3 point lighting

What is it?
It is a standard technique used for the basis of providing the correct amount of light to give a certain effect to the audience.

The Key Light

It is the main and strongest light. This light has the most influence on the overall look of the scene. It is place to one side of the subject so that this side will be well lit- it will also provide some shadow to the other side.

The Fill Light

This light is used to fill the shadows formed by the key light. It does this by being on the opposite side of the subject. It will often be softer than the key light. This is done through moving the light further away from the subject, do using some spun.

The Back Light

This is placed behind the subject. It does not provide direct lighting like the others, it is simply there to provide definition and subtle highlights around the outlines of the subject. This not only helps the subject appear more 3-Dimensional look, it also separates them from the background.

Type of light Key Key

Fill

Back

Fill

Back

Lighting in the 1920s

The 1920s was the era for silent films. Cameras and projectors used electric motors in order to achieve constant filming speed. Electric lights were important in both film making and projecting. In the early studio years, arc floodlights and Cooper-Hewitt mercury-vapour tubes were most important. From the mid 1920s and onwards, incandescent tungsten blubs became common. This was due to the fact that they were, brighter, newly available, but also because they did not produce a humming, noticeable noise which the arc lights did. Due to the films being silent. it was not necessary for the noise of the lighting to be as low as possible; however in the 1930s, with the development of talkies it became important. You dont want to be watching a film, and have a constant humming sound in the background. However, after the 1940s it was more common for tungsten floodlights with reflecting surfaces on the inside of the bulb behind the filament to be used.