I feel my key light looks fake

[Matty_g]

Are you still trying to emulate the reference photo?

 

[iams3b]

Not anymore, this whole thread was just to figure out how to make my lighting not look "fake" ...that example was just supposed to be an example that not all comedy's are flatly lit. It was just a coincidence they were both sitting-on-couch shots

I'm just trying to learn basic lighting through trial and error right now

 

[David Jimerson]

Well, not to get all spammy, but Lighting for Film and Television (check my sig) is designed specifically to take the trial and error out of the learning process. You'll get further in a couple of hours than you will with weeks of trial and error, and more importantly, you'll understand why it works. We had exactly these kinds of questions in mind when we designed it.

 

[j]

good job.

 

[markblasco]

Well, your first example looks like something out of a home movie, and the rest of the examples you posted look like films. I think you have made significant progress.