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Lighting Techniques Investigation
Three-point
Three-point lighting is a method used in visual media
such as film, photography and also theatre.
Buy positioning the light where they should be and in
separate positions the cinematographer can illuminate
the subject while controlling the shadings and the
shadows produced by direct light.
Key light is the most important light for a
cinematographer when it comes to lighting set up.
Key light is a type of light that shines directly on the
subject and it works as a main light source as is the most
important one.
When recording indoors the key lights is o commonly a specialised lamp.
The purpose of key light is to highlight the dimension of the subject. The key light is
not requirement as when omitting light it results in a silhouette effect.
Key light can be place at different points in a scene to illuminate a moving object.
Key light can he hard or soft which depends on the angle it was placed.
Three-point-lighting is the most common set up as the key light is placed 30 to 60
degrees. The key light can be placed high or low in a horizontal positions producing
different lighting effect. The most common vertical position for the key light is at 30
degrees above the eye line.
Key light results in a high contrast scene, when the background in not illuminated.
Fill light are used to reduce the contrast of a scene to match the dynamic range of the
subject. They can reflect the existing light
Fill light can also transmit a hard light to the environment as they can provide a
negative fill.
Fill light is also important as it also shines on the subject by it is placed at a lower position
than key light. The fill light is in charge of balancing the surface and eliminating dark effects
known as shadows. Fill light is often brighter and softer than key light.
Back light is the light that is usually place behind therefore it shines on the subject from
behind
Back light is the process of illumination from the back. This process creates a glowing
effect on the edges of the subject while the rest are darker. It can be classified as a
hard light or an artificial source of light. The back light can also be called as hair or
shoulder light as when it comes to lighting a character the backlight makes the edges
of the subject glow. Backlights help to separate the subject from the background.
Lighting for a factual program
Lighting for a factual program also involves the famous there point lighting method.
The first thing to accept at this point is that when setting up , time can pass really
quickly therefore there is not enough time, or easy location and things can easily go
wrong at any moment if the interview is not well scripted.
To light a factualprogram involves having at least two or three lights. A soft source is
the best option to light up the subject.
The subject must be pulled as far from the background to create a more effective image
as the background is more out of focus. Back lights will help to create a separation and
create a colour contrast.

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Green screens
Green screens allow the producer to create an amazing
content with loads of impressive effects,but it can also
be challenging. The colour green and blues are
considered furthest from the human skin tone and the
easiest to pull a good screen frame. Before the setup is
good to consider which type of lights will be used. A
good lighting set up is really important when it comes to
achieving a professional look. Therefore good lighting must be used to get a really nice green
colour. Lighting must be even so the background is the same colour as it is much easier to use
any software to remove the background. The first step in setting up a green screen is hanging
properly, as the screen must always be flat without any wrinkles in order to allow the
background to be keyed out.
There are different types of green screen if it is a cloth it should be ironed and all the dust
must be removed, if it is paper base, thee must not be any crises or even any hairs. Once this
is done, comes the illumination part which is where the subject is illuminated separately from
the green screen in order to eliminate the shadows. Camera exposer is also important as
underexposing light can produce unwanted green reflections onto the subject therefore the
green screen must be bright enough to allow the camera to make a bright and saturated image.
It is most appropriate to use large soft diffuse lights in multiple places and avoid creating
hotspots that are significantly brighter than the. Key and back light are also essential in this
process. The key light should be angle about 20-40 degrees and a fill light should be angled
on the other side creating the three-point lighting set up.
The camera used in this process must be rated a stop slower, as the subject needs to be lit
separately from the green screen it is good to keep as much distance between the screen and
the subject as possible, so the lights from the subject do not affect the lights of the green
screen. If the subject is to close, colour from the green lighting can be reflected on the screen
making it harder to create a Chroma effect.
Four-point
Four-point lighting and three-point lighting share
similarities as they are both place in a triangle position.
The key light in this process will be placed in one of the
sides as will have the function of main light to light up the
subject. Key light will be used to transmit a good quality
image of the subject to avoid shadows.
The light that comes from the front will be the fill. In a
three point lighting this is often done by a white card so
that there is a diffused light coming from the from the
other side of the subject.
In relative to four point lighting this method will be a little
looser with this, as four-point lighting is more responsive
to the needs of dramatic narrative scene. Both three-point lighting and four-point lighting
involves a back light to aim the subject's head. The backlight in four-point lighting is often
called the edge light, and it is usually brought up far above the subject's head so that it will
peer down on them. back must be moved away from the subject's head in a four-point lighting
set up.
The main light which differentiates this method in relative to a three-point light is called
background light. The background light is in charge to give depth to the image by adding
some mixture of light and shadow such a wall that can be behind the subject. A distance must

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be kept between the subject and the wall if there is one.
A background light is used to illuminate the background area of a set. It will also provide
separation between the subject and the background.
The major changes in four-point lighting come from utilizing excess light in the form of
bounce cards,reflectors, or different diffusing silks. The opposite can be the employ of
cutters or negative fill to get rid of extra light. There is no set rule for how four-point lighting
must be set up, so you are going to have to adjust and re-adjust until you find what fits.
Stage lighting
Stage lighting is used in the production such
as theatres,concerts,dance and many
different performances. Stage lighting can
also involve special effects,such as lasers
and fog machines.
The equipment used for stage lighting is also
used in different productions as television
productions, studios and other types of live
events. Stage lights are really important
as they create a dramatic and exciting environment.
There are four main functions of stage lighting:
Visibility
This provides the viewer to see what is occurring on stage. Any lighting design can be
effective by keeping light off parts of the stage that should not be seen or if the viewer cannot
see the character,unless they are meant to see it.
Motivation
When talking about motivation the lighting designer is the one who is in charge to make the
light look as natural as possible for the setting.
The motivation must be maintained even if the setting seems unreal. Stage lights must be
appropriated to each production depending on each theme.
Mood
This means the tone of the scene/production, as lights have different effects such as the harsh
red lights which has a different effect in relative to soft lavender lights.
Composition
This function of lighting is part of Scenic Design. Composition is the Lighting Designer's
attempt to enhance the possibilities the Scenic. This involves lighting actors and set in
proportion and where and when necessary.
There are few things that must be considerwhen it comes to stage lighting such as the quality of the
lights because they need to be able to transmit a good looking image for the viewer.
The intensity of the light is measured in lux, luminaire which is a piece of equipment used in occasion
like the one that I have mentioned. This depends on a number of factors including its lamp power. The
intensity of the light refers to the brightness of the light.
Colour is also an important factor; it is measured in kelvins. The colour of the light when it comes to
stage lighting depends on the gel/filters in the optical path. A tungsten lamp’s colour is basically
controlled by inserting one or more gels into its optical. Gels/filter can have different colours, such as
blue, yellow, red, magenta and many more. Gel filters are small pieces of equipment that can instantly
change the mood of an event as it creates colour when it is inserted into the optical path producing a
colourful effect also influence by the lamp power. s the lamp power increases the filament bulb on a
tungsten light tends to increase it produces an orange light.
Direction is meant by the shape, quality and softness of the lamp’s out put. This happens
when the light approaches the stage. It is also a major contributor to the function of modeling.
Light can come from different directions as from below, directly above or anywhere in
between. They can also be projected in front of the actors/artists,behind them or even next to

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them. Each combination of directions has its unique effect on the highlights and shadows
produced.
‘’Focus’’ is used to describe where an instrument is pointed. This effect can create hot spot
light which is aimed at the actor/artist head level when standing at the center of the instrument
on the stage.
the position refers to the location where the instrument is placed during the event. usually
stage lights are positioned above as they are often in hanging position.
These fixtures are controlled by motion as their moving heads create the exciting effect,
fixtures have effects and lamp assembly inside the head with transformers and other
electronics in the base or externalballast.
Lighting for portraiture
lighting pattern shows how light and shadow is visualized across the face to create different
shapes. There are four common portrait lighting patterns, they are:
-split light
-loop lighting
-Butterfly lighting
-Rembrandt lighting
-Front lighting
-Broad lighting
-Front lighting
Split lighting is when the light the face exactly into equal halves with one side being in the
light, and the other in shadow. Split light is often used for portraits of an artists/actor. It tends
to be a more masculine pattern as it is often used in man.
To achieve the split light effect,the light source must be around 90 degrees to the left or right
of the subject, and even slightly behind their head. The light must be checked to see how it
falls on the subject and be adjusted correctly.
When it comes to split lighting, the eye on the shadow side of the face picks up light in the
eye only. If the lights is rotated more light falls on the Person’s check
Loop lighting is made by creating shadows of the objects noses as it create under the nose.
To create the effect of loop lighting the light source must be slightly higher than eye level
around 30 to 40 degrees place on the right or left of the subject from the actual camera.
Butterfly lighting has a butterfly shaped shadow as the name implies. This lighting effect is
created by placing the main light source above the face,around 25-70 degrees and also behind
the pattern. Glamour style can be achieved to create shadows under the chicks and chins.
Rembrandt lighting is similar to loop lighting, but what differentiates them is the fact that the
light source is moved higher and further left or right of the face. This effect createsa strong
pattern characterized by a small triangle which usually appears in form of shadow underneath
the eye and also nose shadows are created.
Short lighting is the opposite of broad lighting.in this position low key light is often used as it
creates a much darker image and puts as more of the face in shadow.in short lighting the light
source illuminates the side of the head not visible to the camera.
Short lighting positive is one of the most common used positions as it works with a variety of
faces.
Broad lighting is a style of lighting where the light source is also illuminating the side of the
head which is not visible to the camera. Broad lighting makes the face look fuller as both the
sides and the front of the face are illuminated. This style is also used to eliminate eyeglass
glare as the reflection produced by the light can be seen through the person’s eyes.
Front lighting illuminates the front of the face depending on the size of the light used and the
sides. Front lighting is not the best source to impart contour and depth.
A frontal light that is positioned at a shallow angle above the camera can eliminate the
appearance of the skin.