Lighting by Angel

2. KEY LIGHT
THE TERM KEY LIGHT IS THE SOURCE OF TWO COMMONLY USED ADJECTIVES : LOW KEY. TO CALL
SOMETHING HIGH KEY IS TO SAY THAT IT´S INTENSE.

3. HIGH-KEY LIGHTING
WHEN CINEMATOGRAPHERS, ALSO KNOWN AS DIRECTORS OF PHOTOGRAPHY, USE A HIGH PROPORTION OF
FILL LIGHT TO KEY LIGHT IT'S CALLED HIGH-KEY LIGHTING; THE EFFECT IS BOTH BRIGHTER AND MORE EVEN
THAN WHEN THEY USE A LOW PROPORTION OF FILL LIGHT TO KEY LIGHT, WHICH IS CALLED LOW-KEY
LIGHTING. BRIGHT HIGH-KEY LIGHTING IS OFTEN USED IN COMEDIES AND MUSICALS TO ENHANCE A SENSE
OF LIVELINESS OR IN PARTICULARLY DRAMATIC SCENES IN DRAMAS TO EMPHASIZE THE INTENSITY OF THE
SITUATION.

4. LOW-KEY LIGHTING
THE LOWER THE KEY LIGHT, THE MORE SHADOWY THE EFFECT. THE SHADOWS CREATED BY LOW-KEY
LIGHTING WORK WELL IN MYSTERIES AND HORROR FILMS; SUCH LIGHTING HAS BECOME A CONVENTION OF
THOSE GENRES.

5. HIGH AND LOW KEY COMBINATION
MANY FILMS USE A COMBINATION OF HIGH-KEY AND LOW-KEY LIGHTING SET-UPS, DEPENDING ON THE
NATURE OF THE SCENE. IMAGINE A WESTERN OUTLAW, FOR INSTANCE, WALKING FROM A BRILLIANTY LIT,
HIGH-KEY EXTERIOR INTO A DARKER, MORE LOW-KEY SALOON. THE DIRECTOR MIGHT BE CONTRASTING THE
EXTERNAL WORLD OF BRIGHT NATURE WITH THE CONFINIG, DARK, INTERIOR WORLD OF CIVILIZATION.

6. BACKLIGHTING
IS THE PROCESS OF ILLUMINATING THE SUBJECT FROM THE BACK. IT LIGHTS FOREGROUND ELEMENTS
FROM BEHIND. IN OTHER WORDS, THE LIGHTING INSTRUMENT AND THE VIEWER FACE EACH OTHER, WITH
THE SUBJECT IN BETWEEN. THIS CREATES A GLOWING EFFECT ON THE EDGES OF THE SUBJECT, WHILE OTHER
AREAS ARE DARKER. THE BACKLIGHT CAN BE A NATURAL OR ARTIFICIAL LIGHT.

7. BACKGROUND LIGHT
THE FOUR-POINT LIGHTING SETUP IS THE SAME AS A THREE-POINT LIGHTING SETUP WITH THE ADDITION OF
A BACK GROUND LIGHT. THE BACKGROUND LIGHT IS USED TO ILLUMINATE THE BACKGROUND AREA OF A
SET. THE BACKGROUND LIGHT WILL ALSO ADD DISTANCE BETWEEN THE SUBJECT AND THE BACKGROUND.
IN A FOUR-POINT LIGHTING SETUP, THE BACKGROUND LIGHT IS USUALLY PLACED LAST AND IS TYPICALLY
PLACED DIRECTLY BEHIND THE SUBJECT AND POINTED AT THE BACKGROUND. BY ADDING A BACKGROUND
LIGHT TO A SET, FILMMAKERS CAN ADD A SENSE OF DEPTH TO SHOTS.

8. TOP LIGHTING
IS ANOTHER COMMON LIGHTING TECHNIQUE. TOP LIGHTING IS WHEN THE UPPER AREAS OF A SUBJECT ARE
LIT (OUTLINED) BY A SOURCE GENERATING FROM ABOVE IT.

9. UNDER LIGHTING
IS THE APPROACH OF LIGHTING A SUBJECT FROM A POINT BELOW THE SUBJECTS IN THE SCENE. EVERY KID
HAS PRACTICED UNDER LIGHTING BY PLACING A FLASHLIGHT UNDER HIS/HER FACE TO CREATE A SPOOKY
EFFECT