Lighting Basics – Three Point System
12 Aug, 2009 by James L. Clark in Articles & Papers, Lighting Tips, Production Tips, Video
All aspects of production matter, but if you can’t see a subject, you can’t film it. And unless you’re planning on shooting in night vision because of noise and light security constraints on the battlefield in Iraq or you’re running and gunning for a TV show that involves someone cheating on a spouse in Dallas, my suggestion is you learn to use fixed lighting in production.
The basic concept for production lighting is known as "three point lighting", and it involves, as the name suggests, three lights and their direct relationship to one another and the subject.
Key Light. This is a powerful and bright light that best defines a key or primary focus on a subject or object, which creates deep shadows. It should be positioned roughly at a 45 degree angle to the subject being filmed.
Fill Lights. Shadows need to be filled, and these do that. It is used to get rid of unwanted shadows created by the key light. Most of the time, these fill lights are about half the intensity. I use a dimmer on all my halogens, so I’d suggest doing the same thing. A good rule of thumb is to place them at about a 30 degree angle opposite the key light on the main subject.
Back Lights. When a subject is lit from the front and sides, they generally blend into the background. That is, they sort of look flat. Since we are dealing with two dimensions, it’s always good to try to find a way to emulate the 3rd by adding light from behind. Throwing light like this at about 90 degrees to the subject at a higher or lower elevation creates fantastic lighting moods. Really, it’s the magic that creates the illusion of depth that brings the subject out; it makes them pop out to the camera.
Give it a shot, you’ll figure it out.
© Copyright 2009 by James L. Clark, Snr., Esq. All rights reserved. Duplication prohibited by domestic and international laws. This document is not for open publication and may not be released to third parties. The rights of the author have been asserted.
Website: http://www.jameslclark.com
