BEHIND THE LIGHTS

Tuesday started earlier than usual for me. By 7 a.m., I was already at the Faculty of Communication. As the lighting assistant for our film project, I knew it was going to be a long day, but I didn’t expect it to begin with tension.

Our lecturer was already in class, explaining the lighting equipment. He wasn’t too happy with us especially me and the lighting lead. You could hear the seriousness in his voice. For a moment, the atmosphere felt heavy. But as he continued explaining the setups, angles, and controls, his anger slowly faded. We listened carefully this time, observing every detail. This wasn’t just another class it was production day.

Soon after, he took the first crew to the Faculty of Engineering to shoot the opening scene—the café scene. I stayed back at the Faculty of Communication to assist the set design team. My job? Pasting pictures neatly on the wall to prepare the lecture hall set. It sounded simple, but perfection takes time. We worked carefully, making sure everything looked realistic on camera.

Meanwhile, the first crew took much longer than expected. As the hours passed, hunger started dealing with me seriously. My energy was dropping, but there was no time to complain.

By the time they returned, we had finished setting up the lecture hall. Immediately, we moved into shooting the classroom scenes. That was when the real stress began.

As the lighting assistant, I had to constantly move equipment light stands, reflectors, cables adjusting positions for every new angle. There was barely any time to sit down. I was on my feet from morning till the end of production. Sweat, pressure, instructions flying everywhere but somehow, it all came together.

It was exhausting, but there was something beautiful about it too. Seeing the lights hit the actors perfectly. Watching the scene come alive because of the setup we created. That feeling made the stress worth it.

Finally, when the production wrapped up, we all gathered together. Plates of rice and cold drinks were shared among the crew. It wasn’t just food it was relief. It was satisfaction. It was the reward for teamwork and hard work.

That Tuesday didn’t just teach me about lighting.

It taught me about responsibility, endurance, teamwork and what it truly means to be part of a production crew.