Intro to Film- Lighting

Properties of Lenses

- Aperture - Focal Length - Depth of field

Lighting

- Directs the eye of the viewer - Shapes the look of the movie - Creates a sense of cinematic space by illumination - Creates high-lights and shadows defining shapes and textures.

Artificial Source Lighting

- Lights - Reflectors - Silks

High Key Lighting

- Low ratio between bright illumination to deep shadow. - Bright, even lighting, no strong shadows. - Does not call attention to itself.

Properties of Lighting

- Source - Quality - Direction - Style

Lighting Styles

Affects the theme, mood, and genre of a film.

Natural Source Lighting

The sun or the moon.

Backlighting

semi-silhouetting that is used to create a sense of depth.

Direction

the angle of light hitting actor or setting. Helps produce contrast, shadows (helps suggest time of day, mood, and location)

Focal Length

the distance from the optical center of the lens to the focal point on the film stock/sensor. Affects how we perceive perspective, perception of size, scale and movement.

Available Lighting

using natural light sources that are readily available in the scene.

Quality (Soft Lighting)

Diffused light from varying directions. Softens details and decreases contrast.

Classical Lighting style

Emphasizes the 3 dimensionality of the scene and subject's face.

Film Noir

High contrast.

Low Key Lighting

High ratio between bright illumination to deep shadow. Produces gloomy, mysterious atmosphere.

Quality (Hard Lighting)

Light shines directly on a subject. Shows crisp details and defines border. Shows high contrast between illumination and shadow.

Light from Below

Strange, eerie shadows on faces that seem frightening.

Light from Above

characters appear threatening, mysterious, or vulnerable.

Aperture

determines the amount of light passing through the lens, controlled by the iris.

Lenses

different lenses produce different characteristics in an image.

Depth of Field

distance in front of the lens in which subjects appear in sharp focus.

Naturalistic Style

does not draw attention to itself.