Essential Lighting Concepts for Cinematographers

[00:00:03]Film or video is nothing more than a camera  capturing different wavelengths of light.

[00:00:10]One of the primary facets of a cinematographer’s  job is using lighting to sculpt images and   influence the feeling of a film visually. There  are an infinite number of ways that DPs can paint   with light: subtly, brashly, softly, firmly.  The possibilities for expression are limitless.

[00:00:34]There are however certain key principles   which every cinematographer needs to know in  order to use them as a base for their lighting.

[00:00:42]In this video I’ll go over 5 of these concepts  for cinematic lighting: Three Point Lighting,   High Key Vs. Low Key, Soft Vs. Hard, Colour  Temperature and Naturalistic Vs. Expressionist,   which are all foundational to the knowledge  of anyone who wants to be a filmmaker.

[00:01:06]The direction and placement  of light sources on set is   one of the most important decisions DPs can make.

[00:01:13]Although some may argue that strict three point  lighting, the likes of which was a trademark   in Classical Hollywood, has almost become  obsolete amongst many modern cinematographers,   I’d argue that it is still one of the most  important principles in lighting today.

[00:01:27]It refers to the three different lights  traditionally used to light a scene:   a key light, a fill light and a backlight. These  three light sources can take the form of anything,   from film lights, to the  sun, or even practical lamps.

[00:01:43]The key light is the strongest  source of illumination   and classically is set up at a  45 degree angle to the character.   This creates contrast and lights up the  face, leaving some of the face in shadow.

[00:01:56]To soften the shadow and decrease contrast,  a fill light, which is usually less powerful   than the key, is set up on the other side of the  face typically at around 45 degrees. This is used   to ‘fill in’ or illuminate the face enough so  that there is a controlled level of contrast.

[00:02:14]Then finally, a backlight is set up  at an angle behind the character,   hitting the back of them. This creates  an outline around them and increases   the separation between the character  in the foreground and the background.

[00:02:27]While some DPs choose to use  all three points of lighting,   many don’t. For example, some may  like high levels of contrast and   choose to light with a strong backlight  while not filling in the face at all.

[00:02:39]Understanding the concept of three  point lighting is still valuable,   even if you decide to disregard one  or even two of the lighting points.

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[00:04:02]In order to understand high and low key lighting  we need to understand the idea of contrast ratios.   This refers to the difference in luminance  between the light part of an image,   typically lit by a key light,  and the dark part of an image.

[00:04:17]Cinematographers often light so that there are  different areas of exposure in different parts   of the frame. This creates different planes of  contrast in a 2D image, resulting in more depth.

[00:04:29]For example, having a brightly lit subject against  a dark background gives an image more separation.

[00:04:36]When the difference between the lightest  and darkest part of an image is high,   the level of contrast or contrast ratio is high.  This is characteristic of low key lighting.

[00:04:47]These kinds of images have strong shadows  with deep blacks, punctuated by areas of   highlights. This style of lighting is achieved  by minimising the amount of light sources used,   for example using a single  backlight with minimal fill.

[00:05:02]High key lighting flips this. Exposure  across the image is far more even,   with minimal contrast and a brighter overall  illumination with few shadows. Usually   more light sources are used in order  to light up all parts of the frame.

[00:05:19]High key lighting, with its lighter, cheerier,  more flattering luminance, is commonly applied   to comedic content, beauty shots and stories  which are more light hearted in nature.

[00:05:32]Low key lighting’s lower levels  have associations with drama,   mystery, suspense or any story which is on  the darker end of the emotional spectrum.

[00:05:42]As with any creative field, there are no  hard and fast rules, and cinematographers   have been known to deliberately flip  these lighting conventions on occasion,   using low key lighting for comedy  or high key lighting for horror.

[00:05:59]The quality of light and how it is shaped is  another important consideration in cinematography.

[00:06:06]Hard or direct light comes from shining a source  straight onto the subject. This results in hard,   defined shadows, which have a clear line  of separation between light and dark areas.

[00:06:18]Lighting in this way adds a level of  harshness and intensity to a scene,   making it suitable for films with a gritty  tone. It can be used to replicate artificial   light sources like harsh sodium vapour street  lamps or direct, toppy overhead fluorescents.

[00:06:35]Soft or diffused light produces  shadows with a gradient   or a softer edge which wrap  gradually around a subject.

[00:06:42]This can be achieved by shining a light  through diffusion before it hits a subject,   bouncing light off a surface  or combining these two methods   by first bouncing then diffusing that same  light in a technique called book lighting.

[00:06:58]Diffusion comes in various strengths depending  on how much you need to soften the light.   Common diffusion materials include:  white diffusion gels like a Lee 216   and textiles like a Full Grid Cloth or Silk.

[00:07:11]In the past I’ve used low budget solutions  for diffusion like using a white bedsheet,   a shower curtain or even baking  paper in front of a light.

[00:07:21]Some common methods of bouncing light are to: use  a textile, like a White Ultra Bounce on a 8x8,   12x12 or 20x20 frame, use a polyboard, like a  white poly for softer bounce or a silver poly for   slightly increased, harder bounced light, or just  bouncing a light straight off a wall or ceiling.

[00:07:42]The more light is diffused or bounced the lower  illumination it provides. This is why larger,   more expensive lights with a greater output  are often required by DPs who want soft light.

[00:07:54]Diffused light is generally used to  replicate the quality of natural,   bounced ambient light from the sun and is  especially popular in beauty cinematography   as it helps to soften and flatter features.

[00:08:11]Visible light occurs on a spectrum  of colour. Conventionally,   colours along the blue/yellow  axis are measured in Kelvins.

[00:08:19]The warmer the colour temperature, the  lower its Kelvin value will be. For example,   a warmer, more orange, tungsten light will have  a colour temperature somewhere around 3,200K,   while a cooler, daylight  HMI will be around 5,600K.

[00:08:35]Just as cinematographers use different  contrast ratios to create separation and depth,   colour temperature can be used in the same way.

[00:08:43]Lighting characters with a warm  tungsten light against a cooler dusk sky   creates more depth between  them and the background.

[00:08:51]Lights with different colour tints  can also be used in this way,   or to throw a monochromatic  hue over the entire frame.

[00:08:58]This can be achieved by either  shining lights through coloured gels,   or dialing a specific tint on the  colour spectrum on an RGB LED light.

[00:09:08]Gels can also be used to correct the  native colour temperature of lights.   For example, a scene may be keyed  by 5,600K daylight from the sun.

[00:09:17]A cinematographer may want to place a strong  3,200K tungsten light to fill in the face.

[00:09:25]In order to balance the light so that the colour  temperature remains the same colour as daylight,   they could add a CTB gel to the tungsten light to  achieve a uniform temperature across the frame.

[00:09:41]There are two approaches to lighting  a film. One is naturalistic lighting,   which attempts to emulate and enhance the  naturally occurring ambient light on a set.

[00:09:50]Lighting in a realistic way can be  used to draw an audience closely   into the story, presenting the  characters in a more objective style.

[00:09:58]Expressionist lighting involves altering  the colour, quality and shape of light   in an unrealistic way, that is not true  to life, for a jaring, emotional effect.

[00:10:09]This lighting style can be used to present  characters in a more subjective manner.

[00:10:14]It’s also possible to bounce between these  two approaches, lighting naturalistically   for the most part and enhancing lights in  an expressionist way for specific scenes.

[00:10:24]To light naturalistically, DPs will  often examine the set, see where   and how the light falls naturally, then  put up lights that emulate the direction,   shape and quality of that ambient light.

[00:10:37]Placing a large source outside  a window and shining it through   is one way of naturally replicating and  enhancing the sun coming through that window.

[00:10:47]Another naturalistic technique is to control  the ambient light using black textiles   to create shape and contrast.  This is called negative fill.

[00:10:56]Black subtracts light. So placing this  material on one side of a character’s face   for example will create more shadow while  retaining a lifelike shape to the light.

[00:11:07]These concepts form an important basis in  filmmaking education. Once cinematographers   fully understand all of these rules they  can then choose to follow them, break them   or apply some rules while disregarding others.

[00:11:22]Whether you choose to use  or ignore these concepts,   it’s important that your lighting is always  deliberate and based on motivated decision making.

[00:11:30]You should always be able to explain to someone  exactly why you place every light on a film set.

[00:11:35]In order to enhance emotion through  lighting you need to master the   technical side of cinematography and  know how to use it to your advantage,   in order to manipulate the correct  visual tone for each film that you shoot.

[00:11:50]I’d just like to thank everyone for watching and  supporting the channel. If you’d like to see these   videos early please consider supporting me on  Patreon by following the link in the description.

[00:12:01]Until next time, thanks for watching and goodbye.