By: Rosemary Brobey

Lighting in media production

Lighting and photography have both evolved drastically over time hand in hand. As lighting has
improved, photography has simultaneously enhanced. The main functional purpose of lighting is
to highlight the main object within a shot. Initially in the 1890’s, filmmakers depended primarily
on natural light in the daytime (or occasionally at night) in order to shoot for their films, hence
why many sets were built/located on rooftops. A small handful of sets were also open-aired or
built with glass roof for the exact reason; an example includes shakespeare's globe theatre.
Artificial lighting was first introduced in 1896 by German pioneer Oskar Messter. By the 1900’s
artificial lighting became a much more frequently used lighting technique especially in the
Edison studio along sides natural light in order to compliment it and provide a clearer image.

Lighting people in order to provide flattering images

The following image illustrates how changing the positions of artificial lights on the subject (and
sometimes the camera) can provide different results in terms of shadows and how clear or
flattering the subject looks. For example, when the camera is placed directly in front of the
individual and the key light is on the right side of her, this results in a straight
line down the middle of the woman's face causing a shadow on the left side of her face. An
instance where this type of lighting may be effective is if a filmmaker or director is trying to
create a sense of enigma.
By: Rosemary Brobey

Using artificial lights to illustrate elements of a background

The following image demonstrates the use of a variety of artificial lights in order to significantly
light up the background whether it is at an indoor or outdoor set, in order to make it stand out
(for example, by make the colours appear a lot more radiant) and improve the whole
appearance overall. The way in which directors are able to achieve this is by making use of a
background light. A background light assists in adding additional depth in a shot. It also helps
give a sense of separation between between the background and the subject as well as
illuminating the background of a scene. Background lights are typically used within four point
lighting.

Fresnel Lenses

A fresnel lenses is a particular type of close-packed lense which was advanced by

Augustin-Jean Fresnel for lighthouse. The lens is made up of multiple different sized rings, each
of which gets thinner than the next one down and focuses the light in the direction of the centre.
It directs the light in a narrow beam, and its light can be noticed at far distances because of the
arrangement of cuts on its outer surface. The theory behind fresnel lenses is that the route of
light remains the same unless dispersed within a medium.

Lighting
to establish
a setting or
time of
day
By: Rosemary Brobey

The picture below displays the same shot of a hospital however, in four different lightings. This
is done to represent the different times of day. For example, the use of lighter and mainly cooler
lights in the first image indicates that it could be really early in the morning whereas in the last
image, the use of darker and slightly warmer tones implies that the scene is set in the evening
or maybe even the night time. The reasons why filmmakers make use of artificial lighting in
order to convey a specific time of day is because directors may not be able to film at the
required time of day, possibly due to the fact that (for example) the weather may be preventing
them to achieve the ideal lighting suitable for the shot. The way in which filmmakers are able to
achieve this is by altering the temperature of the lights. Additionally, the overall setting is really
cooled toned (in all four of the images) to illustrate the mood of the setting (which in this case is
a hospital). The reason why this is done is because hospitals are typically portrayed as dreary
places.

Lowkey lighting
The main purpose of using low key lighting in the film industry is to convey a drama and/or to
distinguish a subject. The way in which lowkey lighting is achieved is typically with the use of
three point lighting however with a considerably low leveled fill light. Low Key lighting is
frequently used in film noir productions like “The night of the hunter”. The reason why using
three point lighting with a very low fill light is effective is because it assists in producing a dismal
atmosphere as well as limiting the amount of distractions in a film. It also aids in enhancing and
producing shadows in a sequence. The reason why enhancing the shadows was effectual is
because it helps to create a sense of depth in shots. Low Key lighting is often used to portray a
scared or sad mood.
The image presented below is a shot from one of the scene’s in “the night of the hunter” where
lowkey lighting was used in order to emphasise the storyline by composing harsh shadows.
By: Rosemary Brobey

High Key lighting

High Key lighting is very similar to lowkey lighting in terms of the three point lighting setup
however, instead of a low fill light, a much higher proportion of fill light to key light is used. This
results in a brighter effect. High key lighting is often used in productions such as comedies and
music videos. The reason why high key lighting is effective is because assists in minimising
unnecessary shadows in addition to making shots seem ‘softer’. High key lighting is also
commonly used to convey a happier mood.

Uplighting
Uplighting is a lighting technique which involves reflecting indirect light from off of the ceiling,
back down towards the ground. Indirect uplighting is made up of diffused surface which reflects
light in a space and limits the amount of disabling glare displayed on computers and other dark
glossy surfaces. The purpose of this is to produce a uniform presentation of light. It's also an
effective lighting technique is because it distorts the subjects face which then produces
shadows around the features of the human’s face. This technique is commonly used in scary
movies whilst people are sitting around the campfire with torches pointing towards their faces
from below. It is symbolic for setting an “unnatural” / “supernatural” or scary tone.

The
‘Rembrandt’
effect
By: Rosemary Brobey

Rembrandt lighting is a lighting technique which consists of using a singular light (or sometimes
using two lights) and reflector in order to produce natural looking and enthralling images using a
small amount of equipment. The way in which the rembrandt lighting is characterized is by using
an illuminated triangle which is located under the eye of the subject on the side of the face
which is less illuminated. Besides from film, the rembrandt lighting technique is commonly used
in studio portrait photography. The purpose of rembrandt lighting is to enhance the details of the
shadows on the face of the subject.

The following image below demonstrates the ‘triangle’ that is formed on the subject when
making use of the rembrandt lighting technique.

Chiaroscuro lighting
Chiaroscuro lighting is primarily the contrast between black and white. It assists in emphasizing
the shadows that are made and the harsh lighting. Chiaroscuro lighting is typically used in film
noir productions as it is used to create depth and texture as well as giving a visual symbolism
with the partially light and partially dark look.

The following image demonstrates both chiaroscuro lighting and a venetian blind shadow.
By: Rosemary Brobey

Strobing
Strobing lighting (commonly known as a strobe light) is a device used in order to create
repeated flashes of bright light. Strobe lights are mainly used in music videos (usually in music
videos of the “house” genre) and can come in multiple different colours. They are also used
frequently in horror films to give the movement of the camera a turbulent feel.

Atmospheric effects
Filmmakers make use of smoke and fog machines not only in order to set the overall tone of the
shot, but to also add depth to the shots and create a mysterious atmosphere.

Spotlighting
Spotlighting is when a harsh amount of light is shone onto a subject generally to raise a mood. It
is predominately used to display an overstated and an unclear vision of threat by formulating an
outline of horror before the dialogue been spoken in order to evoke imagination.

Highlighting products in advertising

In order to highlight products when advertising, directors often use backlighting in order to
create a halo effect and illuminate the subject from behind. This is because it brings the main
focal point onto the product.

Shadows from blinds to obscure faces

Filmmakers often use the shadows from blinds (typically venetian) to obscure faces in black and
white films because it assists in generating a eerie sense of enigma. It is really effective when it
comes to adding detail to a shot as well as being aesthetically pleasing contrasting shot.

Use of shadows to frame subjects

The use of shadows help to emphasise elements within a frame by adding texture to the main
focal point (the subject), which is effectual as the sharp shadow helps to make the subject look
a lot more sinister. In order to create shadows for this purpose, some filmmakers make use of
backlighting as it assists in creating intensity to a shot and gives it an overall harsh result.
By: Rosemary Brobey

References:

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