Lighting people of color?

[thartley]

This may seem a strange question, but are there any special considerations when lighting people of color? I am supposed to shoot a scene this upcoming week in a small room, no windows (so light can be controlled), and it is supposed to simulate moody candle light...crystal ball/palm reading type of room. I was thinking of using practicals, just small fake tiffany-looking lights instead of candles since the flames get blown out, but am not sure what sort of bulb to put in them for this. Any kind of lighting suggestions?

Thanks,
Terri

 

[Barry_Green]

Re: Lighting people of color?

Well... yeah, depending on what color you're talking about. If they have rich deep ebony skin, it's a little different to light them than, say, olive or light brown. The darker the skin, the more it'll soak up light. So you need to use really large soft sources on darker-skinned subjects, and get them close. That way you almost are filming the reflection of the light surface. You need to use large soft sources to shape the face.

Keep in mind that a true black surface would absorb all light thrown at it. Now, "black" people aren't "black" of course, but the principle holds: the darker the skin, the more it will soak up whatever light you throw at 'em. Using a large soft source will be the key to getting flattering lighting for darker-skinned faces.

 

[Rush]

Re: Lighting people of color?

I agree with Barry, that with dark skin you have to use large sources because you have to make large diffuse highlights that cover and entire side of the face, as opposed to specular highlights that reflect a small bulb. I will add that there aren't as many things to consider in a Medium shot as there are when mixing folks with different skin tones in the same two-shot. That is when you have to add light to one person or subtract from the other to balance them. On an individual basis, you mostly have to pay attention to skin reflectivity and bone structure, as you would any subject, so that you are helping the subject and drawing attention to his or her striking features.

You have to also pay attention to the background, if you are used to lighting lighter-skin folks you may be used to using darker backrounds, and then you go to light a darker-skin person, you have to alter the background so that the person's face doesn't blend in, so you would use something lighter. This is not set in stone, it has a lot to do with exposure on the main subject as well as lighting direction and makeup. Steely blue rim lights and Orange fill lights (like the practicals) work nicely too. I would watch movies with actors that have the same skin color as your subject, and try to see how a DP treats the main subject to make her look her best. Everyone wants to look great, even in moody situations like your shoot. Personally I think Blade is a great example, where it borders on idol-worship-lighting for Wesley Snipes. ;D I don't think he had ever looked as good, and I think it's because the DP really studied his face and bone structure.