FILM: LIGHTING AND
COLOUR
Year 8
LESSON CONTENT
1. Lighting – what is it? And why is it used
2. Introduction to colour
3. Activity on ‘lighting’
*Remember you will need your book titled and dated.
* Maximise the features of the powerpoint by viewing it in “presentation”
mode
LIGHTING
Visual impact can be created by lighting effects.
We've all seen how soft or diffuse lighting used in
romantic movies, or very low lighting in horror films,
creates particular moods. Lighting can be high or low
contrast and can vary in colour and direction. Some
lighting methods include:
1. High- Key
2. Low-key
3. Backlighting
4. Lighting from below
5. Colour
HIGH-KEY
The lighting is bright and relatively low in contrast,
often used for Hollywood musical comedies.
Shadows are filled. This may also involve
emphasising the key light to suggest the light source.
The director might want to suggest that it's a
brilliantly sunny day outside and that the major light
source for the room is the window. Key light is
emphasised and 'filters' used to reduce shadow and
soften the effect. Hamlet and Mask are two films
that use high key lighting extensively.
LOW-KEY
Much more pronounced shadows and dramatic
contrasts. This is the style used when shadow is
emphasised. It is often used in thriller and horror
films.
Into the West and The Silver Brumby both make
considerable use of low key lighting in the
campfire scenes and night scenes. The
sequence of Hamlet meeting the ghost of his
father, in Hamlet, is another example.
Use of low-key lighting can
have different effects
BACKLIGHTING
This is where the main source of light is
behind the subject (you, the item/thing).
This is used to produce a silhouette and
also produces a 'halo' effect around the
edges of the subject.
LIGHTING FROM
BELOW
This can be used to make a subject
appear threatening or horrific.
Fun activity: Take your phone and open
the camera mode. Place the camera
30cm underneath your chin. Take a
photo with the flash on. See how
threatening you look! – send it to your
teachers 
COLOUR
Cold or blueish lighting can convey a sense of
cold, alienation or technology, while warm or
yellowish lighting can be used to convey comfort
and sunset etc. If colours are very rich and
intense they are described as saturated. Blackand-white or sepia can be used to show that a
scene is set in the past, or to suggest
sophistication.
COMPLETE LIGHTING ACTIVITY