onelightfilm
Member
Good job! keep at it!
Noir (and almost all dramatic) lighting is usually motivated my a logical source... like a window or a lamp or something. Do you have a still photo back ground? The lighting has a still photo studio look to it. That is totally fine if that is what you were going for, but dramatic motion picture lighting rarely goes for that look.
It might help you achieve even better results if you try to justify where your light is coming from. Is it coming from an overhead lamp? Most rooms have lights over head, so our minds are used to seeing that and accept it. A strong light from the top casts really severe shadows that can be cut by something practical on the table... like a white sheet of paper. Your actor can move the paper around during the scene and create some neat variation in your fill light.
The lights you have hitting him or "kicking" from the rear and sides might need some motivation as well. Are they from other practical lamps, or maybe windows? These types of real-life sources have very different qualities. You could still get that really strong stike on his cheeks by faking a bright window. In real life, a bright window in a dark room can be blinding (think about when you wake up in the morning and draw the shades of your room).
Lastly, a smalll hair light or rim light might help you separate your actor from the background a little better. You could achieve the same thing by maybe showing us just a hint of what is behind him... like a barely-lit painting hanging on the wall, or a door or something. These things just help create depth to the image. I can see what you were probably going for, though. There is kind of a trend of not using backlights as much right now. It's more of an artistic choice.
Sorry to be so long winded. All that to say that you did a knock-down job for your first time out (I think you said it was your first time, didn't you?). My comments are meant to be encouraging. It's really up to you and your personal tastes. Lighting is a subjective thing. We all see things differently. If your lighting has a practical motivation, i think you'll be amazed at what you can do. You tend to need fewer lights even sometimes. Just keep your eyes open as you go about your day. See how light looks on stuff. See where it's coming from. You'll get better and better!
Keep up the good work! Great Job!
Oliver
:beer:
Noir (and almost all dramatic) lighting is usually motivated my a logical source... like a window or a lamp or something. Do you have a still photo back ground? The lighting has a still photo studio look to it. That is totally fine if that is what you were going for, but dramatic motion picture lighting rarely goes for that look.
It might help you achieve even better results if you try to justify where your light is coming from. Is it coming from an overhead lamp? Most rooms have lights over head, so our minds are used to seeing that and accept it. A strong light from the top casts really severe shadows that can be cut by something practical on the table... like a white sheet of paper. Your actor can move the paper around during the scene and create some neat variation in your fill light.
The lights you have hitting him or "kicking" from the rear and sides might need some motivation as well. Are they from other practical lamps, or maybe windows? These types of real-life sources have very different qualities. You could still get that really strong stike on his cheeks by faking a bright window. In real life, a bright window in a dark room can be blinding (think about when you wake up in the morning and draw the shades of your room).
Lastly, a smalll hair light or rim light might help you separate your actor from the background a little better. You could achieve the same thing by maybe showing us just a hint of what is behind him... like a barely-lit painting hanging on the wall, or a door or something. These things just help create depth to the image. I can see what you were probably going for, though. There is kind of a trend of not using backlights as much right now. It's more of an artistic choice.
Sorry to be so long winded. All that to say that you did a knock-down job for your first time out (I think you said it was your first time, didn't you?). My comments are meant to be encouraging. It's really up to you and your personal tastes. Lighting is a subjective thing. We all see things differently. If your lighting has a practical motivation, i think you'll be amazed at what you can do. You tend to need fewer lights even sometimes. Just keep your eyes open as you go about your day. See how light looks on stuff. See where it's coming from. You'll get better and better!
Keep up the good work! Great Job!
Oliver
:beer: