Role Research - Lighting

Lighting.

Three Point Lighting.

While filming a video, the use of three lights is important. The key is the main light and is the most important one. It is usually placed at about 45 degrees from your subject and the light is aimed down, rather than directly at the subject. As it is the main light, it is the main source of illumination on the subject and as a result may cause strong shadows.

The fill is usually set at about 45 degrees from your subject on the opposite side to the key and is broader and usually about two or three stops dimmer. The job of the fill is to keep the shadows from the key from being too strong.

The backlight is aimed at your subject from behind and above and is also set at about a 45-degree angle. It gives the subject a glow, which gives some separation between the subject and the background behind them. This is often called a "defining edge". This is particularly useful for shooting someone with dark hair against a dark background.

Light Modifiers

• Barn Doors: These are used to control the path of the light and also the direction it is coming from. They don't diffuse light normally, but there are heat resistant diffusion materials that can be clipped to them.

• Reflective umbrella: This is an umbrella that is painted white, silver or gold on the inside. They collect light from the bulb, diffuse it, and aim it towards the subject.

• Shoot through umbrella: This is a transparent umbrella and the light travels through the fabric and diffuses. It also reflects back towards the lamp, giving a lot of spill behind, too. These are particularly useful for lighting large areas of a room.

• Softboxes: These are similar to reflective umbrellas, but are box shaped and completely enclosed. One or two additional layers of translucent material make the light even more diffused.

• Snoots: These are cone or tube like devices and are used to focus a beam of light in a very tight spot - often used on backlights to keep light from spilling onto the background.

• Grids: They can be made of cloth, metal, or plastic. Grids tightly focus and soften a light. They are often used to create a small soft circle of light against a backdrop.

Using natural light.

The sunlight, when it is a sunny day, will be quite harsh, causing deep shadows on the subject. Shady areas, beneath trees, can be used to lessen the harshness of the light. Reflectors are important when shooting outside, but as they can be expensive, sunshades can also be used. Because the sunlight only falls at one specific angle, reflectors are necessary in distributing the light to other areas. Reflectors catch the light and send it in the direction you want it to go. This creates two sources of light and creates more of a studio environment outside.

Increasing light.

When in a studio or somewhere else with electrical lighting, if you find that the lighting on your subject is not strong enough, the easiest way to combat this is to simply move the light closer to your subject. Also, the location of the subject can be changed so that the light falls in the right places. When indoors and using natural light, make sure all the blinds or curtains are open so that the maximum amount of light comes in. Turn electrical lights on to maximise the amount of light in the shot and lessen the amount of noise that will show on your footage.