This document is a student essay discussing lighting techniques in filmmaking. It contains 3 key points: 1. It provides a brief history of lighting from prehistoric times to early lamps and candles used for illumination. Fireflies and oily fish and birds were also used as early lighting sources. 2. It examines the basic three-point lighting technique and how it is fundamental to film production. It also discusses specific lighting challenges and techniques used in films like Indiana Jones and The Matrix. 3. It includes quotes from Steven Spielberg emphasizing the importance of lighting, experimentation, and learning from others to continually improve lighting methods for storytelling and entertainment.

1. STUDENT NAME: STIENBERG TAN GEOK YONG Email: robin.stienberg@yahoo.com
I/C Number S7234046I Tel: +65-87421029
Student number: TM15-10163 A TMC Academy Higher Diploma
Essay Project Copyright 2016, All Rights Reserved.
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Lighting – The Magic Experience
ALTERNATIVELY, IS IT SECRET?
STIENBERG TAN GEOK YONG | FLM201 | October 5, 2016

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There are three questions that we will compare in this essay.
1. We will examine ways, what, when, where and how the efficient lighting is and is
not for Industry vs. Adventures?
2. Is it need?
3. Conclusion and Future

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An Introduction of Lighting for Entertainment
When was Lighting Introduced in Film and Television?
The Discovery of lighting begin is studied as long as 400,000 BC as archeologist
suggested. Fire use to be lighted up by a prehistoric man from the use of wood and then
on to oil lamps to enhance the surroundings. As time goes by lamps were then made by
rocks, horns, and stones along with grease or fiber wick to support the illumination.
Support these evidence, many of the pre-historic lamps were found at Lascaux Caves at
Modern day France date back 15,000 years. It also found oily birds and fish used as
lamps after it threaded with a wick.
Even fireflies were used for lighting sources and then on candles, glass pottery to
chandeliers were the early form of fixtures for both primary domestic and entertainment.

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2 . 3 Point Lighting and others
Before introducing an argument of this case study of comedy and horror of its use on
lighting between advantages and disadvantages I will first explain what lighting terms are
all about and why the three point lighting is the primary use for both on and industry use.
The Three “Points” or three point lighting described as three roles the light plays in a
scene with each serving a particular purpose and function.
Firstly – Key Light, the light creates the person or subject, object first illumination and
defines the dominant space for lighting. The Key light is usually brighter than any other
light illuminating the object or subject. Usually, the subject is usually the light that casts
the darkest, and most visible shadows in the film.
Secondly – Fill light, this light characteristic is often defined and recognize as softens and
expands the illumination distributed by the key light and enhances more on the object.
Fill lights often enable simulation the efforts of reflected light or light secondary resource
in the film.
Thirdly – Backlight creates a unique edge to help visually divide the object or subject
from the background. The background can glint off the subject's hair lights and add the
edge where the issue ends, and the experience begins.

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Lighting Horror Verses Comedy the Advantages and Disadvantages
We will now examine examples of some films that have use lighting to the power and
problems of the characters that reflect the protagonist or antagonist.
He chose (Speilberg) 4k Xenon lamp, for instance, to create the hard shadow for their car
since infill daylight. This is because they were in New Mexico and the temperature was
108 degrees, and all their lights were blown off because of the heat. This is informed by
his staff Devlin the technical light set engineer. Moreover, because of the heat, to protect
all mechanical devices and instruments they had to build in air conditioning coverage for
the entire set including protecting the cables and heads. Speilberg approved of the
coverage and budgets when it comes to safety and quality of lighting for film.
Did 4X Xenon Lampwork for the set? The answer is yes. It needed to calibrate the way it
is the angle and covered. It needs to study and test trial on the film says, Spielberg.

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Speilberg also went on and explain “Not only we had to use that type of lights but also
T5.6 stop models – they are super bright overhead lights that I had to use them in the
shot, so we also had T1622 as well. According to Devlin, they ended up using over
4,000-watt practicals, and them were oversized regarding bell housing which is a small
problem. However, because of the size or scale of the project, it is not noticeable because
we had 120 housing made and each container four 1000 Watt Narrow Spot Par 64 bulbs.
The Chief rigging officer Mark Mele added that coverage so that no one would notice the
cables.
Apart from this challenge Spielberg also has to bring in the following technical lighting
specifications at Yale Univeristy, the exteriors, the production had altered storefronts and
brought in hundreds of period cars and extras, high-speed motor chase; the chase winds
through the interior hallway of a library. Because of the demanding requirement, the
lighting uses to scale high critical, and several angles employed by bringing in six 15-6k
Bebee Night lights for the hallway.
They were real benefits because that model of light is enabled us to move more mobile
faster to one location to other location even in science faster, the only obstacle is that it
would not give us 100% full shadow coverage, perhaps 90%.
Indeed in this example of Indiana Jones movies, it does not spare mistakes from lighting
if one is to observe why there're shadows that would not enhance the entire sence or the
hero himself perhaps its Indiana Jones and its forgiving due to its brand.

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Matrix in lightings.
In a sense the shot by shot description will allow us to understand why and what makes it
apparently create a good and direct shot of the character both Neo and Trinity. In the first
shot, a dolly move from behind pillars and intermittently shows the club and significant
it sets the tone for the whole scene. From there it sets up the excitement visually, (lighting
from three angles and even the forth is used. When we adopt the fourth angle all is
broken up by intermittent total darkness across the entire image.
In the next example
Neo with dolly move that pushes past a picture of a hand caressing a leather-clad
backside. By pressing the camera past any element and isolating Neo in the frame, to
understand visually, he has divide himself from the carnival revelry of the club and is
there in seriousness about finding out more about the Matrix. Another aspect of this shot
is the background of the organization seen through the archway, which is closed up in its
compositional sub-frame by the architecture. Neo stands off to the side of this sub-frame,
further isolating him compositionally from the revelry. In this shot, we have both the
foreground and background working (without words) to tell is exactly how Neo feels
about being in the club, and why he is there.

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When Trinity approaches, we see Neo in a medium close-up followed by a medium, that
are dismissive profile shots (which feel completely natural because of the blocking
decision to have him partially keep his back to her). This is in contrast to Trinity’s
medium close-up, which is on-axis with her eyeliner. These shots are about the dramatic
beat of Neo trying to “play it cool.” He does not want to appear overly eager for
information about the Matrix even though he has come in desperation for detail that will
bring him closer to understanding what it is. This is in total difference to Trinity’s on-axis
medium close-up, that confirms her entire face, gives the sense of confidence and even
straightforward. To further reinforced by the lighting on their faces: a three-quarter
backlight leaves much of Neo’s head in silhouette, while a front-light wraps almost
entirely Trinity’s face, again in contrast to Neo’s clam dismissiveness with Trinity’s
sincerity. One other aspect is the height of the camera. On Neo’s side, the medium shot is
angled substantially below his eye line, and difference to being level on Trinity on her
side. The same idea: by being below Neo’s eyeliner, he towers over and takes a more
dominant feeling; a counterfeit confidence that will correct by the end of the scene. An
interesting part of the pulsing light (motivated by the club environment) that flickers
intermittently over Trinity’s face, casting her face in darkness and brightness. This
explores similar visual feeling as the opening shot of the scene: Neo desperate for
information that is intermittently shrouded by criticism and mystery.
Trinity calls Neo’s dismissive bluff by telling him that he is in danger, and steps into a
close-up. In the visual struggle between Neo’s dismissive profile and her on-axis

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boldness, she has by challenging his emotional bluff with her confrontational and
engaging close-up.
Neo engages, momentarily, and we see him in an on-axis close-up as well. When he
continues to resist, Trinity undertakes it one step further, and the move is Neo’s space,
both literally and compositionally. With this action, Trinity has turned the tables of Neo’s
earlier posturing and dismissiveness and has mostly taken power on the scene
undermined Neo off guard. The before and after singles on both sides, giving a sense of
emotional non-engagement, now totally engaged. Now, Trinity in a medium close-up
with convergence faces, that compose pin down Neo to the wall, this demonstrate how
she has called his bluff, and now has him in her clutches. These new compositions also
cross the 180-degree differ from the earlier set of shots. This enhances react by axis-
switching by Trinity reinforces the change of power in the scene.
In this new switched medium close-up we see less of Trinity’s face (both regarding being
in profile, as well as darkness) than Neo who is now more on the face with the camera
and lit brighter. In better touch up, we see Neo’s disorientation with series of randomly
swarming blue out of focus lights with a background towards medium close up. The
randomness towards a circular pattern of light reminiscent of the floating stars shown
nocked-out cartoon characters heads and give Neo a similar sense of disorientation.

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In conclusion is bad lighting or good lighting exist in the filmmaking the world? What
theories does it carry the weight from Hollywood to the small Islands like Singapore? Do
these arguments had any merit to Lightings in filmmaking should it make any mistakes?
The answer is yes and no.
If filmmaking in lighting does have any merits if not all is only because it was and done
in the name of art and commercialism. Audiences around the world can only judge by the
substance of the stories if any if the story is good and is not biased toward religion or any
form of creed.
In lighting, many experts dare say that it is art and realism from, why because according
to Spielberg in my email interview, he has this to say:
“In my years of filmmaking since the beginning, my partnership and friendship with crew
members added to my success, especially with George Lucas. Industrial, Light, and
Magic came to fulfill that need to add the expertise on Lighting and the added magic
enhancement to entertain and educate audiences.
Let me explain in three points the importance and welfare of lighting in Film:
1. The basic three point lighting is the foundation to ensure how any production is
want to be made nicely and appropriately as well as even professionally. This
serves a the necessary backbone for any student and growing new filmmaker and
crew engineer.

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2. To understand lighting and the effects is also by trial and error before the actual
production, I always experiment light shots behind the scenes for months to years
for some of my projects such as ET when I film that movie, there were many
mistakes I had made on lighting especially I used too much of the backlight than
highlights.
3. Lastly, I always learn from others even from my competition, I always humble
myself and attend master classes and lectures at Institutions for more update
because why technology always changes. New ways and better methods are yet to
be discovered, perhaps even cost saving.
References
1. Spencer, D A (1973). The Focal Dictionary of Photographic Technologies. Focal
Press. p. 454. ISBN 978-0133227192.
2. Jump up ^ Ronalds, B.F. (2016). Sir Francis Ronalds: Father of the Electric
Telegraph. London: Imperial College Press. ISBN 978-1-78326-917-4.
3. Jump up ^ Ronalds, B.F. (2016). "The Beginnings of Continuous Scientific
Recording using Photography: Sir Francis Ronalds' Contribution". European
Society for the History of Photography. Retrieved 2 June 2016.
4. Jump up ^ Clegg, Brian (2007). The Man Who Stopped Time. Joseph Henry
Press. ISBN 978-0-309-10112-7.
5. ^ Jump up to: a b Landecker, Hannah (2006). "Microcinematography and the
History of Science and Film". Isis. doi:10.1086/501105.
6. Jump up ^ Baker, T. Thorne (1932). "New Developments in Colour
Cinematography". Journal of the Royal Society of Arts.
7. Jump up ^ Baker, T. Thorne (1932). "New Developments in Colour
Photography". Journal of the Royal Society of Arts.
8. Jump up ^ "World's first colour film footage viewed for first time". BBC News.
9. Jump up ^ "Julia and Julia (1987)". IMDb.
10. Jump up ^ "The Last Broadcast is A First: The Making of a Digital Feature".
thelastbroadcastmovie.com.
11. An Email Interview with Steven Spielberg and Robin Stienberg (TMC) 2016
12. The Cinematography of “The MATRIX” BY Benjamin Kantor at cinevenger.com
2012

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