(PM CLASS ONLY) Movie/Music Mashup Editing Project
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* Create a mashup of your favorite films or music video’s—Length- 3:00
* Must use three or more different films or music video’s
* Must make 20 or more edits
DUE- End of Class Wednesday 1/7
Click to watch a Mashup Example
1/6 Daily Assignment
Click to Watch Video on Three Point Lighting
Click to Watch this Video on Three Point Lighting
1) Watch the 2 Video’s above and in your own 50-to-75 words explain three point lighting. What it is? Why you use it? How do you use it? When do you use it?
2) Define the words below:
1) Fill Light-
2) Back Light-
3) Key Light-
4) falloff-
5) high-key-
6) kicker light-
7) low-key-
8) side light-
9) diffused light-
10) silhouette lighting-
The Three Point Lighting Technique is a standard method used in visual media such as video, film, still photography and computer-generated imagery. It is a simple but versatile system which forms the basis of most lighting. Once you understand three point lighting you are well on the way to understanding all lighting.
The technique uses three lights called the key light, fill light and back light. Naturally you will need three lights to utilise the technique fully, but the principles are still important even if you only use one or two lights. As a rule:
This is the main light. It is usually the strongest and has the most influence on the look of the scene. It is placed to one side of the camera/subject so that this side is well lit and the other side has some shadow.
This is the secondary light and is placed on the opposite side of the key light. It is used to fill the shadows created by the key. The fill will usually be softer and less bright than the key. To acheive this, you could move the light further away or use some spun. You might also want to set the fill light to more of a flood than the key.
The back light is placed behind the subject and lights it from the rear. Rather than providing direct lighting (like the key and fill), its purpose is to provide definition and subtle highlights around the subject’s outlines. This helps separate the subject from the background and provide a three-dimensional look.
If you have a fourth light, you could use it to light the background of the entire scene.
****Send the Daily Assignment in the Comment section of this post, or you can write or type and hand into Mr. Schoener by the end of class*****
Lighting for Film & TV- Part 2- 3 Point Lighting
Click to Watch Video on Three Point Lighting Tutorial
“If you can light an orange so that it looks or photographs as smooth and round as a billiard ball, you are ready to light close-ups and portraits of living people.“
– John Alton, Cinematographer.
So… Lighting: It’s a huge subject, but I thought I’d attack the very basics in part 2 of this series – 3 point lighting. If you haven’t read the intro to this series you can find it here.
3 Point Lighting is a common technique that can be used for both documentary AND drama. It’s the foundation of most lighting techniques and is relatively quick and easy to setup. Please keep in mind that although I make a lot of references to lighting interviews here, these techniques are perfectly transferable to lighting your lead actors in a film, musicians in a music video or productsin a commercial.
I’m going to keep this one quick, snappy and concise. So let’s get to it!…
I’ve lost count of the amount of times I’ve seen badly lit interviews on TV and non broadcast video productions. Unattractive nose shadows, dark eye sockets and multiple chin shadows leave poor interviewees looking extremely unattractive. Remember, when someone agrees to appear on camera they put their trust in you and consequently it’s part of your duty as a professional camera operator to make them look their best.
The reality is that lighting someone for an interview is actually very straight forward.
It’s called 3 point lighting… because we are going to use 3 light sources(Mmmm sorry to state the obvious!) These lights are called the Key Light, Fill Light and Back Light…
The Key Light.
This is the main, strongest light source. It is positioned on either side of the camera and its purpose is to create modeling on the subjects face.
For an interview setup, the subject should be facing the key…
The Fill Light
This is positioned on the opposite side to the Key Light, personally I always position the Fill near the lens axis. The purpose of this lamp is to reduce (or Fill)any unsightly shadows created by the Key Light.
The Fill must be softer (less intense) than the Key (a general rule is a 3:1 ratio – 3 being the key intensity and 1 being the Fill). To make the Fill light softer, use a diffuser such as Spun or Scrim (this is white , heat proof translucent material specifically designed to reduced and soften a lamps intensity).
Remember, if you use fill, it should be very soft…
Can you see how we’ve lost some of the definite shape of the subject? That’s where the backlight comes in…
The Back Light
The back light is positioned behind the subject. The purpose of this lamp it to create highlights on the back of the head and provide subtle definition to the hair and shoulders. It separates (or as we say in the trade ‘Lifts’) the person off the background and helps make them appear more three-dimensional (though unfortunately nothing can help fix a flat personality!… sorry).
I prefer to use a ¾ back light which is directly opposite the key and highlights the shoulders but also favors one side of the subject more than the other.
The Backlight will just pick the subject off the background…
The Outcome:
So here’s the finished look, a nicely lit subject with all 3 lights…
Click the 2 images below for an animated breakdown… (getting fancy now, I know)
Got that? Good. Incidentally you don’t have to stick to 3 lights, you might want to drop the fill from time to time (sometimes it’s just not necessary), or even just opt for a very soft Key in a dark environment. There are all sorts of possibilities available, just have a play around. Like anything, the more you do, the better you will get.
Sometimes the Key and Backlight will do…
… or even just the Key light.
So there you have it, a short snappy post about how you can improve your lighting. If you want to get particularly good at portrait lighting, I’d recommend doing some research. Learn about chiaroscuro or buy a good book like “Painting with Light” by John Alton. It’s an incredible skill that takes years to master, but knowing how to light will really make your work stand out from the crowd.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this post, please be sure to share it with your mates – I want to try and get this info to the people who want it! Please show your support by following us on facebook and twitter (it’s free!!), and if you’re interested in receiving updates and future e-books then sign up in the email form to the right. Finally, I run Lighting and Camera Operators Courses so click the link or get in touch, if you’re interested in coming and learning in person!
