{"id":256,"date":"2015-02-12T10:50:20","date_gmt":"2015-02-12T09:50:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/vision.wettintv.de\/?page_id=256"},"modified":"2022-04-11T11:57:58","modified_gmt":"2022-04-11T10:57:58","slug":"03-basics-of-lighting","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/vision-videoschool.eu\/?page_id=256","title":{"rendered":"Basics of lighting"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Introduction<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Light is crucial for the quality of\u00a0any film. That’s why it’s important to learn to use it in a way that\u00a0suits the type of video you’re making and\u00a0achieves the\u00a0effect you want.<\/p>\n

In this chapter, you’ll learn how to illuminate people and\u00a0objects well, whether in a studio, on stage, or\u00a0in the street.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
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Vision in action<\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n<\/td>\n

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<\/td>\nThink about conditions on the set:<\/p>\n
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  • Existing light sources (natural\u00a0and artificial) and how the light could change during the\u00a0shoot.<\/li>\n
  • Available space to set up lamps or reflectors, and existing electrical connections. Check the room beforehand if you can, or get a plan of the space.<\/li>\n
  • Existing lights: try to find\u00a0out who\u00a0controls them and whether they can give you access to power outlets.<\/li>\n
  • Background:\u00a0find out\u00a0what sort of background is available at the\u00a0location, and decide if you need to design and bring an additional backdrop with you.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    The type of\u00a0lighting will depend on:<\/p>\n

      \n
    • the type of video \u2013 news \/ documentary or fiction<\/li>\n
    • any information about lighting in the\u00a0script or storyboard (fiction genres)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      Pack all the necessary\u00a0lighting equipment:<\/p>\n

        \n
      • lamps and \/ or reflectors like white cardboard, white Styrofoam or aluminum foil glued onto cardboard<\/li>\n
      • cable reel<\/li>\n
      • light filter or sandwich paper to diffuse\u00a0the light. Be careful about fire\u00a0hazards.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
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Equipment and tools<\/span><\/h2>\n

The\u00a0equipment you need for lighting depends on the light you want to create.<\/p>\n

So-called available light is light provided by the sun, either outside or through the windows of a building. You can use white cardboard, white styrofoam or aluminium foil glued onto\u00a0cardboard to reflect available light from any direction onto your subject.<\/p>\n

You can create\u00a0artificial light\u00a0by using special film lights or a simple household lamp. A cable reel will give you\u00a0flexibility of where you can place the lights. You could attach light filters or sandwich paper with clothes-pegs or other clips\u00a0to scatter the light, but be careful as this is a fire hazard. The reflectors described above can be useful here as well, especially if you don’t have many lights.<\/p>\n

You may also need a large piece of fabric\u00a0attached to a wall or rack, to serve as a backdrop. If you plan to use this as a blue or green screen, then your backdrop will need to be the right shade of blue or green. Specialised stores will have stocks of these, or you might be able to find them\u00a0in general shops selling fabric.<\/p>\n

Main section<\/h2>\n

Good lighting is crucial in every video production. The type of lighting you use will depend\u00a0on the type of video you want to make. In reports and\u00a0documentaries, the focus is simply on ensuring that people and objects are well lit and visible. In fiction genres like feature films, music videos and cartoons, light also helps\u00a0to\u00a0achieve a particular\u00a0mood or atmosphere. That’s why\u00a0lighting\u00a0is a kind of\u00a0art, and\u00a0needs to be planned at the same time as writing\u00a0your\u00a0script and\u00a0\u00a0preparing your\u00a0storyboard.<\/p>\n

Using available light<\/h3>\n

If you’re filming\u00a0outside or in a space\u00a0with sufficiently large windows, yo<\/span>u should be able to manage\u00a0without much or any additional lighting .<\/p>\n

Check\u00a0where the sun is and\u00a0which window the light is coming in through. When the\u00a0light comes from one side only, half of the actor’s\/interviewee’s face will be brightly lit. This makes it\u00a0appear\u00a0‚plastic‘.<\/p>\n

\"film_still_KOMA_light<\/a><\/p>\n

Film still from KOMA, a short film by\u00a0pupils at\u00a0Burggymnasium Wettin, Germany: light from a\u00a0window on\u00a0the right makes the face appear plastic.<\/em><\/p>\n

When\u00a0the light source is located opposite the camera and illuminating the subject from behind, the result is often called backlighting. The subject appears\u00a0too dark and its features are no longer clearly visible in the picture. You might of course want\u00a0to achieve this effect deliberately and\u00a0only\u00a0show the silhouette of a person or an object.<\/p>\n

[Picture: silhouette against the light \/ Positive and negative example]<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

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If the camera crew and equipment are located between the light source and the subject, make sure they are not casting shadows in\u00a0the picture \u2013\u00a0neither on the ground nor on the\u00a0subject itself.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

[Picture: Negative example: shadows of the camera falls into the picture]<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

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The ‚golden hour‘ is the hour after sunrise or before sunset when sunlight is very gentle and creates a warm\u00a0atmosphere. It’s often used by film-makers to take\u00a0beautiful shots of landscapes or create a romantic mood.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

At other times, especially around noon, bright areas\u00a0of the image may be overexposed by strong sunlight while\u00a0shadows appear\u00a0very dark.<\/p>\n

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Never point\u00a0the camera directly at the sun as this may damage it. You\u00a0can also serious hurt\u00a0your eyes by\u00a0looking at the sun through the viewfinder.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Artificial lighting in a\u00a0studio setting<\/h3>\n

The so-called 3-point lighting is a good starting point for illuminating interviews, talk shows and other TV programmes filmed in a studio.<\/p>\n

\"IMG_9131\"<\/p>\n

You can extend this\u00a0to 4-point lighting by\u00a0illuminating the studio background.\u00a0This helps to set\u00a0the illuminated person apart from the background.\u00a0It’s also a\u00a0condition for the use of a green or blue box (see\u00a0Producing TV news message and reportage<\/a> for more detail).<\/p>\n

Once you’ve set up your lights, play around with their strength and direction and with the reflectors to achieve the effect you want.<\/p>\n

The typical 3-point set-up looks like this from above:<\/p>\n

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\u00a0Typical 3-point lighting set-up with camera on the right and interviewer on the left.<\/em><\/p>\n

Setting up 3- (or 4-point) lighting:<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Find an appropriate\u00a0position for the\u00a0person<\/strong> in the room. They can stand or sit.<\/li>\n
  2. Find an\u00a0appropriate camera position<\/strong>:\n