Lighting & Colour

Lighting:

Lighting is a critical component of film making.  How critical? No light = no film. It is, however, very commonly the most avoided or ignored feature of student film making.  Why?  It can be difficult and time consuming.  If you want good light, you must plan.

There are 12 basic types of lighting used in filmmaking that everyone on set should know:

1. Key lighting is the main—and strongest—light source in a scene or on the actor.

2. Fill lighting adds dimension and softens harsh shadows created by the key light.

3. Backlighting is placed behind the actor to help define their features and distinguish them from the background.

4. Side lighting lights the actor from the side and focuses on the contours of their face for a high-contrast dramatic effect.

5. Practical lighting is a light source that is visible within the scene like lamps, light fixtures, candles, and television sets. They’re not usually strong enough to light a subject, but they add to the cinematic ambiance of the scene.

6. Hard lighting is a lighting aesthetic with harsh shadows that draws attention to a specific actor or part of a scene.

7. Soft lighting is a lighting aesthetic with little to no harsh shadows that’s bright yet balanced.

8. High-key lighting is a lighting aesthetic with no shadows and intense brightness, bordering on overexposure. You’ll commonly see high-key lighting in a television sitcom, a music video, or a commercial.

9. Low-key lighting is a lighting aesthetic with a lot of shadows to create a sense of mystery or suspense.

10. Natural lighting uses and modifies the available light at the location of the shoot.

11. Motivated lighting is a controlled lighting technique meant to imitate natural light sources in the scene like the sun or the moon.

12. Bounce lighting is a technique where light is bounced from a strong source toward the actor with a reflector, which soften and spread the light.

Lighting a scene requires trial and error. Take time to experiment with three-point lighting, soft light, hard light, low-key light, and high-key light to find the right balance of light and shadows for your shot.

Learn more about lighting in film from David Lynch here.

Borrowed from David Lynch's Masterclass. 

COLOUR:

What's the impact of colour in film? Hear it from Lawrence Sher - "Joker" cinematographer

Where to begin?

I. Shoot "Flat Profile" video on your Canon DSLR 

1. Install the correct Canon EOS Utility program.  Find the correct version here:

2. Download the Cinestyle profile.

3. Unzip it. Follow the instructions in the zip archive

II. Use a colour wheel in selecting colours and in your editing (see colour grading below)

1. Use Adobe's digital color wheel tool (linked here)

2. You can also use Adobe's "Capture" app (use your Carney login)

III. Colour grade your footage. What colours can you use?

1. Ready for more complex colour grading? Here it is:

IV. Understanding colour theory: