Analysis of light I'll use in my documentary

1. The Different Forms of
Lighting in my Piece
By Daniel Withington

2. So a major factor that I have to consider are the
different styles of light I'll be using within my
documentary.
There are two different styles of light that I'll be
prioritising, natural light during the golden hour,
and a 3 point lighting set up.

3. I intend to film my documentary in two different
parts, one part shall be interviews with several
of the people involved.
The other part shall be filmed outside in a more
explorative style. Both locations shall require
different forms of lighting.

4. 1. Natural Light during
the Golden Hour

5. Why I want natural Light
• As I film outside it is widely
known that the best time to
shoot is during what people
consider the “Golden Hour”
• This means filming just after the
sun has risen or just before it
sets
• This enables you to film with
natural light heading towards the
target of your shot from a
horizontal angle as apposed
from an over the head angle that
could make shots look awkward

6. I intend to heavily implement outside shoots into my final
piece and as such I feel it’s essential to understand as
much as possible the dynamics of natural light.
In conjuncture with the golden hour I shall also be using
reflectors where ever possible to manipulate the light so
that I achieve the desired shot.

7. 2. Three point
lighting set-up

8. The uses of the Three point
lighting set-up
Whilst doing an inside shoot it is imperative that you make
the target of your shoot as well lit and viewable as posable.
The best way to achieve this is by using three different
lights at three different strengths to illuminate a subject.

9. The red
arrows
represent
the light
from the
key light
The green
arrows
represent
the light
from the
back light
The blue arrows represent
the light from the fill light

10. The key light we placed facing in
the directions of the red arrows.
This was our main light source,
that served to illuminate our
targets making them clear and
visible for the audience.

11. The blue light represents the light
from the fill light. The shadows
cast by the key light are fairly
prominent so to soften these
shadows we use the fill light.

12. The green arrow represents the
light from the back light. This
adds an illuminated sense to the
target noticeable around the
edges of a target especially on
the edges of the hair.

13. To summarise…
I wish to incorporate both these forms of lighting in my
documentary as I feel they’ll both produce positive effects
for my work.