CharlesPapert
Director of Photography
So, you have to light a scene and you aren’t sure how to go about it. You head to your favorite filmmaking board (like this one) and ask “hey guys, how do you light this”? You get a lot of different answers and most likely, pleas for more information. To smooth this process along, consider including as many of the points below as you can.
On the technical side:
1) Begin with location photos from multiple angles. If possible, add a simple diagram or floor plan. Note access to any and all windows from outside (is this a ground floor or higher, is there a balcony etc). This will help everyone to build a virtual version of the space in their mind. If daylight will be a factor, add a representation of the arc of the sun, or at least a notation of due north relative to the building.
2) List your lighting package. Make sure everything listed can actually be powered for this shoot—having access to a 4K HMI doesn’t mean much if you don’t have a generator. Also, tell us how many crew you have. A big lighting package is great but only having one or two hands to work it suggests: best to keep it simple.
3) Indicate a rough exposure level. What ISO will you be shooting at, what stop are you aiming for, will there be specific demands such as high speed, skinny shutter, Citizen Kane-esque deep depth of field; those instances may require extra firepower.
4) Indicate any specialty lighting gags, like “at one point all the lights have to dim”. That will make it more complicated to recommend HMI’s, for instance.
5) Include relevant restrictions from the location—"there’s a second floor balcony overlooking the main room, but we aren’t allowed up there", etc.
6) Is this scene day or night? Meaning: when is the scene scripted to occur, and also what time of day you will be shooting it. Sometimes its better to embrace natural light, other times it’s safer to block it out and start from scratch to keep things consistent. A lot depends on how many hours you have scheduled to shoot your scene.
Now on to the fun part—the creative side.
1) Tell us about the scene. And the overall tone of the piece you are shooting. No-one can truly give useful advice on how to light a narrative without this information. Are you going for bright and cheery or dark and moody? Is it a comedy, a drama, horror? Do you want it to look stylized or naturalistic?
2) Include references to existing material. Stills or Youtube links are incredibly helpful. If something isn’t exactly the same as what you want to achieve, note that, i.e. “I like this color palette and overall look but I need to see the faces more”. Don’t limit yourself to frame grabs—feel free to use fine art or photography references, whatever you find inspirational. These will not only help others give you advice, it will aid in communication within your crew and to your director. This is how it’s done in the industry!
3) Describe your camerawork and overall approach to framing. What is the widest shot of the space you have planned? Is there a "fourth wall" that will never be seen on camera? Those factors will help establish the overall lighting scheme, where the lighting instruments need to be placed to keep out of the frame (you can always refine as you get closer, but if you work in reverse you will generally get into trouble). Big traveling Steadicam/gimbal/handheld shots that see every direction in the room are lovely but you will usually need to light from above, which is a whole other thing to consider, especially if you are also thinking of low angles that could see the ceiling.
Now, this seems like a lot of information, but the point is—the more details you can deliver, the more specific the advice you can receive in return.
Finally, to address a typical scenario that occurs on message boards—if you do ask for lighting help for a specific shoot, it’s good karma to follow up after the fact and let everyone know how it went, good and bad. Post frame grabs. Encourage a post-mortem amongst the people who offered their help. The idea here is that everyone can benefit from learning what worked and what didn’t, and it inspires others to keep offering their advice.
On the technical side:
1) Begin with location photos from multiple angles. If possible, add a simple diagram or floor plan. Note access to any and all windows from outside (is this a ground floor or higher, is there a balcony etc). This will help everyone to build a virtual version of the space in their mind. If daylight will be a factor, add a representation of the arc of the sun, or at least a notation of due north relative to the building.
2) List your lighting package. Make sure everything listed can actually be powered for this shoot—having access to a 4K HMI doesn’t mean much if you don’t have a generator. Also, tell us how many crew you have. A big lighting package is great but only having one or two hands to work it suggests: best to keep it simple.
3) Indicate a rough exposure level. What ISO will you be shooting at, what stop are you aiming for, will there be specific demands such as high speed, skinny shutter, Citizen Kane-esque deep depth of field; those instances may require extra firepower.
4) Indicate any specialty lighting gags, like “at one point all the lights have to dim”. That will make it more complicated to recommend HMI’s, for instance.
5) Include relevant restrictions from the location—"there’s a second floor balcony overlooking the main room, but we aren’t allowed up there", etc.
6) Is this scene day or night? Meaning: when is the scene scripted to occur, and also what time of day you will be shooting it. Sometimes its better to embrace natural light, other times it’s safer to block it out and start from scratch to keep things consistent. A lot depends on how many hours you have scheduled to shoot your scene.
Now on to the fun part—the creative side.
1) Tell us about the scene. And the overall tone of the piece you are shooting. No-one can truly give useful advice on how to light a narrative without this information. Are you going for bright and cheery or dark and moody? Is it a comedy, a drama, horror? Do you want it to look stylized or naturalistic?
2) Include references to existing material. Stills or Youtube links are incredibly helpful. If something isn’t exactly the same as what you want to achieve, note that, i.e. “I like this color palette and overall look but I need to see the faces more”. Don’t limit yourself to frame grabs—feel free to use fine art or photography references, whatever you find inspirational. These will not only help others give you advice, it will aid in communication within your crew and to your director. This is how it’s done in the industry!
3) Describe your camerawork and overall approach to framing. What is the widest shot of the space you have planned? Is there a "fourth wall" that will never be seen on camera? Those factors will help establish the overall lighting scheme, where the lighting instruments need to be placed to keep out of the frame (you can always refine as you get closer, but if you work in reverse you will generally get into trouble). Big traveling Steadicam/gimbal/handheld shots that see every direction in the room are lovely but you will usually need to light from above, which is a whole other thing to consider, especially if you are also thinking of low angles that could see the ceiling.
Now, this seems like a lot of information, but the point is—the more details you can deliver, the more specific the advice you can receive in return.
Finally, to address a typical scenario that occurs on message boards—if you do ask for lighting help for a specific shoot, it’s good karma to follow up after the fact and let everyone know how it went, good and bad. Post frame grabs. Encourage a post-mortem amongst the people who offered their help. The idea here is that everyone can benefit from learning what worked and what didn’t, and it inspires others to keep offering their advice.
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