Y11 LIGHTING BASICS - revision
Exposure – This refers to the amount of light that the camera lets in. This shapes how light
or dark an image is. This can be controlled with the IRIS function on our digital cameras.
White Balance – This refers to what the camera thinks is white. Changing the white balance
changes how the camera processes colour and thus the colours you get in your image.
LIGHTING FOR CONTINUITY
Effective continuity creates the illusion that the events within a film are happening within a
seamless world rather than being constructed from different shots that might not have even
been filmed on the same day. Continuity of lighting is vital in creating the illusion on this
seamless world. There are some key aspects to this.
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Making sure that events that are meant to take place on the same day look like they
occur on the same day. You do not want to go from bright sunny day to cloudy and
overcast and then back to bright and sunny in the space of 3 shots within the same
scene.
Making sure that the lighting doesn’t drastically change from shot to shot by
repositioning or changing light sources in an interior scene.
Maintaining a visual style with lighting – keeping the same sorts of exposure, white
balance, colour grading throughout the film unless consciously manipulating these
elements to alter mood for specific sequences. It CAN be a good idea to use a
different visual style for dream sequences/flashbacks etc.
LIGHTING FOR MOOD
Lighting is a key element in shaping film. By controlling the amount of light, and the direction
and colour temperature of light sources, you can shape the atmosphere/mood of a scene.
Low-Key lighting
Low-key lighting produces mainly dark images accented by lighter areas. This is achieved
through having single, directional light sources. These create strong shadows. Low-key
lighting can be used to create spooky, mysterious and menacing moods by limiting what is in
light and what is in shadow. Large areas of dark can be used to infer the unknown/danger.
Low-key lighting is often used in horror, thriller and mystery movies.
Low-key lighting can also be used to create a sense of intimacy. If you use a single light
source such as a fire, you can create a romantic or intimate scene while also having strong
shadows.
Lighting direction
The mood you create will vary with each situation and different lighting setup. There are,
however, some general rules about lighting direction, which can be helpful when planning
your lighting setup.
Under lighting
Lighting a character or object from underneath can
create a spooky feel. This is because it is highly
unusual for us to experience underlighting in
everyday life. Underlighting is often used in horror
situations.
Back Lighting
Back lighting involves lighting a character or object
from behind. Depending on the exposure levels,
this can turn the character into a silhouette or
create a halo/nimbus of light around them. If the
exposure is low, then the character will be a dark
silhouette. This can create a sense of mystery, or
can be used to make the character sinister and
menacing. If the exposure is high, then often the
character’s features will be clearly visible. In this
situation, because of the light coming from behind
them, they appear to be radiating light. This can
create an angelic or innocent association with the
character.
Top lighting
Top lighting involves single light source from above.
This is the simplest sort of lighting to pull off
because there is often top lighting already in place
in interior locations. What you need is single top
lights without a large spill area so that you can still
have large areas of shadow. Top lighting can create
a sense of menace, because if the character is
positioned appropriately, then their eyes become
dark shadows. This makes the character seem dark
and menacing.
Side lighting
Side lighting means lighting a scene from the side.
This can often be used to create strong shadows on
the wall. It is often used in gritty, noir, scenes. Side
lighting can be used to create a specific
psychological effect called the chiaroscuro effect.
This means “half in light, half in shadow”. This is
where a character’s face is half obscured. This can
be used where the audience is not sure whether the
character is good or evil.
Fragmented, slash, moving and flickering
lighting
Fragmented lighting refers to where the light source has to pass through objects, and only
casts light on certain areas of the shot. This can be relatively stable, such as blinds on a
window, or changeable, such as dappled light through trees. Slash lighting refers to using
something to block areas of a light source and create a slash of light that focuses on a certain
area of the frame. Using slash or fragmented light creates large areas of shadow and reveals
only parts of the scene. This can be used to create mystery and suspense.
Using moving and/or flickering lights can help add
drama/suspense. They create greater suspense by
revealing and hiding information from the viewer.
Using a moving torch as the only light source, for
example, is a good way of only providing the viewer
with snatches of the scene. The dark, unseen, space
becomes scary or threatening because of what it
might contain.
Colour Temperature
Colour temperature has nothing to do with physical heat, but to do with how warm or cold
light sources and colours are. Warm colours are reds, oranges and rich yellows. Warm light
sources include: firelight; candles; tungsten bulbs; the sun for an hour before sunset; lighting
altered with warm gels. Cold light sources and colours are greens and blues. Cold light
sources include: fluorescent bulbs; daylight in predawn and very early morning; blue flames;
lighting altered with cold gels. Neutral light sources include: daylight during the middle of the
day; halogen bulbs. The colour of a room can also affect the colour cast of the light. Using
the white balance on the camera and colour correction filters in Final Cut Pro can alter the
colour cast of footage.
Cold colour temperature
Cold colour temperature can be used
to create a sense of unease, fear,
sadness, depression or lifelessness.
Cold colour temperatures are often
used in dystopian worlds to create a
sense of bleakness. They are also
used to create fear in horror scenes.
Warm colour temperature
Warm colour temperatures are
often used to create
environments that are warm
and comforting. Warm lighting is
often used in romance and
musicals where the mood is
lighter and happier.