Lighting your Film
We cannot see what is not lit!
4 Basic Areas of Light Control
• What are they?
– Color (Daylight/Tungsten/other)
– Brightness/Darkness (High Key v. Low Key)
– Hardness/Softness (Direct v. Diffused)
– Position (Placement and movement of light
source)
House Homework
• Let’s compare the different types of lighting in
the dream sequences:
– “Normal” (non-dream)
– “Sitcom”
– “Horror Film”
– “50s TV”
– “Western”
– “Musical”
What are you looking for?
• Compare the coloring of the shot—is there a
certain overall hue?
• Describe the lighting—is there a lot of light or a
little or “regular?” Where is the most light
coming from?
• Compare the shadows—Is one more shadowy
than the other? Does one have sharper lines and
shadows?
• Describe the colors in the shot—are there any
that stand/pop out or are they muted and more
plain?
House Homework:
Compare and contrast the following images in terms of the lighting
“Normal”
“Sitcom”
House Homework:
Compare and contrast the following images in terms of the lighting
“Normal”
“Horror Movie”
House Homework:
Compare and contrast the following images in terms of the lighting
“Normal”
“50’s Sitcom”
House Homework:
Compare and contrast the following images in terms of the lighting
“Normal”
“Western”
House Homework:
Compare and contrast the following images in terms of the lighting
“Normal”
“Musical”
Two Types of Light…
Natural
Artificial
Bright
Strong
Free
Not much control over
brightness, shadow,
placement etc…
Control over Brightness
Fragile
Expensive
More control over
brightness, shadow,
placement etc…
Why did I color that chart that way?
Two basic colors of light: Daylight (reads blue) and Tungsten (reads
orange)
Daylight
Tungsten
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Blue
Cool
5600K
CTB (Color Temperature Blue)
Usual conversion Gel called
"80A" -- changes Tungsten to
Daylight
6. Most sunlight (except at -guess-- is blue, but sunlight is
rather tricky this way)
Orange
Warm
3200K
CTO (Color Temperature
Orange)
5. Usual conversion gel called
"85" -- changes Daylight to
Tungsten
6. Most artificial lights are
Tungsten (can you think of an
exception??)
So what Happens in “Mixed Light?”
When we LOOK at "mixed light" (Artificial light and
natural light combined) our eyes are sensitive and
AWESOME so it blends-However!
Cameras are not as high tech and savvy, so it looks weird
For example
• Skin tones look yellowy- greenish
• Outside looks really blue or white
• Inside looks orange
So--what are our options in mixed light
situations?
We will get into this in more detail when we do
our lighting demo, and come back to it during
prepro, but just so you know…
1. CTB gels on Tungsten Lights
2. CTO on windows
3. Replace Tungsten bulbs with daylight bulbs
4. Cut out/Black out the window
Brightness/Darkness
(High Key v. Low Key)
High Key
1. Low contrast
2. All light even
3. Low ratio between
Key and Fill Lights
(they are pretty even
in
strength/brightness)
4. No shadows
5. Light looks “flat”
Low Key
1. High Contrast
2. Key much brighter than
fill
3. High ratio between Key
and Fill Lights (Key light
much stronger/brighter
than Fill light)
4. Shadows
5. Light creates 3
dimentionality
Three point lighting set up
Whaddya Think? High or Low Key?
Hardness/Softness (Direct (Hard) v.
Diffused (Soft))
Direct (Hard) Light
Diffused (Soft) Light
1. Sharp light -- Distinct lines
2. Not very popular -- even in
light bulbs for everyday use
3. Used in Film noir/Horror
movies
4. Created distinct lines/shadows
5. Most film lights start with hard
light and need to be altered
6. Used to show time (ex)
1. Long shadows
2. Winter
3. Early Morning/Night
1. Light spread out-no harsh lines
2. Used regularly--Women and
children especially
3. Used in most films—comedy,
musicals, romantic, sitcoms
4. Soften lines/Shadow + light
blend at edge
5. Many ways to diffuse lightDiffusion paper, silks, screens
Direct or Diffused light?
Bright/Dark Hard/Soft
• What is the difference between key (contrast)
and diffusion?
– Key is how shadowy / bright
– Diffusion is how crisp the lines look
– Many times the combo of high key/diffused or low
key/direct light used, but not in many instances…
Light and Directionality
(Position of the light)
• Directionality—where is the light coming from?
– Placement of light (or person in natural light)
determines direction and length of shadow
– Decisions create texture, depth, mood, tone and can
develop character understanding and narrative
– Range of light placement—3D—you can place lights
anywhere around a subject, not just the front
– Frontal, ¾ Frontal, Side light, ¾ Back light, Back light,
High Angle, Low Angle (p249)
Basic 3 point lighting (plus)
• Basic Three Point Lighting:
– Key, Fill, Back
• Standard Ratio: 2:1 (K:F – HK)
• Key—motivated light (coming from a
source we know)
• Fill—fills in as much shadow as you
want
• Back—separates subject from
background
– Sets, Specials and Practicals
• Set lights: Additional lights used to light
the set, not the subject
• Specials: low watt lights to illuminate a
specific object or small area for special
emphasis (DTE)
• Practicals: Lights that are included in
the Mise en scene
Let’s watch some examples!
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/641619/dramatic_lighting/
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/641627/hard_and_soft_light/
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/641615/three_point_lighting/
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/641633/the_sun_as_a_key_light/
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/641607/capturing_better_color/
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/641545/exposure/