And on the first day of shooting, the director said, “Let there be light.”

A key moment that separates an amateur filmmaker from someone starting to take their craft seriously is when they start to worry about lighting. In that moment, just flipping on your camera’s “auto” settings won’t be good enough for you anymore and you’ll start to plan your shots around available lights. If you’re reading this, then that moment has probably arrived.

And the director saw the light and saw that it was good.

Three-Point Lighting#

If you look around a room with the lights switched on, you’ll likely see everything clearly. But pan your camera around that same room, and suddenly weird shadows and uneven lighting will jump out at you. That’s where “Three-Point Lighting,” the foundational lighting scheme, comes into play.

Point One: Key Light#

This is the main light used to illuminate your subject and the brightest/strongest light source in the scene. The key light will be the first light you set up in order to build the rest of your lighting scheme around it. (If you’re using the sun as a key light, you’ll be setting your subject, not the light).

Just be careful not to put the key light too close to the camera, lest you flatten out your image. Setting your key at a slight angle away from the camera is almost always preferred.

The mistake a lot of beginning filmmakers make is thinking that once they’ve set this big, bright key light, they’re done. But au contraire! There are still two more “points” of lighting to add in.

Point Two: Fill Light#

Once you’ve set your key light, you’ll notice that there are some obvious shadows being cast by your subject. Most commonly, an actor’s nose might send an undesirable shadow across their face. This is where Fill Light comes in. Set on the opposite side of the camera as the key light, this less intense light will “fill” in the shadows created by the key.

Point Three: Back Light#

The last of our three points has the subtlest effect, but will do the most in establishing a cinematic look for your lighting scheme. Sure, pointing a light at your subject makes sense. And using another light to counteract the shadows makes sense. But why on earth should I light my subject from behind?

Well, because your key and fill lights aren’t just hitting your subject. They are also hitting everything behind your subject. With everything in front of the camera lit similarly, your image can start to look flat. By lighting your subject from behind, you’ll create a rim of light around them that isn’t hitting the wall behind them (thats why a back light is also referred to as a “rim light”). This creates separation between your subject and the background, adding depth to your frame.

Light Sources#

Natural Light#

The most affordable type of lighting, as the name would suggest, is any kind of light that is created by nature. This means the sun during the day, and the moon and stars during the night.

Many people’s favorite time to shoot with natural light is just after the sun has dipped below the horizon line. At this time of day, called either magic hour or golden hour, it will still be bright out, but the sun’s golden light will be dispersed relatively evenly rather than shining from only one direction.

Tungsten Lights#

CAME-TV Pro 650W Fresnel Tungsten Light with Built-in Dimmer Control from https://www.bhphotovideo.com/

If you close your eyes and image what “movie lights” look like, then you’re probably thinking of tungsten lights. These lights are the brightest possible option for lighting your set. However, unlike their fluorescent or LED counterparts, tungsten lights lose their power relatively quickly and also have a tendency to get hot while you’re using them. (So be careful!)

If you’re in DIY mode and not looking to buy a full lighting kit, incandescent light bulbs have a tungsten filament which glow with a warm, orange hue. While these light bulbs are worse for the environment (and therefore used with less frequency these days), they can give your images that “classic” tungsten feel on a budget.

Fluorescent Lights#

Interfit F5 Three-Head Fluorescent Lighting Kit with Boom Arm from www.bhphotovideo.com

While they lack the sheer brightness of tungstens, fluorescent lights may be a more practical alternative since they retain their brightness longer and don’t run hot. But be warned: While professional fluorescent lights look great, fluorescent bulbs from around the house may make your images look cool and blue. At the worst end of the spectrum, you can end up with a flickering, harsh, greenish-blue look that accentuates everyone’s flaws (the “in the hospital” look). This doesn’t mean you’re a bad filmmaker, it just means you’re working with bad lights.

LEDs#

Neewer 2 Packs 660 PRO RGB LED Video Light with App Control Stand Kit from Amazon.com

Increasingly, filmmakers will rely either partially or entirely on LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) to light their frames. This light-weight option offers flexibility in terms of potability, brightness and even color temperature. They also use the least power of any lighting options (some are even battery powered). The down side is that they offer the least power for their price. While they’re getting more affordable every year, LEDs still tend to be quite a bit more expensive than either tungsten or fluorescent lights.

Practical Lights#

Any light sources that are actually seen on camera are “practical lights.” On DIY productions, practical lights may make up a huge part of how you light a scene, as you move around lamps, string lights, and even bright computer screens until your shot looks good.

Practical lights can be hugely beneficial in motivating where light is coming from. For example, let’s say you’ve just bought a fancy light kit to illuminate your actors. However when you look at your frame, it doesn’t make sense where all that light is coming from. Well, if you place a small lamp on the table in the scene, no one will question why your actor has so much light hitting their face.

Sometimes the reverse is true too. If you realize your practical light isn’t giving off enough light, you can add a “supplemental” light just out of frame to increase the amount of light coming from that direction.

Types of Light#

Background Light and “Four-Point Lighting”#

Just missing out on making the cut as one of the three most important lighting directions, background lighting (which when added to a three-point lighting scheme makes a classic “four-point” lighting scheme), is a light source aimed directly at the area behind your subject. This will illuminate your set and add further depth between your subject and the background.

Side Light#

Just like it sounds, side lighting is when you shine a light towards a subject from one side. So, for example, you may only light one side of an actor’s face. The resulting shadows will add depth to the image and create a dark or thoughtful mood.

Eye Light#

An eye light is a small light that reflects off the surface of someone’s eye to give their expression more emotion (especially in a close-up). Often times the eye light is placed directly on or very close to the camera itself.

Negative Fill#

Negative fill is created by moving or blocking light sources from certain angles in order to intentionally create contrast while lighting your subject. If fill light was filling in your existing shadows with new light, then negative fill is filling in your existing light with new shadows.

Bounce Light#

This is when you take a light source and literally “bounce” it off a bright surface. This spreads the light out so that when it hits the subject, it will be less intense and more evenly distributed.

PRO-TIP: Bouncing a light off the ceiling will give you a nice, evenly distributed light source from above. Trust us, this is way easier than trying to rig up a bunch of overhead lights.

Spill Light#

A term to refer to any light that is hitting something it’s not supposed to, as if it is “spilling” off of one subject and hitting another. The way to combat spill is to use a solid, dark surface to block out the light from going in that direction. Many film lights come equipped with four hinged metal flaps called “barn doors” to lessen the amount of space the light will hit and eliminate spill.

Ambient Light#

These are lights you didn’t bring with you to set, whether it’s sunlight coming through a window or the glow of a television playing in the corner of the bar. Whatever it is, if you can’t block out the ambient lighting, try to work it into your lighting scheme rather than simply ignoring it.

Hard vs. Soft Light#

Generally, a hard light comes from shining a bright light directly at something. This intense light will create shadows and draw the viewers’ attention to a subject’s texture, shape, and edges.

On the other hand, soft light is less intense. Often created by diffusing or bouncing light, soft light leads to less pronounced shadows and softer edges. A soft key light is generally considered more flattering for performers as it smoothes out shadows, wrinkles, and blemishes.

High Key vs. Low Key Light#

High key lighting refers to a scene that is bright across the board with plenty of fill light to brighten up any and all shadows. There is very little contrast in a scene with high key lighting— meaning the brightest and darkest parts of your frame aren’t that different from one another. Many sitcoms, children’s tv shows, and clothes commercials will use high key lighting.

Conversely, low key lighting is a world shrouded in shadows, with very little fill light (if any) used at all. The large amount of contrast gives off what many consider to be a more dramatic or emotional look, often seen in crime dramas or film noirs.

Other Lighting Tools#

Impact Collapsible Circular Reflector Disc - Gold/Silver - 12" from www.bhphotovideo.com

• Reflector: A surface that usually comes with different color options— white, black, gold, and silver— to either bounce or re-direct your light as you see fit.

Matthews 18x24" Flag with Black Textile from www.adorama.com/

• Flag: A dark surface that can be used to block out a light source, either partially or entirely

Phottix 59x78-3/4", 150x200cm Collapsible Disc Diffuser, White from www.adorama.com

• Diffuser: An object placed in front of a light to reduce the light’s intensity (making it “softer”), allowing the light to fall more evenly across a subject.

From Amazon.com

• Gels: Thin sheets of colored plastic placed over lights to affect their color temperature. It is crucial to remember when using gels that they also dim whatever lights they are placed on.

Tiltaing Mini Matte Box from www.bhphotovideo.com

• Matte Box: hinged flaps placed directly on your camera lens in order to block out light sources, usually in an effort to curb lens flares.

Sekonic LiteMaster Pro L-478D-U Light Meter from https://www.bhphotovideo.com/

• Light Meter: Usually a small handheld device that will tell you the intensity of the light hitting it. This can be a helpful tool for both exposure and matching your lighting between shots.

Color Temperature#

Color temperature is a number measured in Kelvin to tell you how warm or cool your lighting is. We use it to discuss the “hue” of a light source where warmer color temperatures (lower numbers close to 1,000) lead to a more orange light while cooler color temperatures (higher numbers close to 10,000) have a more blueish hue.

Daylight tends to be more blue and land in 5,500 to 6,500 Kelvin range (if it’s cloudy, it’ll be on the higher end).

Tungsten Lights are more orange and tend to be right around 3200 Kelvin.

Fluorescent and LED lights have way more variability (and some LEDs can even change their color temperature), but most will split the different between tungsten and daylight and land in 4,000 range. However, the fluorescent lights around your house may be trying to mirror an incandescent/Tungsten look and be right around 3000.

When you white balance your camera, you’re counteracting the color temperature of the lights to give your frame a neutral look. So if you set your camera for a high color temperature, it’s going to try to make bluer lights look neutral (which has the effect of making true neutral lights look orange— a useful tool if you want to use it).

Lighting Equations#

Yeah, yeah, yeah. We know. You’re here to make art, not to do math. We hear you! But even still, these two equations are worth having at least a passing knowledge of

1. The Inverse Square Law#

The inverse square law tells us the relationship between a light’s intensity and how far away it is from a subject: $Intensity = 1/distance^2$

Put another way, every time you move your light twice as far away from your subject you lose 75% of your intensity. Alternatively if you move twice as close to your subject, you quadruple the intensity of your light.

Intensity at 1 foot away $= 1/(1)^2 = 1/1 = 100$% intensity

Intensity at 2 feet away $= 1/(2)^2 = 1/4 = 25$% intensity

2. The Relationship Between Amperage, Wattage, and Voltage#

Wattage is the amount of electrical power something has and is measured in watts. The brighter a light bulb, the higher its wattage.

Amperage is the strength of an electrical current and is measured in amps. The more amps you have available to you, the more wattage you can power.

Voltage is a measure of electromagnetic potential. If this seems more confusing than the first two terms, don’t worry. Almost all electrical outlets in North America are going to give you 120 volts. And that’s all you need to know for our second important equation:

$Amps = Watts/Volts$

... which can be re-written as...

$Watts = (Amps)(Volts)$

If you check the breakers in a building, you’ll find that most circuits will be able to give you either 15 or 20 amps. So if we follow our equation, that means most circuits can support either 1800 watts or 2400 watts of lighting equipment (assuming absolutely nothing else is plugged in on that circuit).

When quickly running these calculations on set, people will often use 100 as their voltage to make the division easier and to give them some leeway in case they make a mistake. There are few worse feelings than plunging an entire set into darkness because you divided wrong and thought you could plug in the coffee machine on the same circuit as the lights.

How to Light a Scene on a Budget#

If you’re shooting a big-budget Hollywood movie on a sound stage, you’ll have access to what seems like an endless supply of lights, stands, reflectors, and flags. However, if you’re reading this, you’re probably not shooting on a soundstage. In fact, you’re probably hoping to spend as little on lighting as possible. So let’s talk about how you can effectively light a scene on a budget.

Spend What You Can#

While purchasing lights isn’t nearly as exciting as buying that new camera, lens, or microphone, it remains an essential part of filmmaking so allocate at least some of your budget for lights. For example, if you’re going to do a lot of close-up work (documentary interviews or a vlog in which you talk directly to the camera), then the single purchase of a ring light—which will evenly cover your subject’s face in soft light—will make your content look instantly more professional.

Cordless 18'' Ring Light from https://lumecube.com/

While it’s tempting to try to rely solely on practical lights, remember that these were designed to light up a room, not a scene. And while you may want to rely solely on natural light (the cheapest light source), it’s still worthwhile to invest in ways to bounce and diffuse the intensity of the sun.

When putting together your lighting kit, we recommend checking the internet or your local photography store for used lights. Lights can be big and unwieldy, so when people want them out of their house, they tend to be eager to see them go and are willing to sell them for cheap. So be patient and keep your eyes peeled for these good deals.

Plan, Plan, Plan... and Then Plan Some More#

A. Good B. Cheap C. Fast

There’s an old adage that when making a film, you can only be two of those three things. Well, the whole point of this article is to be cheap. Therefore, if you want to be good, you should give up on being too fast. That means take your time to plan your lighting in advance.

For starters, always go to your location prior to your shoot day at the same time you’re going to shoot there. That way, you can see how intense and angled the sunlight is. There’s nothing more disheartening than planning out a complicated scene in the morning, then coming back that afternoon to discover that the sun is now shining directly into your camera lens, rendering the whole plan unusable. However, even if you plan days in advance, remember that unexpected weather can still throw your calculations off. Make sure to have a backup plan for both sunny weather (harsh, yellow light) and cloudy weather (cooler, evenly distributed light).

Once you’re at your location deciding what equipment you’ll need to shoot there, remember that it’s always preferable to add and subtract light from a good situation rather than starting from scratch. Therefore, as you’re figuring out where to point your camera, ask yourself if there’s a direction that is already the best lit without any **additional lighting. While we never recommend relying solely on practical and natural lights, they can be a great starting place.

If you’re using a more extensive lighting kit, planning also means checking your breakers which will tell you how much amperage you’re dealing with on a given circuit. If you’re not going to have enough amps to turn on all your lights, you can run an extension cord to a circuit in another room, or even over to the house next door. And trust us: asking your neighbor if you can run a wire through their bathroom window is something you want to do before you’ve begun shooting. This will lead to a much less stressful— and more productive— conversation.

Get Creative#

As is the case with all aspects of art, lighting often comes down to creativity.

For starters, if you’ve shelled out the cash to purchase a professional light, try to figure out how to use that whenever you can. It may seem that a large directional light is too intense for a small room, but what if you aim it directly at the ceiling and bounce it? Or what if you take it outside and shoot it back in through the window?

Secondly, get creative with where light can come from. We’ve already mentioned practical lamps and string lights, but there are other ways to get a bit of light into your frame. Can you crank up the brightness settings on a TV? How about a phone or a laptop? If the whole scene is too dark, maybe your character would whip out a practical lantern or flashlight?

Beyond the lights themselves, you can get even more creative with lighting tools. Poster boards and white walls make serviceable bounce boards. A thin bedsheet in front of your light makes a great diffuser. Anything solid can be a flag, and taped-up black trashbags are a great way to block out windows.

Additionally, sometimes you can make a lack of light look like a conscious choice. If it’s tonally appropriate, a lot of contrast and shadows may heighten the mood of your film. You don’t have to tell anyone that all your negative fill is due to the fact that you weren’t able to produce the amount of light you wanted. This ties in to our note about planning. If you realize early enough that you don’t have enough equipment to fully light the scene, you’ll have plenty of time to re-design the scene to own a more shadow-y look.

At the end of the day...#

Lighting comes down to this: Look at each part of your frame and ask if you’d like it to be brighter or darker. Then add or subtract light until it looks the way you want it to. It won’t always look pretty outside the edges of your frame, but as long as your camera is pointed at something well-lit, the rest of the room doesn’t matter.