Testimonials
Koya Yokoyama
koyacinema411@gmail.com
country: Japan
I attended a Cinematic Expression for Cinematographers.
That was so amazing and beneficial time. I was surprised how important a light is after listening
to Janusz class. Thanks!
Patrick G Barraza
patrickbarraza@gmail.com
Country: USA
comments = I cannot thank Janusz enough for such an incredibly comprehensive,
hands on work shop. His dedication
to the fundamentals of lighting are essential to an aspiring cinematographer, however
the insight he provided into the mindset of a cinematographer must exist in was absolutely priceless. Janusz has introduced to me a new way of thinking about
the craft! From new materials of inspiration to one of a kind techniques on
approaching specific lighting challenges. I have received countless pieces of knowledge that I will be immediately applying to my work,
Thank you a thousand times, Janusz!
Patrick
Marina
marinaleejh@gmail.com
Country: Brazil
I did the beginner workshop with Janusz and I can say that it was really great! I
learned a lot about lightning and Im pretty sure I’ll be able to apply it in my job in Brazil! The
workshop is totally worth it!
Besides, Janusz is a very nice guy!
Andy Chen
andy@locustgarden.com
Country: United States
comments = I’ve been professionally freelancing in the video world for the past few years and for the first time after taking this workshop, I feel like I have a good grasp on all the technical aspects of creative lighting. I feel like in this day and age with our high tech cameras and advanced color grading /editing software, the art of lighting is becoming more commonl overlooked. Janusz’s workshop teaches everything from the fundamentals to advanced techniques to light accurately and creatively for high drama and emotion emphasis! Perfect for anyone who wants to have a step ahead in the world of cinematography.
Rich W., Virginia
richwestfall@me.com
Country: USA
If you truly want to know how to shoot works of art, you must learn from a master.
Studying with Janusz Sikora is the way to advance your Cinematic Expressions.
Mychail Simka
Country: USA
Janusz is a throwback to the golden age of film, when cinematographers were both
artist and artisan. He has a vast understanding of the tools and methods of motion picture photography, and is enthusiastic about sharing them with anyone
who truly wants to learn.
Mychal Simka (writer/director/producer “A Mouse Tale”, “Birds of Paradise”, “Wings:
Skyforce Heroes”)
Elmotuasam Aziz
aziz.elmoutasam@gmail.com
Country: Lebanon
Dear Janusz,
I simply wanted to articulate that I found your workshop in Florence, Italy very
informative and really touching on some secrets of the craft. I really appreciate your level of humbleness, patience and professionalism throughout my full stay. Your hospitality was awesome and your teaching is exemplary. Thank you for everything, the workshop
was very worthwhile. Honestly, your workshop made all the difference and I gained
valuable knowledge which have started to implement in my classes and it has made all the difference, and for that I again would like to thank you.
Best Regards,
E. Aziz
Rogier Van Beeck
rogiervanbeeckcalkoen@gmail.com
Country: Nederland
Hi Janusz,
Thank you for your newsletter. It’s great to know what you have been doing. I didn’t
know you were away from LA for two years. I like the workshop very much in Jordan at the Red Sea Institute. Amazing. I’m thinking a lot about the workshop in Florence and the skills and wise suggestions you have given me.
I hope you are doing very well and I hope we are able to meet or even work in the near future.
Rogier
Christopher Kechichian
Beirut, Lebanon
gckproduction@lxjanusz
Dear Janusz,
There are no words that describe how much I enjoyed and learned in your workshop.
I want to thank you for giving me such priceless information, tips and techniques.
Regards, Christopher
Dear Janusz,
It’s been a long time!! I hope that you are fine and that all is well. I wanted to thank you
personally for the knowledge you shared with me and your mentoring on very important themes during our workshop in Florence Italy 20010.
Training with you was a great inspiration and i’m very thankful for your teaching!
Wishing you the best,
Emile Issa
(Beirut, Lebanon) http://www.emileissa.com
Steven Hacker Films
steve@hackervideo.com
818-305-4388
Hi Janusz,
I’m going to try to put this into words but it certainly won’t do justice… The session I just finished with you was beyond tremendous. As good as the first one was a few years ago, this one topped
it. Your care, your knowledge, your style- all have been so valuable to me in my growth as a filmmaker. Now here is the proof- I had a shoot yesterday (just four days after we worked together) and light meter in hand, I approached this production differently than those in the past. I’m seeing the scene with a whole new light. I shot a “moon lit” nightmare scene right out of our workshop. And when I played it back for my client, they gave me the ultimate compliment – “it looks like a movie”. The conversations we shared, the time we spent is invaluable.
I greatly appreciate everything and look forward to more conversations and growth.
With great thanks,
Dubai.
I am Ibrahim Al-Otaibi, I am a technical field producer in MBC Group TV STATION
located in Dubai. I just wanted to take a moment to write to you to express my thanks for the extra efforts you gave in the cinematography workshop you recently instructed. You’re an
awesome instructor – full of energy and patient with the learning process.
The workshop was empowering and inspirational. I super enjoyed your workshop and learned a lot of new skills to work on in such a short time and now am looking at everything in a new angle,
Thank you for such a positive experience, I truly got a lot out of this workshop and
Please know you left a very positive mark.
http://www.mbc.net
http://www.ibrahim.alotaibi@mbc.net
Best wishes and please stay in touch always:)
Ibrahim
Hi Janusz,
I am still much in awe in class so you don’t see me say much, but the workshop with you has been one of the most beautiful learning experiences I have ever had. I must say every testimonial on your website is true to its word. We can arrange some workshops in India.
Wish you all the very best…:-)
I am sure something great will work out for you.
(Do read through Janusz’s website and the testimonials)
Joyeeta
joyeeta100@yahoo.com
André Perron DP
worldwideandre@mac.com
Montreal, Canada
Janusz will not tell you “how” to light. Janusz will not tell you exactly “where” to put your lamps. Instead, he will give you the tools to be a better artist. Leave all of your lighting habits at home and open your mind to a different way to work with the light. And most of all, listen to the man, ask questions, be as curious as possible about how the light can be a real creative material, and talk about it. Janusz might be the key for your passage from “technician” to “artist”.
And once again, be sure to listen to the man: he knows…
Thanks again for everything Janusz…!
martina.nagel22@gmail.com
Germany
Dear Janusz
I hope you’re well. Only last year you taught me how to light and I’ve greatly benefitted from your training. Since then much has happened. First of all; the feature documentary Child of Giants, which I worked on as a second unit cinematographer got officially selected at the San Francisco Film Festival, I’ve been offered to DP a 20-page short film at the beginning of September.
Best Wishes, Martina
steve@hackervideo.co
Hi Janusz, wish I were going to Florence! Have a wonderful time. Enjoyed the newsletter with lighting for wine. Would love to see an
overhead view of the lighting. Steve Hacker
raphi_bondy@yahoo.de
Dubai
Hello Janusz,
I found your workshop very good and it gave me an insight with a different approach and a reconditioning in what I have been doing for a whole year at NYFA. The concept of lighting from out of your imagination and not using a camera until the exercise was executed has been a great Comprehending experience for me and I had the feeling that there had to be a mutual trust between me and the light. I would love to work with you on one of your future project or eventually help you on a workshop. Thanks Again for the great four days!
Best,
Raphael
steve@hackervideo.com
Hi Janusz, good to hear from you, and thank you for this en” light”ening newsletter. Excellent information! Want to catch you up on what I’ve been doing. I am thrilled to tell you that the lighting seminar I took with you two years ago has been so useful to me that I owe you
tremendous gratitude. I’ve been doing documentary and commercial work that your techniques come through loud and clear- You have changed the way I light and the way I see light. Also, have another Cleveland filmmaker who wants me to DP his 2nd feature.
Things are progressing!
Steve Steven Hacker Productions (Broadcast)
artyomzakharenko@yahoo.com
Netherland
After working several years as ENG camera operator in The Netherlands, I lately started to feel I missed some richness in my work and somehow I knew it was the lighting. I’ve read lots of books about lighting, I had bought my own light kit, and somehow it still felt like I was gambling just a little bit… So since going to the one and only Filmacademy we have in Holland is nearly impossible, I started to search over the internet for hands-on training and found Janusz.
Looking back I realized this workshop really is all you need to learn understanding the light. I don’t want to sound like a TellSell salesman, but I’d recommend this workshop 100% to all the people who seriously want to become a cinematographer. After the workshop, you’ll know how to light your scene exactly the way it’s lit in your mind, what light actually is and what it can do, but most
important: You’ll know what you’re doing, which means you don’t need a monitor anymore!
Once again, thank you Janusz for this wonderful workshop and time that I will never forget, I think I’ll take a flight now and see where
Emiel is hanging out…
Best wishes,
Artyom Zakharenko
efspoelder@gmail.com
Netherland
Hello Janusz,
First of all thanks again for the workshop and your great teaching.
After having worked as a news cameraman for three years in The Netherlands, the feeling that I wanted to learn more about lighting was getting stronger every day. Studying cinematography at a film school in Hollywood seemed like a good idea to me. The problem was that after having spent the first semester there, I still had no clue how to start lighting a simple scene. Being quite disappointed by the huge amount of money I spend on this and not feeling satisfied at all, I decided to quit the school and started looking around for other possibilities. Luckily a friend sent me the link to the Light Extreme website. Doing the 5-day workshop was definitely the best
decision I made during my time in Los Angeles. Janusz helped me to approach lighting in a whole different way than I did before. He actually made me think about lighting a scene, instead of just trying what might look good on the monitor.
As Janusz said himself; he opened the doors for me and now I feel ready to fly out on my own.
Thank you for the good times,
Emiel Spoelder
tommipitta@tin.it
Florence, Italy
Janusz is one of the best teachers I’ve ever met in my life. his workshops are not just the opportunity to relate yourself with a professional cinematographer with a huge experience: Janusz knows perfectly how to get across to students the essence of his knowledge and how to bring out of them their specific talents. And the “dancing with lights” approach is really a great tool to interpret light, photography, and reality. I’ll definitely recommend his workshop to everyone who is interested in cinematography and movies.
Thank you, Janusz, I’m really grateful to you, and I’m so happy to be
your friend!
Tommaso Pitta
rogier.vbc@me.com
Spain
The course of Cinematographer Janusz Sikora in Florence, Italy was an experience I never had before. Instead of being taught by a teacher that studied at a University we were taught by a real die-hard Director of Photography that saw us not just as students but as full-count crew members. The studio we were working with was always available to try things out, and the crazier the ideas, the more excited Janusz became. My story was set in the windy cold mountains in a tent. We took the storm machine and a tent in a white-painted studio where we could simulate the cold mountains. It worked. The vision in my head had been magically created on 35mm film
and was suddenly visible to others. Most directors or Cinematographers that are geniuses in their work are not able to explain what they do in order to archive what they want. That’s why we have teachers and critics to explain them. But Janusz Sikora can tell like no other what he does in order to create a special atmosphere. I put this light here because it gives an extra shadow. This is something you don’t see much and what helped me a lot by understanding the process of creating. This is the main reason why every filmmaker should consider learning with Janusz Sikora.
And there was never something that was impossible to do. He was hard on the class sometime, like cooks are in the kitchen, but in this way, he treated them on a professional level. Janusz was always open to our ideas and was able to make them better or to say what
was wrong with them, not only as a cinematographer but also as a director. That was very helpful as I want to go in that direction with my filmmaking. It was a very intense course, very intense but it was unbelievable how much I learned through the experience.
In addition to the technical aspect of the course, there was always time to learn from Janusz from his experience, and from the problems students had with filmmaking before.
How coming into the film business? Dancing with light: Having the basic setup where you can dance around after had a huge impact on me as did learning how to look at the light in film and how to tell more powerful stories. I left the course with a new dimension in making films. I had to change my storyboard and script but was happy to make these changes. From the intense course, I made notes that I will carry with me wherever I go. I can
recommend the course of Mr. Janusz Sikora dancing with the light to everyone that is not afraid to learn cinematography or directing in a different and more effective way than most universities and film schools.
This is for you Janusz. Thank you forever.
Sincerely,
Rogier van Beeck Calkoen,
martina.nagel22@gmail.com
Brasil
Dear Janusz
Sorry for only getting around to thanking you for the incredibly helpful days at your personal lighting workshop. You’ve really changed and inspired my thinking about light and given me so much
more confidence when it comes to lighting.
Many thanks again for your wonderful teaching.
It’s greatly appreciated and has enriched me for life.
Martina
Mar 9, 2009
allorick@aol.com
My friend Janusz,
When I get back to New York I felt the ambiance in me is so different. I’m so proud of what I’ve learned from your very classic treasure teaching. At first, I could’nt believe of myself of what I accomplished from your very intelligent way of knowledge in the field of Cinematography. Yes, everywhere is light and light is powerful. That’s how I fell now because you have given me a GREEN LIGHT and that is my KEY lights. It’s an inspiration and confidence. Thank you very much for your professionalism and thank you for signing an autograph on my book, I always cherish it. The five days workshop with you is one of my greatest achievement in Hollywood. Hope to see you again…
Your friend,
Arlen Lorico New York
Feb, 2009
joeqnewyork@yahoo.com
Hi Janusz,
Just to let you know that I am now back in New York and took home with me valuable information about lights and lighting. I thank you
very much for your passion in teaching. The workshop was all worth it. I must say that I have learned, or should I say, trained my eyes
to see the world around me differently. I no longer see just “things” but rather see “reflections” of light. The world around me becomes
even more beautiful. I can now light any sets, from simple to the most complex. Your basic , yet classic, approach to ligthing is timeless.
I strongly recommend this workshop. I also suggest that film students MUST and SHOULD set aside, or “debunk” all their film school
lighting knowledge, such as the lighting 101 3 point lighting techniques, because its all about the gray card, the ambience and the key
lights. If a student wants to learn lights, forget film schools, just attend the Dancing with Lights workshop.
Regards,
Joe M. Quintana
New York Director Feb, 2009
Janusz, I want to thank you for sharing your knowledge and passion with me. I learned more in the four hours we spent together than
the entire year I spent at Film School. I also want to thank you for enduring my ignorance of light. Your passion is contagious and I will
be back for more. -Daniel D.
July16, 2008
Dear Janusz,
I wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed your workshop.
You make me feel comfortable, the first minute the workshop started and from there, I had a great experience working with a true
professional passionate about his craft. As you may have noticed, I am myself passionate about improving my skills to provide always
better production value. In 2 days, you were able to give me the key to be able to create the kind of lighting that I envision, but that I
had avoided because I could not create it properly. Now as you said, I feel that I could light anything I want it with the precision, the
mood and the quality that we could find in the top Hollywood productions. Thank you to give me that confidence.
Best Regards,
Jean-Louis H.H. Ziesch, CLVS, CCVS, CME
Managing Director
HD Media Group 410 South Michigan Avenue, Suite 925
Chicago, IL 60605
Tel: 312-588-9377
Fax: 312-588-1579
Member of NATPE, IDA, IFP, LA Film Independent, DCS
http://www.highdefinitionmediagroup.com
June 10, 2008
Mr. Sikora,
India
You Sir are without doubt, as I said earlier, the most intriguing person I have ever met. The Lecture and Workshop were very amazing
in as far as seeing how lighting in the real world goes and the skill it takes to replicate it on film. There’s a lot we take for granted using
digital lighting these days and we fail to realize just how complex and yet simple lighting can be. Most of us have got straight into digital
lighting without ever having even held stage Light. However, far more interesting than the lecture itself, was your philosophy, your
thoughts and your obvious passion for your art. And if I take anything
away from your class, I will take this….. Follow the heart and not let the intellect get in the way.
Thank you, for the time you gave to a bunch of digital artists from India
Regards.,
Lennard len1977@gmail.com TATA – India
June 9, 2008 – India
Hello Mr Janusz!
My name is Paritosh , and i am an senior character animator with TaTa in Bombay, India. though i only deal with character animation
pretty much all the time , but your class about cinematography and lighting was a wonderful experience for me, your experience speaks
for itself and i was absolutely spell bound by you knowledge on the subject and your way of describing an emotion and the moment of
the scene, i would love to learn more about that and specially how to ‘milk a moment’ so that i can apply some of that in my characters.
if you can tell me some of the websites or if you have some written stuff of your own , i would be grateful if you could share that. Once
again thanks a lot
paritosh kumawat paritosh@tataelxsi.co.in TATA Bombay, India
June 9, 2008 – India
Mr. Janusz
Thank you for the Amazing Workshop
Nitai: “The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the Supreme Soul, and He has no beginning. He is transcendental to the material
modes of nature and beyond the existence of this material world. He is perceivable everywhere because He is self-effulgent, and by His
self-effulgent luster the entire creation is maintained.”
Sandeep S Hiray
sandeephiray@tataelxsi.co.in
TATA – India
June 9, 2008 – India
Mr Janusz
This is Suresh we have enjoyed a lot with u class and we have learn so many things that we have seen but don’t know how to play with
them. We have lot many things about light before coming here we just think the lighting is very simple to understand but after the class
we understand we have lot many things to know about the light. Anyway once again from all of us were very thankful for the class.
K.Suresh sureshkmaya@gmail.com TATA Bombay India
Apr 2008
Hello my friend Janusz,
I want to thank you for the wonderful two days at your workshop. In the very first few minutes of day one, I knew right away- this was
going to be a tremendous, hands-on session. And it was! Your personable approach, knowledge (and a lot of patience!) made it a
very rewarding and important learning experience for me. Eager to utilize everything I learned during the two-day seminar, I’m already
implementing many of these fabulous techniques. But the most interesting phenomenon of all, is I am now looking a everything
differently. I’m seeing light in an entirely new way. I thank you for that. When’s the next session and what do you suggest for me? (I’d
love to do Italy- perhaps next year)
All the best and many thanks to you.
Steve steve@hackervideo.com
May 2008
I learned right away that what I have been doing until now has been adequate. That is no longer acceptable. Shot again today utilizing
some of your techniques. Another time I’d love to learn product shot lighting.
Production Companies of Steven Hacker
steve@hackervideo.com
Feb 2008
Greece
Dear Janusz,
Attending your course in Firenze was one of the most valuable experiences in my life! As I was new in this field, you,in your special way,
made me overcame my insecurity, believe in my abilities and participate the class as equal to the other students.I earned so much…
Thank you for your kindness and patience! Those are two very important elements for a teacher should start with,in my opinion.I hope
I’ ll have the chance to came to another workshop that you’ll organize in the future!Thanks for everything…,
Love,
Eleanna. eleannamagina@yahoo.gr
Nov 17, 2007
Individual Cinematography Workshop
Hi Janusz
Wanted to thank you for everything that i learnt from you about lighting. The best part of the workshop was to know how to observe,
learn and implement from real life situations. The simplicity of lighting “complicated looks” was stunning. Thank you for everything. rajiv.
mathrani@gmail.com
Rajiv (Bombay, India)
Sep 18, 2007
Dear Janusz,
I wanted to thank you for your, ‘Dramatic Lighting For Video’, workshop. As an ENG news photographer, I am often confronted with
extremely challenging lighting conditions. Your step by step instruction has given me a new confidence in taking on these challenging
environments. Your passion as a lighting craftsman has been an inspiration to me.
Sincerely,
Frank Alli
Photogfox@earthlink.net
Jul 6, 2007 – Germany
Film Look Workshop – Individual
Hey Janusz,
I just got back from a shoot. I’m delighted to say it was the best lighting I’ve ever done — all thanks to the day I spent with you. The
idea of creating ambiance first and divorcing myself from a monitor was all it took to give me the freedom I needed.
Thanks again. Sondra Martin sondra@wofentertainment.com
Jun 25, 2007 – Gemany
Film Look Workshop
Janusz,
Thanks for Sunday. It was a real eye opener. I’ve got 2 days of shooting next week — I’ll see what I can come up with!
Best wishes, Sondra 07sondra@wofentertainment.comFilm
Dec2, 07 – France
Hi Janusz,
I just wanted to say thank you for this past weekend. I truly enjoyed myself and learned much more than I expected to and I really left
feeling more confident than when I came. I hope to come back very soon to learn more and just to talk.
Julie jbelfoure@gmail.com
Dec 30, 2006 – Mexico
Hi Janusz, I want to say thank you.. I learnt a lot from you and I think
often to that wonderful workshop in Florence!!!
I just want to say that It’s not easy to find a great teacher and a “gorgeous soul” like you! You taught me how to use light but at the
same time you taught me to see the light in everything it is around me.. and this is special and unique! Someone said “everything is
illuminated” and this is what I feel when I think to your teaching. I hope to keep in touch and to hear from you soon. Happy new year
and take care of you!!
Romy. carraro.romina@gmail.com
Dec 29, 2006
Individual Workshop
I am a photographer/editor for Univision Network in Los Angeles
California. I had the pleasure of taking Janusz’s “film look lighting for tv” workshop this past December 11th. 2006.This workshop
change my way of looking at light. I used to light the interviews all the same way, it was a cookie cutter look, now I use lighting as a
paintbrush and in doing so I can help enhance the mood that the interview will convey. I strongly recommend this workshop.
Thank you Janusz !!!!!
Web Address – http://www.univision.net/corp/en/utg.jsp
Oct 24, 2006
I recently came off taking private lessons with the man, and in all honesty, I got more then I thought I would. From the beginning,
Janusz just got right down to it and I sincerely appreciated his no-nonsense approach into teaching me the ways of light and camera.
Any question I had (and I had MANY), Janusz answered with patience and detail even when my questions were sometimes repetitive.
Aperture is not as hard as I thought, nor as challenging. He told me from the beginning that I could do what I told him I wanted to do,
and for me just coming from so many people saying JUSTIN DON’T TRY, I appreciated that he said I could do it. And I don’t doubt that I
can NOW after those lessoSo thank you Janusz.
I will definitely be keeping in touch and bothering you with more questions, so let’s see if I can get
that something out of the stone.
THANKS! justin earlyrendition@gmail.com
Sep 9, 2006
Dear Janusz,
I’m Marco Danziger and have attended the four week course in Florence this summer. Thanks to your precious help. After the course I
have definitively removed any doubts about my future ambitions, and will pursuit a career in movie making also (if not mainly) because
of your enthusiasm and passion which are absolutely inspiring and impossible not to share. I will now start attending media school here
in Italy, and do as many hands on camera workshops around the world as possible, and Im also really eager to start shooting stuff by
my own. The amazing feeling which surrounded all the work me and my friends did in Florence comes often back to my mind, which is
when I understand that this inner pulse and urge to express myself through cinema is that one path I have to chose to live such feelings
again.
Marco ncglom@tin.it
Aug 28, 06
Comments – Janusz! I miss learning from you so much. I cannot fully express the extent of my nostalgia for Italy at this moment. I wish to
stay in touch with you, and study with you in the near future. Thank you so much for your dedication to film and thank you for all the
amazing help you gave me on my films. Hope all is well, and stay in touch! ciao~
Madeline madeberhard@yahoo.com
Comments – hello Janusz i just wanted to thank you for the 35 mm workshop is good to know that the art still lives in the soul of people
and to find someone who appreciates soul and art as you, i learned a lot from you and i hope to keep in contact thanks for the spiritual
lessons you gave me
beatmelendez@yahoo.com.mx
June 20, 2006 – Italy
Comments – Hi Janusz, always your answers are very kind.
Anyway today I enrolled for digital filmmaking , and I decided
it especially because you will be the teacher.
See you soon . Salvo
rocco_salvatore1@hotmail.it
May 22, 2006
Comments – Last week was amazing! I learned so much on the cinematographer job. I’m from Switzerland and for me, learning how to
use a 35mm camera in Hollywood sounds like a dream. And I just lived my dream a few days ago with you Janusz. So, I just wanted to
say thank you very much to share your knowledge and the passion you have for cameras and lights. Take care. Marc http://www.flickr.
com/photos/mppfilms
May 20, 2006
Comments – Janusz, I want to say thank you. I respect you as a teacher, an artist and a human being. What I learned this past week
was invaluable. I see the importance of creating mood with light. I found a new appreciation for the art of cinematography and look at it
not as a technical science anymore, but more of a way to paint with light and camera movement. I look forward to keeping in touch with
you. I wish you all the best.
Ajani Fida
ajanifida@yahoo.com
May 06, 2006. Chicago, Illinois
Thanks Janusz,
for sharing your lifelong passion for lighting and exposures’ ability to render the full emotional palette.
Your lighting theories and methods were by far more advanced than I’d expected from cinematography workshop.
brucelangston@lycos.com
Mar 25, 2006. Hollywood, California
Janusz,
The Cinematography class at Columbia College is one of the best classes I have ever taken. As a student, I can tell that you are very
passionate about the work you do. Although my primary emphasis is directing I will always have an understanding and appreciation for
light. You taught me how to use light in such a way that it creates beauty and magic. Thank you.
Rocco Rodriguez, Columbia College 2006
rsrodriguez00@yahoo.com
Dec 26, 2005. Dominican Republic
Dear Janusz,
FLorence was one of the best things that happened in this year of difficulty to me. Having you as a professor was the other. I greatly
appreciated your teachings and hope to keep in contact with you. Please send me your e mail. Happy New Year!
Cheers,
Ellen Perez
12/12/05
http://www.ratemyprofessors.com/ShowRatings.jsp?tid=777954
This was an awesome class! Janusz has been in the industry for over 20 years. He teaches workshops at UCLA, USC, and in other
parts of the world. Check out his website at http://www.lightextreme.com You will learn so much in this class about lighting and
composition and how to become a great filmmaker and have a lot of fun too. I highly recommend it.
Oct 30, 2005. Chile
Hi Janusz !!! The cinematography class that I had with you was among the best film classes that I ever had at UCLA. As my area of
concentration is directing when I signed up for class I had a rather vague desire to learn about the narrative function of light. The
extraordinary link between light and the creation of mood and atmosphere was exceptionally well supported through in depth analysis
of Rembrandt, Caravaggio, Vermeer paintings as well as with excellent examples from your personal portfolio. I was very interested in
all the technical details of the lecture about exposure and grey scale, but the most fascinating part was to explore the vital role of light
in setting up the emotional tone and the feeling of a scene. Good luck with everything Janusz and I look forward to see you !
Robert Popa doncorleone74@gmail.com
Oct 5, 2005. Los Angeles
University of Southern California (USC)
Thanks for being a great teacher. It was for me, probably the most professional cinema class I’d taken at USC.
-Sandra sandra.cheng@gmail.com
Oct 3, 2005. Los Angeles
University of Southern California (USC)
Professor Janusz, after being in your class I can honestly say I will never look at light the same way again. I respect you
and admire as a teacher, an artist, and a true Renaissance man. Being in your class I have learned the value of submerging myself in
Art, Music, Photography, History, many interesting areas to advance my vision. Thank you for being the intellectual and technical force
pushing me to better and learn more. For this I am forever indebted to you. Hopefully one day I will be able to “make people panic” in
my own way. I can’t say it enough, Thank you.
Katherine Campbell
Sep 26, 2005. Tokyo, Japan
Janusz I really appreciate all of the help you have given me from the first moment I sat in your class at the beginning of the year to
these emails. I feel I have a direct channel to the deity of light. I apologize in advance, but I am sure I will continue to tax you with many
more questions and philosophical ranting in years to come.
Dziekuje Janusz! film@naoworks.com
University of California Los Angeles (UCLA)
http://www.cammotion.net
Prof Janusz,
I learned a lot from your class. I was quiet, but this was my first film class ever. I absorbed it like a sponge. The dissection of the
SILENCE OF THE LAMBS scene gave me chills. It opened my eyes to things that I had never noticed before.I am very much into
horror, and that is one of my favorite films. I have seen it at least couple of dozen times without seeing any of the things that you
pointed out. It only took a few seconds before I started seeing them too, and that was specially exciting. The technical stuff was great. I
will be going a lot of lighting set-ups long after the class ends. The best classes are the ones that go beyond the
technical/instructional data, and actually teach you how to think and see things that you never knew existed. This was one such class.
Thanks for a great class. I will take some more next semester. I hope they turn out to be as beneficial as this one was for me.
David Covarrubias
Sep 9, 2005. Los Angeles
Janusz Sikora is the greatest teacher i have ever had! not only does he teach you everything he knows about meaningful lighting and
filmmaking but he is extremely inspirational. “dancing with light” is the only way to go.
sarkis0710@hotmail.com
Aug 3, 2004
University of Southern California (USC)
Prof Janusz:
I just want to say thank you again, for everything. The teachers in a class of this nature are the people who really make the class worth
while- who make you actually want to work your ass off and produce something good.
I think most will agree that it was probably the best thing that happened to us as students. Thanks for taking the time with everything
and really treating us like filmmakers
and not just as students.
Sara