Chapter 3 Outline

I.        Standard Lighting Techniques

a.     Photographic Principle / Triangle Lighting

                                                    i.    refers to the triangular arrangement of key, back and fill lights

1.     back light is opposite the camera and directly behind the object 

2.     the key and fill lights on opposite sides of the camera and to the front and the side of the objects

b.     Key Light

                                                    i.    the principle source of illumination

                                                   ii.    reveals the basic shape of the object or event

c.     Fill Light

                                                    i.    controls falloff

d.     Side Light

                                                    i.    comes from the side of the object acting as an additional fill and providing contour

e.     Kicker

                                                    i.    comes from the back

                                                   ii.    usually from below and off to one side

                                                  iii.    an extension of the back light

                                                   iv.    rims the object from below what the back light can reach

f.      Background Light / Set Light

                                                    i.    illuminates the background, which can be an actual set

g.     Chiaroscuro Lighting

                                                    i.    lighting for fast falloff and for light / dark contrast

                                                   ii.    articulates space, clarifies and intensifies 3D property of things and the space that surrounds them and gives the scene an expressive quality

                                                  iii.    creates drama and volume

                                                   iv.    functions:

1.     organic function: should appear as natural as the light that is available in the scene

2.     direction function: can use the light to direct the viewers' eyes in a certain direction

3.     spatial / comp. function: high and low energy areas should be balanced

4.     thematic function: should emphasize the theme or story of the scene

5.     emotional function: to affect our feelings directly, regardless of the actual subject matter of the scene; operates in unison with the thematic function

h.     Rembrandt Lighting

                                                    i.    only specific areas are carefully illuminated while others are kept purposely under or unlighted

                                                   ii.    falloff is fast but there is enough fill light to render the attached shadows somewhat transparent

                                                  iii.    background, although generally dark, is partially illuminated to outline the figures or to fulfill other orientation functions

i.      Cameo Lighting

                                                    i.    chiaroscuro lighting pushed to its extreme

                                                   ii.    illuminates the foreground figures while leaving the background totally dark

                                                  iii.    highly directional

                                                   iv.    produces fast falloff with dense attached and sharply defined cast shadows

                                                    v.    makes it difficult for performers to move without stepping out of the precisely defined light pools

                                                  vi.    visual intensity causes the pictures to look strangely theatrical and often removed from the television reality

j.      Flat Lighting

                                                    i.    uses highly diffused light that seems to come from all directions

                                                   ii.    extremely slow falloff

1.     does not reveal any particular light source

                                                 iii.    ideal for continuous action

                                                  iv.    can shoot from different angles without having to worry about shadows

                                                   v.    all lights should be the same brightness

                                                  vi.    renders the attached shadows highly transparent or virtually invisible

                                                 vii.    game shows and many sitcoms are illuminated by flat lighting

k.     Silhouette Lighting

                                                    i.    hybrid of chiaroscuro and flat lighting

                                                   ii.    used to light the background and not the figure

                                                  iii.    can conceal a persons identity, often used in interviews

                                                   iv.    unlighted figures against a bright, evenly illuminated background

                                                    v.    figure appears flat and dark but accentuates their contour

l.      Media-enhanced and Media-generated Lighting

                                                    i.    refers to the manipulation of the lighting by the medium itself

                                                   ii.    can adjust the brightness and contrast with and editing software, whether dealing with film or digital photography / videography

                                                  iii.    solarization: combining the positive and negative images of the same subject

                                                   iv.    posterization: reducing the brightness of an image to only a few steps

m.    Single-camera Lighting

                                                     i.    also called film lighting because it is most commonly used in film production

                                                    ii.    set up for discontinuous, short-duration action and then edited together

                                                   iii.    lighting control is extremely high

n.     Multicamera Lighting

                                                     i.    must satisfy the different points of view of the cameras

                                                    ii.    used for long-duration action, such as interviews, sitcoms, game shows, situation comedies, and talk shows

                                                   iii.    flat lighting is used

o.     Unusual Lighting

                                                      i.    used as an intensification device or as an aesthetic edge