1. 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

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

3. 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

5. 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.

6. 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

7. PRIMARY & STYLIZED LIGHTING REALITY
PRIMARY (natural)
STYLIZED

8. 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

9. THE ROLE OF SHADOWS

11. 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

12. KEY LIGHT

13. 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

14. FILL LIGHT

15. 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

16. 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)

17. (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).

18. Rembrandt
Frans Hals
Edwin Hopper

19. Rembrandt
Frans Hals
HIGH KEY
Edwin Hopper

20. Rembrandt
Frans Hals
LOW KEY
Edwin Hopper

21. Rembrandt
Frans Hals
MODULATED VALUE
Edwin Hopper

22. Rembrandt
Frans Hals
MODULATED VALUE
Edwin Hopper

23. 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)

24. 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

25. 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.

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

27. 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