How and Why Light Affects Camera Techniques For Moving Image

How and why lighting affects camera techniques for moving image

Lighting is a very important part of film, without proper understanding of lighting your shots can become either under or over exposed. There are many lighting techniques which all have different affects on your film result. Lighting techniques have connotations in a similar way to colours. Unlike colours, the preferred reading of different types of lighting is more unanimous.

Low key lighting is produced from only one source of light rather than a traditional 3 point set up. It produces high contrast shots. Similar to this is hard light, this occurs when the light source is much smaller than the subject; hard light casts shadows and usually produces high contrast and areas of darkness (Leeson). This lighting creates a hard edge on the shadow to give it a clear shape, this is good when creating a silhouette for noir films. Both types of lighting give connotations of fear, mistrust and paranoia. Soft lighting is produced when the source is much bigger than the subject, this usually results in low contrast and very few shadows, the sun is a form of soft light. Soft light consists of several light sources coming from different angles. This is often used as fill lighting to lessen the use of shadows or to make a subject look better as the lighting is not as harsh on the face. Soft lighting connotes happiness or in some cases equilibrium (Nulph).

References

Moving Image Education, n.d. (online)

Available at: https://movingimageeducation.org/create-films/production/camera/lighting

Leeson, A., 2016. How and Why Lighting Affects Camera (Online)

Available at: http://abbieleesonhnccreativemedia.blogspot.com/2016/09/how-and-why-lighting-affects-camera.html

Dr Nulph, R.G., In the Mood? Creating Mood with Light (Online)

Available at: https://www.videomaker.com/article/c13/7980-light-source-in-the-mood-creating-mood-with-light

Comments

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Katerina Angelides HNC Creative Media

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