Lighting

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- What we see and how we see it is often determined by the character and quality of the light. - Just as composition gives form and substance to an image, light gives the image its essential character. Three key elements in producing the mood of the image: (1) Relative intensity of light - Ultimately, it is the artistry with which light is manipulated that imparts much of the visual impact to a scene. - All light diminishes in intensity as it travels away from its source. - To illuminate a frame in depth, the filmmaker must view it as a 3D box. The gradations of intensity of the light illuminating everything within that box give shape and substance to the whole. - High-contrast scenes, containing a wide range of lights and darks, tend to create more dramatic and interesting images than scenes that are more even in range. o Mystery and suspense films are usually lit in “low-key lighting”; replete with dark shadows. Bright bulbs and shadowed faces are characteristic of mystery scenes. Musicals and comedies are usually lit with far less contrast. - Light must never be allowed to just fall; as the cameraman plots all movement, he must bear in mind the variations in light intensity within the frame. Actors emerge from or disappear into shadows, giving the entire actions a particular emotional character. - Because film stocks are very sensitive to subtle gradations between light and dark, and because they can also transmit subtle shades of colour, the filmmaker can create relative intensities much in the manner of a painter. The filmmaker, however, must also accommodate the compositional factor of motion, the continually changing scene. - The intensity and quality of light within a scene varies with the slightest change in camera angle, and this must be considered when “brush strokes” of light are applied to the image. - The relative intensities of light, then, give the filmmaker a palette, and the range between the brightest and darkest object in the frame gives him artistic control. (2) Direction of light - The direction of light is of primary importance. It helps to create an emotional effect. - Flat, overhead lighting imparts a dull, monochromatic quality to a scene, whereas lighting from a lower angle creates a more dramatic effect. - The placement of the primary source of light critically affects in mood and character the dramatic quality of the image. - Simple experiment – stand in front of a mirror and shine a torch in your face from in front and below. (3) Character of Light - Every source of illumination has a character of its own. The quality of natural light has endless variations, from the harsh, bright light of a clear autumn day to the soft, hazy light that fills the corners and shadows of a foggy, summer noon. - Sunlight also has a special colour characteristic that affects that mood and character of the image. Morning sunlight is blue in character and imparts a cool quality to the entire scene, whereas late afternoon sunlight is reddish and warm. - The artistic filmmaker is intimately familiar with the subtlest qualities of natural light. Using filters and devices such as reflectors, he is able to control the character of the light. - A scene steeped in sorrow, mystery or gloom is difficult to illuminate properly with a bright full light. The exclusive use of harsh spotlights creates deep shadows and high contrasts that would be inappropriate for a comedy. - Here again, there are few fixed rules. Filmmaking remains in large measure a visceral art, dependent on the taste and instincts of the filmmaker. The eye is the judge, but it is essential to understand how the character of light itself can control the impact (emotional and intellectual) of the entire image. - Example: Opening sequence of The Seventh Seal Throughout the sequence, a general flat, overall light is used for all exteriors. The effect is much like that experienced on a cloudy, sullen day; a mood of despair, sadness and unrelieved sorrow is created. The character of the light subtly affects the audience’s emotions at the outset of the film. The waves, the long shot of the sea and land, the relative absence of shadows, and the oppressive greyness set the mood. Then the information: a land gripped by plague, the sorrowful, hopeless journey homeward. - Subtle use of light: the exteriors not only create mood, but project an external expression of internal conflicts. - Light then, is the substance with which the filmmaker “paints”. The subtle use of light to “illuminate”, “create mood”, “give character”, and “communicate” has elevated lighting for film from its craft origins to a point of artistry. Lighting Equipment - Spotlight: harsh, direct beam of light. Projected through a lens and can be focused and directed, forms circular pattern. - Floodlight: soft in character and usually consists of a bulb surrounded by a reflective material that diffuses the light and projects it in the desired direction. - Both come in several intensities and sizes.

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