Light How You Find It.
A cinematography workshop on natural lighting techniques by Cinematographer Serafin Spitzer AAC

When:
Saturday, October 3, 2026 | 10:00-16:00
Where:
ACG Campus, Aghia Paraskevi
Organized by:
Cinema Studies Program,
Arts and Creative Industries Department,
The American College of Greece

About the workshop

This one-day cinematography workshop examines a naturalistic approach to image-making, focusing on the use of real environments, available light, and minimal lighting equipment. Drawing on the cinematographic practice of Serafin Spitzer, the workshop considers how location, sunlight, and the existing qualities of a space can become active elements in the construction of the cinematic image.

The event is by registration only for ACI students, major and minors and alumni.

Certificate of participation will be granted.

Agenda/Program

The first part of the workshop is theoretical, combining analysis of selected work from Spitzer’s portfolio with a discussion of fundamental cinematographic principles. Topics will include the observation and interpretation of natural light, the changing qualities of sunlight throughout the day, exposure and contrast, colour and atmosphere, and the relationship between lighting, location, and visual storytelling. Particular attention will be given to the creative possibilities and limitations of working with minimal equipment.

The second half will be practical. Students will work in real locations and develop short cinematographic exercises using primarily available light and a restricted lighting setup. Through observation, experimentation, and adjustment, they will investigate how changes in camera position, exposure, blocking, and the manipulation of natural light can influence the visual and narrative qualities of a scene.

About the instructor

Serafin Spitzer, AAC
Cinematographer

Serafin is a Vienna and Athens based cinematographer with Austrian and Greek family roots. He graduated MA with Distinction at the Vienna Film Academy. His (camera-)graduate shortfilm Maybes | Erdbeerland premiered at Viennale 2012 and received the Austrian Film price in the short film section. His first camerawork on a feature-length documentary Lampedusa in Winter premiered at Semaine de la Critique in Locarno 2015 and received the Austrian Film Prize. His camerawork for Gwendolyn was awarded Best Cinematography of a Documentary at Diagonale Festival of Austrian Films 2018. Nobadi, directed by Karl Marcovics, was his first camerawork on a feature-length narrative. In 2019 he collaborated as DP for Ulrich Seidl, shooting the second part of Sparta, his recent diptych, which began with the film Rimini. His first camerawork on a greek Film to Vancouver | το Βανκουβερ was awarded Best Film by the Pan-Hellenic Association of Film Critics and received Special Mention at 72. Berlinale. In 2025, he was selected and awarded by the Austrian Filmmakers’ Association at the In Focus – Visions of Cinematography Event Series in Vienna.