-Light (Part 4)9:41
  6. 6.6 The First Shot14:44
  7. 6.7 Down The Line10:25
  8. 6.8 The First Close Up6:33
  9. 6.9 The Second Close Up6:49
  10. 6.10 Lunch Break15:35
  11. 6.11 Reverse Opening Shot5:45
  12. 6.12 The Alt Medium9:38
  13. 6.13 The Reverse 3 Shot4:46
  14. 6.14 Going In Tighter11:55
  15. 6.15 The Pack Shot9:51
  16. 6.16 The Pack Shot (Part 2)10:23
  17. 6.17 The Pack Shot (Part 3)11:52
  18. 6.18 Wrap Party2:12
07Wrap2 lessons · 9 min
  1. 7.1 Loose Ends5:45
  2. 7.2 Moving On3:05
Times from the course player
Patrick O'Sullivan seated at a desk in a dim room lit by a practical lamp, wearing a black cap and black T-shirt.
Your instructor

Patrick O’Sullivan, working DP.

I’ve been a cinematographer for more than a decade and have shot hundreds of commercial projects. Landing, prepping and shooting those jobs taught me a lot about the different ways a DP can approach the role.

Since 2014 I’ve shared that on The Wandering DP Podcast, breaking down real jobs with the frames, diagrams and decisions behind them. This course shows what a breakdown can’t: one commercial built and lit in real time, from the treatment through every setup on the shoot day.

10+
Years of experience
500+
Podcast episodes
132K
YouTube subscribers
3,100+
Patreon members
Enroll

Everything in Location Lighting.

One payment, then the whole job is yours to watch at your own pace.

What’s included
  • The course55 video lessons, 7h 20m in all, following one commercial from the treatment to wrap.
  • AccessLifetime access on any device.
  • Guarantee30 days. If the course isn’t right for you, let us know within 30 days of enrolling for a full refund.
One-time payment
$399USD
Enroll for $399

30-day money-back guarantee. If it isn’t right for you, email within 30 days of enrolling for a full refund.

Card or PayPalInstant accessCheckout on Teachable
Questions

Before you enroll.

How is this different from the podcast and Patreon breakdowns?
The breakdowns take apart a finished job from its frames, diagrams and behind-the-scenes stills. This course follows one commercial while it’s being made, so you see the shots built and every lighting change as it happens, with the reasons behind each one.
Which course should I take first?
If you’re new to commercial work, start with The Foundation. If you want exposure fundamentals, start with Mastering Exposure. This course makes the most sense once you know the podcast and want to see the whole system run on a single job.
Is this filmed on a real set?
No. The whole job is built, lit and shot on a virtual set in CineDesigner, with virtual cameras and lights. That’s what lets you watch every decision in real time, from the location scout to the last shot.
How is this different from On Set Training?
Both walk through a commercial from prep to wrap on a virtual set. The lesson plans differ: this one adds a director’s call and blocking in prep, compares four location options, gives the pre-light four lessons and finishes with a three-part pack shot. See On Set Training.
How long do I have access?
For life. Work at your own pace and go back over the material as often as you like.
What if the course isn’t right for me?
There’s a 30-day money-back guarantee. Let us know within 30 days of enrolling and we’ll refund your payment.
When does it start and finish?
It starts the moment you enroll and finishes when you do. There’s no cohort and no schedule.
Can I pay with PayPal?
Yes. On the Teachable checkout page, switch from the Credit Card tab to the PayPal tab under Billing Information, choose your country and enroll.
Where do I watch the lessons?
In the Teachable course player, on desktop or the Teachable mobile app. You’ll get your login details by email straight after checkout.
Take the next step

Cinematography is hard. Here’s how I work.

I spent years chasing techniques and workflows that turned out not to matter, and there’s a lot out there that doesn’t work. This is the system I built by trial and error and honed on set, and every step in it is there for a reason. If the way I approach images makes sense to you, this is where you see all of it, on one job.

$399one-time
Enroll for $399See the curriculum
Other courses

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Roll 01 · Commercial CinematographyThe Foundation$499 one-time →
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Roll 02 · The language of image creationMastering Exposure$399 one-time →

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