Lighting techniques

How and why lighting affects camera techniques for moving image

Lighting is a key element when filming moving image. this is defined by how the cinematographer and director use light in the scene. this may be manipulated to create a particular feeling or emotion. 

Basic types of light sources

Key light

- primary/ brightest source of light 

- placed at side of camera and pointed at scene/subject

Fill light

- secondary light source, balances out key light and changes level of shadow

Basic types of lighting

High key 

- In this type of lighting bright key lights and fill lights are used to create a well lit image with low contrast and little shadows. This technique is often used in sitcoms, children's television and rom coms.

In these two examples from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011) and Bruce Almighty (2003), high key lighting is used to create a heavenly and surreal atmosphere.

Low key

- In low key lighting, there is much less fill lighting creating high contrast, creating a much darker image over all. This lighting is commonly used in horror movies, dramas and thrillers.

In this still from Joker (2019), low key lighting is used to create a mysterious and creepy atmosphere.

Lighting equipment and setups I would use for the following scenarios:

A small documentary where portability is paramount

• smaller lights which are foldable/extentable so they are easy to pack away when moving location

'Talking Head' style interviews

• Key lights with soft box placed in front of subject to create soft, even lighting.
• Fill light with soft box placed to light backdrop behind subject, creating a soft vignette around subject.

American Horror Story: Roanoke (2016)

A 'night time' shoot

• bright LED light to get as much light as possible

-image from Pinewood Group

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zxq66fr/revision/1

Class Task

Using studio lighting 

Rembrant:

Edge:

Butterfly:

In these videos we tried the lighting techniques Rembrant, Edge, and Butterfly lighting. We struggled to get the lighting bright enough which resulted in the videos being grainy because we had to increase the ISO.

Lighting set up behind the scenes photos:

Using a reflector:

Experimental lighting - 2 set ups, creating shadows etc

In these videos we tried out different experimental lighting by using the coloured gels over the lights. A health and safety issue with this was that the lights got really hot to touch when changing the gels so we had to make sure we didn't burn ourselves. The lights were also very bright so we had to make sure we didn't look directly into them.

Low key lighting:

High key lighting:

In these videos you can see a clear difference in the amount of contrast and shadows for high and low key lighting, which I think worked well.