How to light

W

Whiteside Production

Active member
It feels wierd asking this question, but i could never fifure out how to light so it looks good. I understand using baclights, but where do i put them? do they have to be up high? I am completely clueless on how to light. any help is appreciated.
 
Wow. How to light so it "looks good". I'm guessing you're pretty young or very new and the best way to start is to pick up some good books. There is one called Lighting for DV&film by John Jackman, and if you search this site you will find all kinds of books on lighting. If you're expecting someone to tell you how to light then you're a very lost soul. It takes lots of practice. Use the Search button for all questions first, you'll be surprised what you can find. Good luck, Tim.
 
The back light is usually opposite the key. It's raised high to throw shadows on the floor, so as not to create multiple shadows on screen.
 
A good resource for learning about lighting is "American Cinematographer". They discuss how the latest movies are lit. If you're serious about learning how to light, this is a good one to subscribe to.
 
actually, im 16, and i havve a lot of experience in movie making, my dad works on the west wing, and i have a sony dsr-pd170. i have just never done much lighting and was wondering what some of the best ways were
 
Three point lighting is the traditional way to go. Some of my friends, who are DPs, like to use single source light as much as possible because it's quicker and you don't get into shadow problems. When time allows, they'll use two light sources. Obviously, on bigger budget shoots, they'll go to three point lighting: key, fill, back light.
 
Hey dude...I'm sixteen too. We *are* pretty young. Anyway, I think the best way to learn how to light is to read some stuff and than just go do it. I've read TONS myself over the last few years, but no matter how much I read between two lighting situations, it's only gonna get so much better. Learn from your mistakes, and hopefully if you're dad has some sort of "in" from his job, you can get your hands on some nice gear to start practicing with. Also, you may want to start snappping still pictures and just examine how light naturally "dances" around a space and than think about how you could re-create that on film while enhancing it to suit the story. I really hope my response didn't sound cocky or "holier-than-thou" cause, believe me, I have a ridiculous amount of stuff to learn too. And hey, we're young, we've got plenty of time to learn, right? ;-)
Peace,

-Harry
 
Whiteside Production said:
my dad works on the west wing
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Hey Whiteside, why don't you ask your dad if you can go to set with him and observe what's going on? I watch "West Wing" and the lighting on that show is great. I'm willing to bet you'll learn more about lighting from being on set than reading a book!
 
Film Crazy said:
Hey Whiteside, why don't you ask your dad if you can go to set with him and observe what's going on? I watch "West Wing" and the lighting on that show is great. I'm willing to bet you'll learn more about lighting from being on set than reading a book!
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oh hell yeah. i go as ofen as i can, and i always am on set watching what is going on. i just want the pro equipment :-P
 
I hear ya, Desperate Comfort. I keep thinking about how far into my career I would be right now if I had started all this when I was 16. Geez....
 
You don't need pro equipment to make a great shot. Although it does help. You should talk to the gaffer on set and ask him the questions you have. Write them down if you have to. Also a PD170 is a great camera. When I was growing up I only had a VHS-C. You sound like a spoiled rich kid saying that. So realize what you have and make the best of it. Read books and American Cinematographer. Learn the rules of lighting first. Also at your age try working at public access. They usually have programs and you'll learn a lot from them. Last get some basic lights and practice lighting. You can even buy lights from home depot with have basic 100w bulbs in them. Put one of your friends in front of the camera in a dark room like a garage and roll the camera while repositioning the lights around. You'll quickly see it's effects and learn. Don't forget to try lighting with gels. Watch films that are known for their cinematography. Study where the light is coming from and what it's doing for the scene. Also photography books are terribly important to study.
 
The West Wing is shot extremely well, except for one thing: the highlight lighting in the hallways is so strong! You'll see it during any of the half-dozen walk-n-talks they do in any given episode, especially in the White House corridors or near the Roosevelt Room. Little overhead shaft lights that absolutely blow out, especially on poor Richard Schiff's head! Is anyone else really bothered by that? Everything else they do is great... but that one persistant, glaring thing always annoys me.
 
One thing that is done often on "The West Wing", since it's been brought up, is the use of incredibly strong toplighting to use as transitions between lighting scenarious. If you watch, as the people are walking through the set, they constantly go underneath these par cans that are about 2-3 stops over base exposure. This is a unique way to keep the office scenes looking interesting.

Otherwise, I would recommend carrying around a camera, and taking still of natural lighting that you see around you. Process the pictures and then study them. Try to re-create the looks that you see in the pictures. If you can master that kind of re-creation, you are on your way to having the tools to create your own reality. Understanding the way that lighting works in nature is the greatest asset of any D.P. or Gaffer.

I would also ape the above statement in paying close attention to the D.P. on West Wing when you get a chance. Earlier last year I had the opportunity to work on Darius Khondji. That week severely changed the way that I work now. Seeing the way that those guys manipulate light shows you that it's not as hard as it seems. You just have to have a damn good eye, and a willingess to mess up a lot until you hone it to perfection.
 
Heh, that's funny Dougspice, we were posting at the same time about the same thing with directly opposing views... I agree that it is totally unrealistic, I just think it's effective.
 
West Wing

West Wing

Yeah, the lighting on that show is definitely trying to add visual excitement. I find it a little jarring at times--the brightly backlit pillars in one of the conference rooms comes to mind as being too extreme for my tastes. But it works on that show.

I'm imagining that maybe the producers were afraid of making a political talking heads drama that would bore people, so perhaps they were very open to dramatic lighting and lots of steadicam to add some tension.

It's amazing when you compare a show like the West Wing to a show like LA Law/Miami Vice which were shot only 10-15 years ago and observe the incredible jumps in production value, lighting and shot sophistication. Much less comparing it to 70s shows like CHIPS which looks like such amateur hour by today's standards. Things have really changed.

--

Anyways, at your age, it's going to be all about cheap experiments and reading. Do both. You'll learn all you need to know if you just apply yourself. If you have family that works on sets (assuming they're not catering or security), you probably have a decent chance of getting some good PA jobs in a few years. These are crafts--you learn by doing.
 
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