LIGHTING Photographic Lighting Speculation The Role of Shadows Primary and Stylized Lighting Reality 3 Point Lighting Key and Fill Lights Lighting Styles Lighting Ratio / Brightness Range Rules for Lighting

LIGHTING “Lighting is to film what music is to opera.” ---Cecile B. DeMille

4 QUALITIES OF LIGHT Color Determined by source (Tungsten, HMI, Fluorescent, Sunlight) & Gels Tone (brightness), Hue (color) and Saturation Quality (Sharpness) Hard vs. Soft / Spot vs. Flood Intensity How bright is the lighting source? How much light is falling on the subject? Direction (Angle) Above/Below & in front / behind / side

PHOTOGRAPHIC LIGHTING SPECULATION DEFINITION: A lighting situation created specifically for the purposes of the photographic or cinema image. shooting with a lighting grid gels in a studio setting adding a bounce card picking the right time of day Anytime you sculpt light for a shot, it is Photographic Lighting Speculation.

PRIMARY & STYLIZED LIGHTING REALITY PRIMARY (natural) The effort to faithfully depict reality. conveying an impression of what it looks like. Not an artistically important choice, done to not distract STYLIZED The author does not aim to faithfully depict reality. The shooter depicts a stylized lighting situation A self-expression for emotional purposes, enhances meaning

PRIMARY & STYLIZED LIGHTING REALITY PRIMARY (natural) STYLIZED

THE ROLE OF SHADOWS Positive: Negative Show the texture of an object’s surface Shadows tell us the quality and direction of lighting sources Negative Crossing and multiple shadows Do not play a role in everyday life Must be distinguished in the field of view Must be considered before taking shot

THE ROLE OF SHADOWS

KEY LIGHT The Strongest Light on the Subject Models the object’s shape and texture It “feels” like light Forms a thrown shadow of the object Forms the effect on the lit side of the object

KEY LIGHT

FILL LIGHT Controls the light level in the shade Controls the contrast of the scene Must not create an additional shadow Must not “look” like light

FILL LIGHT

OTHER LIGHTS Backlight – placed behind the subject lower intensity source used to reveal the outline of objects, and separate them from the background Skim – similar in purpose to the backlight placed to the side of the subject creates more shadow Practical – lighting source visible in the shot table lamp, candle, sun

LIGHTING RATIO / BRIGTHNESS RANGE The numerical relationship between the illumination from the key light and the illumination from the fill light (determines style) Brightness Range The numerical relationship between the brightest and darkest tones in a scene. (determined by lighting & art direction)

(Edward Hopper, natural look, available light). LIGHTING STYLES Low-key: Directional, deep-shadow (Rembrandt, horror films, drama). High-key Strong, even illumination (Franz Hals, comedy, musicals). And Modulated value or medium value soft light, but light that is also directional (Edward Hopper, natural look, available light).

Rembrandt Frans Hals Edwin Hopper

Rembrandt Frans Hals HIGH KEY Edwin Hopper

Rembrandt Frans Hals LOW KEY Edwin Hopper

Rembrandt Frans Hals MODULATED VALUE Edwin Hopper

Rembrandt Frans Hals MODULATED VALUE Edwin Hopper

Lighting Ratios 2:1 one stop (High key) 3:1 one and one-half stops (Modulated) 4:1 two stops (Modulated) 8:1 three stops (Low Key) 16:1 four stops (Low Key) 32:1 five stops (Low Key)

DIRECT / INDIRECT LIGHT (aka Primary) Light falling on an object directly from a light source Quality depends only on the quality of the light source INDIRECT (aka Secondary)‏ Light that is bounced (reflected) off another surface before falling on an object Quality depends on lighting source and qualities of bounce surface

BASIC LIGHTING RULES If it doesn’t look good to your eye, it will not look good on film If it looks good to your eye, it will not necessarily look good on film Usually expose for your key light, but pay attention to key, fill, and shadow In general, video will register differences that are overexposed by 2-3 stops, and underexposed by 3-4 stops. Newer cameras are getting better, but they are nowhere near what you can see with your eye.

Some Things to Avoid: -Crossing and multiple shadows -Unnatural shadows -Shadows undistinguished in the field of view -Light flaring into the camera lens

Remember, lighting is a process: first, we block actors then, we rough in our lights we, rehearse our actors then, fine tune our lights when we like what we see, we shoot