Learning Objective:To be able to understand how lighting can create meaning.

Level Grade Descriptor

2 D/E To be able to identify lighting and describe its effect.

3 B/C To be able to analyse lighting and explain its effect.

4 A To be able to evaluate lighting and justify its effect.

Level Grade Descriptor

2 D/E Basic understanding of the way that mise-en-scène is used to construct representation.

3 B/C Proficient understanding of the way that mise-en-scène is used to construct representation.

4 A Excellent understanding of the way that mise-en-scène is used to construct representation.

LightingLighting shapes objects by creating highlights and shadows.

A highlight is a patch of relative brightness on a surface.

Shadows can either be shading or cast.

Cast shadows

Highlight

Shading

Lighting unifies the

gang & highlights emphasise

the protagonist

Suggests an entire prison

cell

To be able to understand how lighting can create meaning.

The four major features of film lighting...

•Quality•Direction•Source•Colour

To be able to understand how lighting can create meaning.

Quality...refers to the relative intensity of the illumination. Hard lighting creates clearly defined shadows, crisp textures, and sharp edges, whereas soft lighting creates a diffused illumination. In nature, the noonday sun creates hard light, while an overcast sky creates soft light. The terms are relative, and many lighting situations will fall between the extremes, but we can usually recognize the differences.

To be able to understand how lighting can create meaning.

Direction...refers to the path of light from its source or sources to the object lit. For convenience we can distinguish among frontal lighting, sidelighting, backlighting, underlighting, and top lighting.

To be able to understand how lighting can create meaning.

What are the sources of lighting in the above frames?

To be able to understand how lighting can create meaning.

What are the sources of lighting in the above frames?

To be able to understand how lighting can create meaning.

What are the sources of lighting in the above frames?

SourceDirectors and cinematographers manipulating the lighting of the scene typically decide on two primary sources: a key light and a fill light.

The key light is the primary source, providing the brightest illumination and casting the strongest shadows. The key light is the most directional light, and it is usually suggested by a light source in the setting.

A fill is a less intense illumination that “fills in,” softening or eliminating shadows cast by the key light.

By combining key and fill, and by adding other sources, lighting can be controlled quite exactly.

key light

fill light

To be able to understand how lighting can create meaning.

Three-point LightingTo be able to understand how lighting can create meaning.

The three-point lighting system demands that the lamps be rearranged virtually every time the camera shifts to a new framing. In spite of the great cost involved, most commercial filmmakers choose to adjust lighting for each camera position. Changing light sources this way isn’t very realistic, but it does enable filmmakers to create strong compositions for each shot.

High-key Lighting...refers to an overall lighting design that uses fill light and backlight to create relatively low contrast between brighter and darker areas. Usually, the light quality is soft, making shadow areas fairly transparent. The frames from Jezebel andAmélie exemplify high-key lighting. Hollywood directors and cinematographers have chosen this pattern for comedies and most dramas.

To be able to understand how lighting can create meaning.

ChiaroscuroWas developed by the Italian painter Caravaggio and concerns areas of high contrast light and dark.

Low-key Lighting...refers to lighting with high contrasts, creating extremely dark and light regions within the image.

Low-key lighting is often applied to sombre, threatening, or mysterious scenes. It was common in horror films of the 1930s and films noirs of the 1940s and 1950s.

To be able to understand how lighting can create meaning.