Light Modulator is a work which uses a 1:25 model as the basis to record footage of light. The model is made to be modular, based on a standard panel size of 1.2 x 2.4 meters.

The initial idea was to film sunlight in particular, but leaving the camera recording overnight revealed footage as the daylight disappeared and arrived, that was particularly evocative – this showed the material surfaces slowly appearing, their texture and colour emerging along with the light.

This footage has had the lens barrelling of the Yi camera’s wide angle lens removed, and the perspective straightened, both in AfterEffects. The barrelling is corrected with the CC Lens effect (size: 100; convergence: 11.9), which is not available in Premiere CS6. I have also previously corrected barrelling with the AfterEffects Optics Compensation effect (with a FOV setting of 50). The perspective is corrected with the Corner Pin effect, which is available in both Premiere and AfterEffects CS6.

The camera is set slightly too low in this clip – eye height should place the window ledge below the horizon line.

The original footage contained red flashes from the Yi camera’s LEDs, which cannot be completely turned off – for future footage the front led panel will need covering with black felt. In this instance all of the red flashes have been manually edited out.