Post 13: Media Language - Lighting 3 (Source & Colour)

Source and Colour

Source and colour are two important aspects of lighting to remember when filming. When speaking about source of lighting three point lighting is often referred to. Developed by classical Hollywood film makers, three point lighting consists of using three different lights to illuminate an object or person. The three lights are the key light, which focuses on the subject, the fill light, which fills the entire scene and helps diffuse shadows, and the back light, this focuses on the background and also diffuses shadows.

Our group decided that to learn about the different lighting techniques it would be easier for us to try them so we knew what we were talking about.

Three Point Lighting Test

We first experimented with three point lighting; the images below show the different parts of the screen being lit up using the different lights. The key light illuminated the person and created large shadows behind her, the fill light subtly illuminated the entire screen which was a complete contrast to the background light which lit the background and ignored the person creating a silhouette.

 

Key Light                            Fill Light

 

 

Background Light

Colour Gels and White Balance

Colour Gels can be used to change the colour of the scene, there are CTOs and CTBs. These consist of colour gels being used in order to change the lighting, for example blue colour gels work by making the room seem warmer, whereas orange colour gels are used to make the room seem cooler.

The white balance works by making the colours appear more realistic. It keeps scenes from looking unnatural.

We carried out a short experiment to test the different colour gels and to see what effect they would have. We put the camera in a corridor, which was already full of natural light, and set up the white balance on it, we then held colour gels in front on the lights and saw the effect they had on the screen.

We carried out to main experiments: White Balance to Half Orange and White Balance to Half Blue.

Orange Gel                              Blue Gel

 

By using coloured gels to white balance provides the DOP with the opportunity to warm up or cool down a scene for special effect. As seen from the orange gel used, the images can go a steely blue which is often used to create 'day for night' scenes.