Blog & nowości

At Heliograf, we have long operated on the belief that the best film education begins where theory meets practice. That is why we regularly open the doors of Studio HELIO and our technical facilities to emerging filmmakers, film school students, and aspiring cinematographers, giving them the opportunity to work in conditions closely resembling a professional film set.

Over the past several months, we have organized a number of intensive cinematography workshops in collaboration with the Krzysztof Kieślowski Film School, the Warsaw Film School, the Lodz Film School, and technology partners from the film industry. Each of these sessions provided participants with an opportunity for hands-on work with lighting, camera operation, and cutting-edge solutions used in contemporary film production.

Workshops for students of the Cinematography Department at Krzysztof Kieślowski Film School were led by cinematographers Paweł Chorzępa and Andrzej Cichocki, together with gaffers Michał Kruk “Larry” and Mateusz Kuźniak. Participants focused on the conscious construction of lighting setups, the analysis of mood and atmosphere in portrait cinematography, and camera operation under real on-set conditions. A key element of the workshops was the opportunity to work with professional camera and lighting equipment used daily in commercial and film productions. Technical support throughout the sessions was also provided by our camera assistants: Jarek Podgórski, Jakub Kilichowski, and Łukasz Milewski.

Students from the Cinematography Department of the Łodz Film School had the opportunity to take part in a theoretical session led by Heliograf CEO Sylwester Adamski. The practical component of the workshops was conducted by Director of Photography Radosław Ładczuk, with support from gaffer Michał Kruk “Larry.” During the sessions, students worked with Heliograf equipment, learning the process of building lighting setups from the ground up, as well as the specifics of working with professional camera systems. The workshops covered cinematographic decision-making, collaboration between the cinematographer and the gaffer, and practical lighting setups executed directly on set.

At the same time, we also participated in cinematography workshops organized jointly with the Warsaw Film School and VUFinder Studios. This time, participants had the opportunity to work not only with a traditional shooting setup, but also with solutions based on virtual production technologies. Under the guidance of Director of Photography Andrzej Wolff and gaffer Michał Kruk “Larry,” participants carried out exercises focused on lighting design, camera operation, and making deliberate visual decisions within an LED volume environment.

The practical part of the workshops took place at Transcolor Studio, where participants had access to the extensive technological infrastructure used in contemporary film production, including Heliograf lighting systems and the VUFinder Studios LED wall utilized for creating scenes using virtual production technology.

For us, initiatives of this kind represent far more than one-off events. They are a meaningful investment in the next generation of cinematographers, gaffers, and audiovisual creators. We firmly believe that access to professional equipment, direct contact with experienced industry professionals, and the opportunity to work in conditions that accurately replicate a real film set are all essential to the development of young filmmakers’ technical skills, creative awareness, and professional competence.

We would like to thank all participants, instructors, and partners for the workshops we had the pleasure of creating together. We are proud to be part of this journey and are already looking forward to welcoming everyone to future sessions at Studio HELIO.