UNIT 36: LIGHTING

TECHNIQUES LAB
STUDIO LIGHTING
 SPOTLIGHTING
For this lighting setup, the only source
of light was light that was above Solar
which created racoon eyes. This
lighting technique creates a sinister
mood that will be suitable for horror
films as most his face is not visible due
to the shadows. There was no
difficulty in setting this up.
 FLOODS
Floods is when the light is spread across the This is an example of a flood where the light expands
subject rather than it being concentrated in one and covers a bigger area rather than a small one.
spot. Here is an example of the blonde light that
is small and concentrated on the subject's face.
This lighting technique can be used in detective
or horror films which can be similar to a point of Flood
view shot of a flashlight
QUALITY AND POSITIONING
HARD
LIGHTING
Hard lighting was achieved here
by using a light that was
positioned at an angle to create
the shadows on the subject's
face appear sharper and darker
where the other side of her face
was not visible. It makes her face
seem more 3 dimensional in
comparison to soft lighting
where there were not much
shadows.
SOFT LIGHTING
Soft lighting was achieved here
by using a key light and a fill light
to prevent any harsh shadows on
the subject's face. The lighting in
this picture is bright and
flattering which may
be appropriate for romance films
due to the soft mood it creates
as there are no harsh shadows or
dark areas.
KEY, FILL AND BACK LIGHTING
A key, fill and back light were used in
this photo. It has casted barely any
shadows as each light was positioned in
an area where shadows may be casted
and was lit to prevent them. As the
look created using these lights makes
the subject more flattering, there
are particularly no harsh edges in the
shadows and creates a positive mood.
TEMPERATURE
The light was placed on the floor which made the
shadow stretch longer and overpowered the
subject which is a technique that can be used in
horror films. However, there was a dark orange tint
which made the atmosphere appear warm. When
changing the temperature of the light, it can create
different moods. For example, when the
temperature of the light is decreased to a blue
light, it makes the picture appear cold and
mysterious.
LIGHTING SETUPS
 THREE POINT LIGHTING

In this lighting setup, there was a

use of key light, fill light and back
light. The key light is the primary
light which we positioned in front
of the subject's face and was used
to light up the subject's face. We
managed to get the subjects face
well-lit in the camera with minimal
shadows on her face.
FOUR POINT LIGHTING

When setting up a 4-point lighting

setup, there were not much difficulty,
but we have achieved a soft look with
warm lighting and soft shadows as
they wrap around the subject's face.
He also seems more 3 dimensional as
he is separated from the background
which makes him look more 3D.
STAGE LIGHTS

For this lighting setup, the stage lights

were above the subject which created
some unflattering shadows on the
subjects face such as raccoon eyes and a
nose shadow. There were no difficulties
in setting this up. As this may create
some unflattering shadows, it also
focuses on one subject and erases the
background, isolating the subject.
 LIGHTING FOR PORTRAITURE

When creating light for portraiture,

the subjects face will need to be well
lit. We placed the light at an angle to
create shadows on her face to make it
seem more 3 dimensional. The light
was placed near the camera where it
also separates the subject from the
background as there is a shadow.
 LIGHTING FOR FACTUAL PROGRAMMING

When filming for factual

programmes like documentaries
and the news, natural lighting is
typically used when interviewing
people. While we took this picture,
the weather was cloudy and was
taken in a wide space where there
wasn’t anything to cast shadows
apart from the subjects face as the
only available light source was the
sky.
PORTABLE LIGHTING
EQUIPMENT
REDHEADS
Redhead light
The redhead lighting was used
along with the stage lights as the
lighting casted minimal shadows
which made the subjects face
look flat. This lighting equipment
was easy to use but it got hot
so the user would have to be
careful when moving it around or
touching it.
 BLONDES
The blonde lighting is twice as Blonde light
bright as the redhead lighting
which meant that it got hot quite
quickly so the user would have to
be careful when handling this
when the light as been on for quite
a while. There were no difficulties
in setting this up but as this light is
very bright it is advised that it
should be pointed away when not
in use. This light created a
dramatic mood as it can cast dark
shadows due to the brightness of
this light.
 REFLECTOR BOARDS
A reflector board was used here to reflect the light
back to the subject's face. This can be used in place of
a fill light as it can be easier to carry around when
filming, it can also help fix any odd shadows on the
subject and can prevent any backlight. We used a
reflector board to make changes in the shadows to
create a softer look. It may take a few minutes to find
the position where the reflector will cast the most
appropriate shadow.

Reflector board
 DIFFUSER

Tracing paper was used as a

diffuser to cover the blonde
lighting to dim the brightness
down. It helped cast softer
shadows rather than harsh
shadows. When clipping the
tracing paper onto the light,
there had to be a gap between
the light and the tracing paper
itself so it doesn’t burn.
 GELS
Gels were used here to create
different moods, for example, we
used a red gel to create a sinister
mood. We also used a blue gel
which helped us achieve a cold
atmosphere. There were no
difficulties in setting up the light
and adding the gels, but we had to
ensure that they were clipped in
securely and had a gap between
the gel itself and the light to
prevent it from burning.