Screen Africa chats to Urban Brew Studios’ lighting director Thabang Moubane…
Tell us a bit about your background in lighting and how you got into it?
Growing up I was always fascinated by the moon and the sun, I would look at the moon for long but could never do the same with the sun. I went to the extent of trying to look at the moon and the sun through different shades of plastic and materials. Fast forward a decade or so and my first lighting job was to cut gels; which give light different shades of color and that was like looking at the moon and the sun again. I just loved it. This is what harnessed my passion for lighting and I am grateful to Urban brew studios to have given me a chance and responsibility to design shows.
Why lighting? What about it captured you?
I have always been technically inclined from a very young age. Growing up I used to assist with sound at my church in Rustenberg. This spiked my interest in all other technical aspects that transformed the church to a magical place every service. The sound was always crisp and the lighting on point. So I would say my childhood fascination and the fact that I got to work with technical things from an early age captured me.
As a lighting director what top shows do you cover currently?
I am and have been involved with a range of shows at Urban Brew Studios from music shows like Live AMP, YO TV, Shift on SABC 1, game shows such as Friends Like These, Wies my Liefie and Top Chef. I have been involved with dramas and soapies too; the likes of Inkaba, Gauteng Maboneng, Skwizas and more.
Do you prefer lighting for location shoots or studio shoots and why?
It would be a disservice to pick one over the other. Both of these come with interesting highs and challenges; let’s just say I like the adrenaline of doing either and the ability to seamlessly light both keeps things exciting for me.
What is your current favourite piece of equipment to use? Why?
My lighting meter and design software, it helps me bring my vision to life.
It’s no secret that most South African productions run on a tight budget, how does this affect your department and how do you overcome this?
I am a firm believer that white light is important to start building the picture from but even with this said; lighting will always be an essential component to factor into every budget. Lighting does not only evoke the desired mood but brings all elements of what is being shot together.
What has been your biggest challenge on a shoot to date?
I would say a lighting desk crashing on the day of the event. That was an interesting day.
What has been the highlight of your career in lighting to date?
Executing my vision on international and national formats like Top Chef, Friends Like These and Live AMP just as I had envisioned it.
What are the primary current trends of the studio lighting industry and where do you see it heading?
I would say LED technology and projection as other source of light.
Where do you draw inspiration from?
Things, experiences and people around me. Every experience and encounter has the potential to educate and influence us as people. I open myself to those experiences and encounters on a daily basis with the intention to break my own boundaries.
If there’s almost no budget for lighting on a production, what can you not do without?
White light.
