Lighting in Film

The Basics and Importance

Natural or artificial light and the way in which it is used has a massive influence on the look and mood created when used in film.

Cloudy lighting in The Princess Bride (1987)

Natural Light can vary between bright and sunny, soft and understated  to grey skies with rain, a storm, simply being dull or gloomy or even a pitch black night. All of these can act as metaphors for the moods of the characters or the general atmosphere. The way in which they change emphasises this. For example, in ‘The Princess Bride’ the soft, sunny lighting used in any scene between Buttercup and Westley connotes the romantic mood and the joy of the characters. In comparison, the cloudy, greyish lighting during the clifftop fight scene is far more sinister and threatening, despite the fact these different forms of lighting occur only minutes apart.

A pictorialist shot from Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow (1999)

‘Artificial’ in terms of lighting can refer to either how ‘natural’ light is artificially created (i.e. to look like the lighting for a scene is coming from an unseen window or light fixture) or a different style of lighting completely, pictorialism. Pictorialist lighting I when light is used to create the most visually captivating image that is unlikely to occur in real life.

Grey lighting in Jane Eyre (2011)

Whatever its composition, light and what it connotes has significant effects in every scene of visual imagery. In terms of mood and atmosphere, if the light is bright, clear and even it creates feelings of joy and security; for these reasons it is often used in comedy as it is always positive due to its lack of shadows- both literally and figuratively. In contrast, there are always anomalies. In ‘Little Miss Sunshine’ the sunny weather seen throughout the film are a stark contrast to the attitudes and moods of the characters as the largely negative events of the film progress. In comparison, cloudy or grey light can reflect the inclement of weather or a problematic situation. It is often sombre or serious and acts as a metaphor for the emotional distress or depression of the seen characters.

Bright, natural lighting in American Psycho (2000) symbolises how Bateman has control.

A change in lighting will often depict a change in mood  or attitude for a subject character. This is  used in ‘American Psycho’. Bright, natural lighting is employed when Patrick Bateman is in control of himself (such as in his work place). In contrast, dark shadowy lighting is seen whenever Bateman loses control over himself or his situation, letting his animalistic side take over. These effects are often reversed or turned on their heads towards the end of the film which makes the audience question reality, exactly like Bateman. ‘American Psycho’ is a perfect example of how lighting can manipulate the audiences attitude towards a particular character or the film in general.

Perfect, uniform lighting in The Truman Show (1998).

Directly opposite change in lighting is the lighting being made uniform for a large period of time. In ‘The Truman Show’ the bright, sunny, uniform lighting used in Truman’s world presents a uniform society. It connotes perfection and harmony that is ultimately artificial; as the audience is made to believe by the darker naturalist lighting employed when the film shifts to a person watching the Truman Show rather than acting in it. Therefore, the lighting used in a film can set the atmosphere for the whole film or just a specific scene or shot.

Bars of light in American Psycho (2000) reflects how Bateman is a captive of his own desires.

More unique lighting can be used to define a specific attitude or atmosphere. For example, if the main light source if shone through a set of blinds, a window or another structured viewpoint, it can bask a particular character or setting in ‘bars’ of light which can act as a metaphor for confinement or imprisonment. May of lighting’s most significant effects occur when the light interplays with darkness and in turn can connote a number of different atmospheres.

 The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

Lighting can also be used to emphasise a certain area of interest or bring out texture and detail in costume, setting and décor.

 

   

Qualities of Light

There are three key types of lighting:

High key lighting in Black Swan (2010)

High Key lighting- a brightly lit scene with few shadows. It is provided by one source called a Key Light.



Low key lighting in Black Swan (2010)

Low Key Lighting- The scene is lit in a darker/greyer scale with a large amount of shadows. In the case, the Key Light is less bright and does not dominate the scene.

High contrast lighting in Black Swan (2010)

High Contrast or Chiaroscuro Lighting- There is a strong contrast between light and shadow with very little grey scale. It creates depth and makes the content more realistic as the light isn’t even. High contrast lighting balances different compositional elements in relation to one another. This is a pictorialist technique often associated with film noir.

Light can either be hard or soft.



Hard lighting in The Dark Knight (2008)

Hard light clearly illuminates characters and brings out texture and detail. It gives featured characters a sharp outline and creates contrast between light and shadow. As a result, the scenes are clean , crisp and defined which provides a pitiless, unflattering view of the characters. Such ‘Hard’ effects can be produced using unfrosted bulbs or focussed spotlights if the lighting is artificial, or naturally through the use of noonday sun and clear skies.

Soft light covers a larger area with more diffuse light. It diminishes the outlines of subjects and the clarity of characters whilst minimising shadows and the depth of detail. Soft lighting hides surface irregularities meaning it is far more flattering. It also suggests a melancholy atmosphere. Soft lighting can be achieved in moving visual media through the use of pun-glass diffusers on studio lights (these reduce the light intensity). For still images umbrella reflectors are used to soften the light.

 From a technical point of view…

Threepoint Lighting is the simple yet versatile system used in the creation of film, still photos and computer-generated imagery as standard.

It is based around three different types of light:

1.       The Key Light

This is the main light used. It is strongest and most influential of the three types. A key light is positioned slightly to the side but in front of the main subject. It is hard and very bright which causes harsh shadows as well as showing excellent modelling of the shapes and contours of the subject.

2.       The Fill Light

This is position on the opposite side of the Key Light but still in front of the subject. It is meant to be a form of indirect sunlight or reflected light as there would be in natural light. It softens and fills the shadows whilst the shadows it causes are indistinct due to the softer quality of the light itself. The Fill Light is often referred to as a ‘highlight’ as it causes effects like the sheen on an actors hair.

3.       The Back Light



Back lighting gives Galadriel an ethereal appearance in The Lord of the Rings 2001)

This lights the subject from in indirect source behind it/them. It is used for modelling purposes as it provides definition and subtle highlights to the subject. The Back Light provides a three-dimensional effect as it separates the subject from the background.

Anne Hathaway exposed in Les Miserables (2012)

Flawless Threepoint on Olivier

The use of Threepoint Lighting affects the appearance of characters and settings. It can diminish or define physical characteristics which in turn can make them less or more attractive. The absence of or very little fill lighting can give the impression that a character is exposed or flawed from example.



Light positioning is essential to this scene in

Sherlock Holmes (2009)

Another important feature is the positioning of lighting. The positioning and strength of the key and fill lights can cause the face of a character to be mostly shadowed (suggesting depression  or a two-faced or sinister personality) or largely undefined (suggesting confusion, anxiety etc.) As a result, our opinions on the character may change. If the light is mainly angled from above the subject, the resultant shadows in the eye sockets and under the nose distort their appearance, often connoting an evil or sinister edge. Backlighting, by contrast, highlights the edges of the subject which can cause a halo effect and separate the subject entirely from the background which may symbolise an angelic, ethereal character. Although, there are always exceptions to these.

Finally, time of day can be dictated by lighting. The use of sunrises that cause a blue-tinted foreground are often employed to represent dawn to the viewer. By contrast, a sunset can be identified by the foreground being more darkly shadowed than the blue of dawn. Furthermore, backlighting is often used to demonstrate night, the silhouetted shapes and subjects caused by backlighting emphasise the loneliness and emptiness of most night time scenes. The use of time-specific lighting also has metaphorical meaning. If a particular character is often seen at night it can imply that said character is figuratively in the dark, depressed or lonely.