Practical Lighting Techniques

Lighting on Location

One location, the simple job of lighting is complicated

by a large amount of light that already exists, provided

by many sources.

At the wrong place, from the wrong angle, of the wrong

quantity, and probably of the wrong colour!

Limited to the items that can be transported, supported,

and supplied with power.

Lighting on Location

With increasing equipment portability, and the need for

reality, more productions now include sections that

have to be shot away from the studio.

Not only will you have too much light, you may also

have too little lighting tools.

Treat them as separate issues / problems so as to

address them properly.

Lighting Outdoor

Soft or hard, cloudy or sunny,

daylight tends to come in

large quantities, and comes in

horizontally.

If you can’t remove it, align

the camera and subject so the

lighting direction is helpful

rather than intrusive.

The most common approach is to think of the sun as

your key light, and where it should come from.

Lighting Outdoor

Sunshine gives hard

shadows, which if they’re not

in the right position for the

shot, can be intrusive.

Adding diffusion between the

sun and the subject can

soften the sunlight.

Lighting Outdoor

Use a reflector to reflect the

natural key light.

This fills in the shadow created

by the light source.

You can also use anything with

a reflective surface, e.g.

Styrofoam, white board.

Lighting Indoor

The most common issue is

when an external window is in

the shot.

The large difference in light

levels between the room and

the outside view makes it

difficult to find the correct

exposure.

Add more light to the room, or

Reduce light from the window

Lighting Indoor Add more light to the room

Any extra light you can

shine on the subject will

decrease the contrast ratio

between them and the

window.

Reflectors can be used if

appropriate.

Cheat method – switch on the room lighting, though this

can introduce problems such as clashing colour

temperatures or harsh downward shadows.

Lighting Indoor Reduce light from the window

Tape black scrim (a fine mesh

material) onto the window.

You can see that the

background is more

manageable through the scrim.

If the entire window is in the shot, you need to be careful

and discreet with the scrim and find the right fit to the

window.

It is easier if only part of the window is in shot.

Planning for Lighting

As with everything else, organized forethought

and planning will help to achieve good lighting

results.

Here are some of the basic questions to ask

when structuring a lighting plan.

Questions

Is the shoot in studio or on location?

1. Will you have complete control over lighting, or will you have to

deal with ambient lighting.

How big is the acting area?

1. The size of the area to be seen on camera determines how

much light you need.

2. You need more light to illuminate a football pitch than a coffee

table top.

Questions

What time of year is the shoot?

1. Think of the difference between a day in July (dry season) and a

day in December (wet season).

2. The difference between Summer and Winter.

Which way is south?

1. As the day progresses, the sun travels from east to west via

south.

2. Towards dusk or dawn, there will be significant changes in the

angle and colour of light.

Questions

What is the weather forecast?

1. A cloudy sky gives blue diffused light.

2. A bright sun gives warm light, bright highlights, and very hard

shadows.

3. Rain creates limitless havoc.

Will there be any ambient light?

1. Not just daylight, but any kind of irremovable, uncontrollable light

that needs to be incorporated.

2. E.g. Street lamps, neon signs, etc.

Questions

Are there any windows?

1. Windows let in daylight – your friend or your enemy.

2. Where is it?

What power supply is available?

1. If none is available, then lighting must be battery powered

(expensive) or ambient (difficult to control).

2. If additional power is brought in (generator), then the total

capacity needs to be known so that lighting can be planned

within its limits.