LIGHTING
Lighting is probably the most important tool in any cinematographers arsenal, it can make or break a scene, making it look amateur or professional in nature.
There are an abundant variation of lighting techniques we can use, how we use these techniques all depends on what the story needs. A certain mood will need to be created in order to project a characters frame of mind and or circumstance in order to make their portrayal coincide with the narrative. It is a tool that can emphasise emotion, giving us as filmmakers the freedom to set the tone of our movies, not just to make them look pretty (although that is always a bonus). We want the pictures on screen to be appealing to the eye, yet only in aid to serve the story.
The most basic lighting set-up is three point lighting . This consists of a key light, fill light and back light.
- Key light – This light illuminates the face, it is usually situated at a 45 degree angle from the camera, this creates shadow on the side of the actors face, this contrast is seen as cinematic, especially when compared to a light that is situated directly in front of an actor, this flat light across the face isn’t very dramatic, and is probably best used for light-hearted scenes, such as comedies, commercials and beauty shots. The key light isn’t stuck in place though, we have the freedom to place it wherever we want across the actors face, this gives a variety of different looks. Examples of this are, Paramount lighting, loop lighting and Rembrandt lighting. These styles refer to the positioning of the shadows across the face, which will give your character a specific mood, or flatter them depending on their facial structure, it all depends on what we are trying to emphasise within the scene.
- Fill light – This light is used to fill in the shadows casted by the key light. The amount of fill light we use is determined by the contrast we see as being desirable for the scene we are shooting. For example, a moody scene in which our character is going through hard times; I would see this as being a contrasting situation, shadows would be desirable on the face, this would require a smaller fill light so that those shadows stay intact, this is known as low key lighting. This can be achieved with a single light source with a bounce, a bounce is something that bounces light from a source, it basically acts as a light in its own right. A scene where the fill light is filling in the shadows and giving little to no contrast is known as high key lighting, this is used for comedies.
- Back light/edge light/rim light – This light illuminates the back of the subject, separating them from the background, this can give a halo like effect to your subject, thus adding depth to a scene. This light can be used on its own to create a silhouette.
- Practical lighting – A practical light can be a lamp or something of a similar nature being placed into a shot, this informs the audience of the characters surroundings, but can also create a mood depending on the type of lighting being used. This is prevalent in everything you see, it usually goes unnoticed until you actively look for it, and then you find that you can’t help but notice it all of the time. I saw an Episode of a show on Netflix where one room had four lamps on, plus two in the kitchen. This isn’t very practical or indeed common of most households, however, the light these lamps produced was ideal for what the cinematographer deemed necessary in the scene at that precise moment.
- Colour – Colour is a tool that causes imagery to become visually stimulating. We identify particular colours with certain moods, this can be used to our advantage, for now we can command emotional queues from audiences with certain lighting, especially when contrasting them. This connects with practical lighting, for we can contrast the colour of two practical lights on set which have bulbs emitting opposing colour temperatures. Below is a colour wheel chart which adequately coveys colours which best compliment each other. This can be achieved by using different lighting apparatus (tungsten, LED), or by placing coloured gels over lights.
Now I want to get onto the subject of diffusion. Diffusion is something we can place between a light source and our subject, this diffuses the harshness of the original light. This can come in the form of a soft box, which connects to the light by a mount, the most common connecter for this is called a Bowens mount. There can be one or more layers of diffusion depending on how soft you require the light to be on the subject. The way to achieve a softer light is by placing the light a distance away from your diffusion, or indeed by adding additional layers as I previously stated. You could also move the diffusion closer to your subject to create a softer light which wraps around it, this in turn eliminates contrasting shadows, if that is a look you require. You can diffuse light with a variety of materials; a sheet, piece of paper or clothing can work effectively in limiting a harsh light source from striking your subject.
I have tried to implement these into my film, although the tedious task of filming myself in limited space proved to be a tremendous obstacle. I did try. I have placed practical lights in scenes, as well as using diffused lighting on my face and natural lighting as a fill light. I found that the space simply wasn’t there to have a multiple light set up in an already crowded house. I simply had to make the best out of my lockdown situation, which has undoubtedly caused my film to suffer. I found it extremely difficult to be both subject and lighting technician, add camera work on top of this. I would have benefitted tremendously from having an actor and a crew. This is the card we have all unfortunately been dealt. This has been a steep learning experience, which has undoubtedly tested my sanity.
Below are a range of sources that I found for my research. These cemented what I already knew and were extremely helpful.
Indie Blog 