Lighting

Learning objective:

To learn the film language used to describe lighting techniques and effects

Analyse lighting techniques and their effects, using the correct terminology

Outcome:

All: will be able to describe one style of lighting techniques. (E)

Most: will be able to identify 2-3 lighting styles and explain the purpose it has. (C)

Some: will be able to identify the lighting style and will also be able to use media language effectively to describe the purpose it has. (A)

The purpose of Lighting in Flims 

To begin to acknowledge the ways in which lighting can shape the ways we respond to a film, think over the scene in Alfred Hitchcock's Suspicion (1941) as shown below



In this scene a man walks in with a small tray with a glass of milk that glows on it with all the shadows of the man walking the both of these together create a unease feeling toward what will happen making you think if the milk is posioned and so on.

Film lighting has three main purposes.
The frist is the clearness of the image.
It is important for the audience to be able to see all the important element in the frame, these might range frome facial expressions and gestures to the importantsee of a significant prop.

The second purpose is realism.

This is the visual scheme that suggest that the lighting come from a logical source within the film world. For example the lamp in this image below 

And finally the third is the creation of atmosphere or emotional effect.

This lighting effect was mainly for dramatic situations as the one in the video but then came to be used to sort its type of genre, for example one way to use lighting to create a emotional effect in a horror or a thriller is to focus the light on one object like a knife or as the video a glass to show that this object is important another way is to use shadow to create a mood that someone is following the character.

3 point lighting is a standard method used in film. By using three separate positions the camera can illuminate the shot's subject however desired, while also controlling the shading and shadows produced by direct lighting.

The three lights are:

Key Light: Is usually the brightest light and the most influential and serves as the principal illuminator. Here is an example of key lighting:

Back Light: Helps to counteract the effect of the key light, making the character/ object look more rounded it also separates the character/ object from the bakground and highlighting contours . Here is an example of back lighting:

Fill Light: Helps to soften the harsh shadows that the other lights create. Here is an example of filler light:

All together one by one this image show what they create

Angles of Lighting

Under Lighting is when the main source of light comes from below the subject. This tends to have a distorting effect on the character of object that is being lit and id often in Horror Films. Here is an example of under lighting:

Top Lighting is when the main source of lighting comes from above; highlighting the features of a character- it can be used to create a glamorous look in a star.

Back Lighting is when the light source is behind the subject. If little or no light is used, silhouettes are created.

High-key lighting means that more filler lights are used. This makes the  lighting appears more natural and realistic to our eyes. It can be used to describe lighting on brightly lit sets such as a recreated sunny day in the park, or to describe a more subtly-lit night time scene. Although shadows will be produced the contrast is a lot softer. 

Low-key lighting is when a scence has a high lighting ratio, especially if there is a predominance of shadowy areas. It tends to heighten the sense of alienation felt by the viewer, hence is commonly used in film noir and horror genres.

Watch matrix-1.avi in Entertainment  |  View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

I decied to look at another scence to talk about lighting my teacher said this secne from matrix is good and to talk about the way lighting relates to the characters. The whole scene is set in a run-down house and the only light is coming from three light two parallel to each other and the third out of shot above the fire place. The scene starts with a man in a black leather jacket (Morfeus) shutting the window, he then sit down with another man (Neo). Both now sitting in front of each other, Morfeus sits back in his chair making a lot of shadow on his face making us feel how relaxed and calm he is adding to the mysterious character he is. On the other hand Neo is sitting on the edge of his chair with the lighting hitting him at all angles making his face more readable with less shadows this also shows that he want the truth that Morfeus speaks and is not scared of him or opening up to him. after a while of talking he then offers him a blue pill and a red pill, there is a close of Morfeus face half of his faces is lit up by the lighting and the other is all dark shadows, in his glasses you can see his hands holding the pills and Neo face deciding which to pick. This show that the lighting makes Morfeus feel like he hold his fate, good and bad and that both sides are clearly shown which is which. Neo face in his lenses it is again all revealed to show his facial expression about the decision he has to make and again showing that he is pure and trusts Morfeus.

With out Lighting is this scene you as the audience would not feel how important Morfeus is and how mysterious he is and also that he holds Neo fate good and bad. You would also not Know how pure and ready to learn Neo is.