urgent why do you adjust lights when u are at the same distance

C

chand

New member
Hi,

Can someone please help me out?

why do you adjust the lights when you are at the same distance from the subject but just at a different angle than the previous shot?

What I mean is that you don't go from wide to medium, but just from a wide shot to another wide shot. Or from a medium shot to another medium shot.

I know that sometimes you can have a light in the frame, but what are the other reasons?

Is it also that when you are at the same distance from the subject but that you are just at a different angle, then the lights look different than the previous shot?


thank you very much
 
If I'm understanding this properly, you're asking why people move lights around when they're shooting, say, two medium shots from different angles (same distance from the subject) instead of say, lighting a medium and then a close up shot.

Sometimes, if you're cutting to another medium shot from another angle, for example, the light might be in the shot. So you'd have to move it. There's a good chance it would be in the shot if you're shooting a medium from another angle. It might not look right from the other angle, and the lights might need to be moved around the same way you might move them around for a close up. Perspective and light changes when you move angles. So if you light for a front on shot, and then move to the side, it might not look as good from the other angle so you might change the lights.

Different DP's have different ways of going about it. Some like to keep the lights consistent through the scene and some change lighting depending on shot.
 
Because you need to!

I don't think you should worry about this too much. Just shoot your movies and learn how to light better. As your eye gets better, you'll realize when you need to change things and when they need to stay the same. Just try and spend your time realizing what lighting is good and what lighting is bad.
 
It could also have to do with the angle of reflectance of the light. Depending on what angle the camera (or your eye for that matter) is viewing the subject, light may reflect back as a hot spot or not bright enough.
 
Hmmm. Had never thought about this before... but what if people notice that the light source is changing and that the light is coming from different places? if it is a drastic lighting scheme with dark shadows on one side, people might notice...
 
Entity said:
Hmmm. Had never thought about this before... but what if people notice that the light source is changing and that the light is coming from different places? if it is a drastic lighting scheme with dark shadows on one side, people might notice...
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Yeah, but DPs get away with it all the time, it has to be done subtly. What's important is that the approximate direction of the light is the same. Most people don't notice these changes unless it's distracting from the story.
 
If you really look for it, drastic changes in light from tight to wide are reasonably common. Watch csi miami with the sound off and try to keep track of where light is coming from. Its almost comical at times.

In one episode one of the women characters ALWAYS had a massive yellow glint on the side of her head. Didnt matter where she was, indoors or out, day or night, she always had a big yellow wash on her head. I gotta warn you though, once you start looking for this kinda stuff its really hard to pay attention to the plot. hehe

It really does come down to your style. If you are consistant in what you do, you can get away with an amazing amount of fakery. Lots of DPs prioritize looking "neat" over "realistic". But when you fake it, it needs to at least look "good".
 
Because Lighting is not always about the light, but also about the shadows. Sometimes with a changed shot, the shadows may be in the wrong place.
 
Personally, I usually like my lighting to feel pretty motivated and natural, but the one place I'm likely to budge on that and cheat is edge light. Edge light is very dependent on the angle relationship between the light source and camera.
 
Many do this due to the hardness a wide shot will have, that you can make better by slightly softening the shot on the close-ups.
 
In one episode one of the women characters ALWAYS had a massive yellow glint on the side of her head. Didnt matter where she was, indoors or out, day or night, she always had a big yellow wash on her head. I gotta warn you though, once you start looking for this kinda stuff its really hard to pay attention to the plot. hehe
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Totally true. And if you watch CSI Miami or Las Vegas for use of gels it is extreme, Miami being more extreme. It seems every shot has to have 3 or 4 ultra saturated gels.
 
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