Exploration of the Principles of Lighting
In this report I will be explaining the major and minor principles of lighting, the purpose of key, fill, black and background lighting along with the purpose of high and low keylighting. I will also be including detailed diagrams of two scenes from a film I have worked on.
The more modern day purposes of lighting are in particular for it to create a sense of realism. Along with this modern day lighting emphasizes colour, reflection and atmosphere. In the earlier days of film it was necessary to use extreme amounts of lighting. This was because earlier film
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This was the main reason for the lack of sensitivity to light.
Film speed is measured in ASA numbers. The higher the ASA number, the faster the film's speed and the lower amount of light needed to create a picture.
ASA speeds vary all the way from 10-2000 ASA. Early film used around a 10-50 ASA whereas modern films use around a 200-300 ASA which of course affects how much light is need. These are the following ASA speeds:
â— 10-50 ASA - Early film, needs a lot of light.
â— 100 ASA - Outdoor photography and indoors with flash.
â— 200 ASA - Outdoor photography and bright indoors.
â— 400 ASA - Outdoors and indoors, no flash needed.
â— 2000 ASA - Highest speed possible with no light needed but results in a grainier resolution.
The major downfall with using a higher ASA in film creating is that the finished picture will have a much grainier resolution then a film using a lower ASA.
There are problems with both ASA extremes (i.e. 10 ASA & 2000 ASA) which means that a compromise must be made somewhere in between
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Film and equipment has changed throughout the ages and higher film speeds have since been created to make film making more practical.
Modern domestic video cameras along with professional equipment are very sensitive to lighting yet lighting is still used. The following information will provide an explanation as to why we still insist on using lighting.
Movie lighting produces depth, shape and texture in a medium which is essentially flat and two dimensional. It also can indicate to the audience which time of day it is or what season it is.
There are a few other major purposes of lighting, one of these being its ability to create a sense of realism. For example a particular scene could be filmed with the lighting coming from the side of the window, which in affect would seem like the sun shining through the the viewer. Other major benefits to lighting are that it works well in emphasizing colour and reflection. Atmosphere and mood is another thing affected by lighting in a film; for example a Tim Burton
In the movie Edward Scissorhands, a lot of different cinematic techniques are used. This movie mostly focuses on lighting, usually using darker low-key lighting throughout most of the film to create a darker, creepy tone. Low-key lighting is used mostly in scenes with Edward scissorhands in them, not as much with the girl. A good example of these low-key lighting scenes are the beginning ones, when the girl first enters Edward’s castle. The atmosphere inside is dark and creepy, adding to the already mysterious and dark tone of the movie. Another example of a scene with low-key lighting is the very beginning of the credits screen. The words are displayed in white with the rest of the background as a dark and evil setting. This already gives
In "Constant Star", lighting told much about the play as soon as it began. Low, yellowish lighting and a bit of fog spread by ceiling fans filled the stage as the play started. This gave the stage the look of an old photograph, so the audience immediatly gathered that the show was taking place in the past. The mood was often set by lighting as well. Red lighting gave the audience a sense of foreboding while yellow indicated happy times. Also, lighting could substitute for props. During scenes involving the train, lights would flash on and off, making the stage look as if it was actually moving. This effectively created the illusion that the cast was on a train. Also, lighting was innovatively used to create a "jail" in one of the scenes by creating vertical bars on the stage around the convicts.
The lighting in this movie is very effective. It helps to establish the characters very well. The audience is helping in distinguishing the bad and the good characters through the lighting. The movie overall is very stylized. There are some other strange lighting patterns brought out by Hype Williams, but by far the most effective lighting patterns are ones that help to characterize the main players in the film.
What makes a film interesting? What makes it stand out from other films? What makes it unique? The visual design aspects of color and lighting in a film play a major role in giving the film meaning and depth. A lot of thought goes into what colors and lighting should be used that will help convey a mood and theme central to the film.
Film maker Ian Cheney takes the viewer through the lights of this world and beyond. Starting off in New York, New York, Cheney tries to locate the stars in the night sky with much difficulty. Light pollution, artificial light reflecting off dust particles in the atmosphere, creates a vail that blankets the city sky and hides the universe above. In order to experience the wonderment he felt as a child growing up in rural Maine Cheney travels to various places around the globe to capture the heavens with his camera. As he travels Cheney grades areas based on the amount of stars able to be seen at night. Cities received the lowest letter grade while rural locations in the deserts of North America were rewarded with the highest grades. Throughout
High key + Low key lighting he uses these to give a sort of mood or feeling to a setting or scene or character. Like in “Charlie And The Chocolate Factory” Tim Burton lit up the overall first part you see when you enter the candy room. But in the back it was kinda dark showing that everything isn't what it seems. He also uses these types of lighting to point to something specific like in “Edward scissorhands” Edwards scars. Tim Burton also used it in “Edwards Scissorhands” to show Edwards scars. He did this to show that there was an importance and a difference from that character and all the others. It was also used in “Edward Scissorhands” in the very beginning when the town and the castle was being introduced to the audience. The town was
One of the cinematic techniques used in some of his movies is lighting. In the
Films were a new exciting form of entertainment from their debut in the early 1900’s to today, the film making business hit a growth period in the 1920’s. It was a time when movies came and went quickly and films that had no pretense of being art were made in mass. During this time of rapid change in the film making business, a certain aspiring director began his dream of working with cinema. Eventually, the talented and mysterious director, Alfred Hitchcock, played a huge part in establishing his and others’ masterpieces as an art.
Techniques of black and white films, helps celebrate Caravagio’s use of lighting, but also reveals the texture of the background, the result is a convincing and alluring set which reads very clearly on camera.
American cinema has marveled audiences for over a century and during that timeframe there have been several advancements worthwhile of mentioning. The creation, introduction, and development of the camera is clearly one of the advancements which set the stage for films, beginning with the basic image to those utilizing multiple images in order to create movement. Then came the addition of sound into films which added another element for viewers to enjoy and finally the use of light to enhance the movement being displayed. For the most part, these techniques were rudimentary in nature until 1941 when the film Citizen Kane was released and forever changed the film industry. The remainder of this paper will analyze how Citizen Kane challenged traditional filmmaking techniques to revolutionize and benchmark the film industry for all production studios.
Stella Adler, an american actress, said “The theatre was created to tell people the truth about life and the social situation” (brainy quotes). Adler points out the importance of how theatre is a virtual representation of the real world and day to day situations. The message sent through theatre is absolutely amazing. World premier drama by Bruce R. Coleman, Daylight, was an outstanding play that challenges the ideas of how we get to happiness and how we become the people we were meant to be.
This essay will broaden your ability to view films from behind the scene of film shooting, set design, lighting, screenwriting, casting, makeup, special effects, color, sound effect, dialogue, soundtracks to editing and post production. It will clarify how to analyze films by exposing the art of watching, analyzing and evaluating films from differential approaches.
Lighting plays an especial part effect in movies in order to connect with the audiences. It can be used in many ways in order to create different style of scenes from romantic to horror movie scenes. For this blog discussion of lighting I chose Halloween (1978) movie. This movie is a horror movie that uses a low-key lighting effect.
Movies have evolved over the years. Classic black and white silent movies are being taken over by sound effects enhanced colors and more action.The cost of making movies is rising.
Furthermore the work also reflects the baroque movement, which also was a part of the related era. A play of light and shade is frequently used throughout the film to give the respective ambiance. The architectural features this way create an emphasis on one element while the others support within the environment. Figure below is an example of how the light and dark areas give a negative and positive impact; additionally the sculptures and the shades create a sense of pessimism in the viewers mind.