This document provides an introduction to lighting techniques for film. It discusses how lighting is used both on location to supplement existing light and in studios where all light must be provided. Common lighting tools like Fresnel spots, Kino Flos, and three-point lighting setups are described. The document also covers lighting techniques to establish mood and direct the viewer's eye, including key, fill, back, and under lighting. Terminology like color temperature, contrast ratio, and angle of shine are defined. The correct approach to lighting is said to involve logically recreating the light source and achieving a clear set of shadows.

1. Introduction to
Lighting & Techniques

2. Introduction
 Films consist of pictures and sound.
 The pictures come from cameras, but cameras
need light to see.
 All around us, there is plenty of light
“accidentally”, from ambient daylight, room
lights, etc.

3. Introduction
 On location, it is the lighting team’s job to:
1. Use and supplement, or
2. Eliminate the “accidental” light
 In the totally controlled studio environment, all
light has to be provided for the cameras

4. Arri Fresnel 1Kw Spot Light
 Provides light to a specific spot
 Barn doors can be adjusted to:
1. Limit light
2. Reduce shadows
3. Overlap adjacent lights
 Produces a lot of heat

5. Kino Flo
 Soft, flood light
 Provides light to a large
area
 Produces less heat
 Fits into cramped areas

6. Redheads & Blondies

7. Three-point Lighting
 Most commonly
used setup
 Building block
 Key light
 Fill light
 Back light

8. Key Light
 Brightest light
 Most important
 Reveal surface form
 Principal shadow
 One side of the camera

9. Fill Light
 Less intensity
 Diffuse (soften)
 Opposite side
 Reduce shadows by key light

10. Three-point Lighting Combination
 Depth & Separation
 3 Dimensional
 Separate background
from subject

11. Direction of Lighting
 Front
 Edge (side)
 Back
 Under

12. Frontal Lighting
 From camera’s
viewpoint
 Reduces modeling and
texture
 Diminishes age wrinkles
 Avoids shadows

13. Edge Lighting
 Emphasizes texture and
contours
 Highlights objects

14. Back Lighting
 Directly behind subject
 Often from high position
 Halo effect
 Illuminate & separate
outline

15. Under Lighting
 Inverted facial modeling
 Mysterious
 Ghostly

16. Lighting Mood
 Lighting helps to establish the mood of your
story.
 Changing the angle, intensity, and colour of
your lights can dramatically alter the mood of a
scene

17. Flat Lighting
 Low contrast
 Reveals all details
 Little or no shadows
 No background separation
 Boring

18. Modeled Lighting
 High contrast
 Tonal graduation
 Shadows formations
 Three-dimensional illusion

19. Atmospheric Lighting
 Mood lighting
 Support the atmosphere or
environment
 Normally associated with darker
images
 Use of practical lights

20. Silhouette Lighting
 Back lighting
 Brighter background
 No or little subject detail

21. Common Lighting Terminology
 Ambient light
The light already present in a scene, before any additional lights are
added.
 Incident light
Light seen directly from a light source (sun, lamp, etc).
 Reflected light
Light seen after having bounced off a surface.

22. Common Lighting Terminology
 Colour temperature
A standard of measuring the characteristics of light, measured in
degrees Kelvin.
 Contrast ratio
The difference in brightness between the brightest white and the
darkest black within the image.
 Key light
The main light on the subject, providing most of the illumination and
contrast.

23. The Correct Way of Lighting
 There is never a correct or definite way.
 There is always scope for interpretation and trail
& error in lighting.

24. The Correct Way of Lighting
 The best way is to ask these 2 questions:
1. How do I light the scene logically and realistically?
2. Where is the light for the scene coming from?

25. Angle of Shine
 The imagined source of light for a scene representing
the sun shining downwards
 What is your angle of shine in order to recreate the light
from the sun?

26. Managing Shadows
 In the natural world, objects often only cast one defined
shadow
 How do you light your shot to achieve one clear defined
set of shadows?