The purpose of light

The Character

Texture

· Light from a single point of origin makes the contrast between light and shadow more evident. Known as a HARD LIGHT.
· Light that travels from different light sources creates softer light with a continue gradation between light and shadow. Known as a SOFT LIGHT.
· The texture of light can also be softened by reflecting it. A mirror scatters the light very little, whereas a white cloth surface will scatter the light a great deal.
· The texture of light can also be softened by filtering it through a translucent material or through a screen.

Colour

· Sunlight continuously changes colour because as its position in the sky moves, the amount of atmosphere it passes through varies.
· Light bouncing between the terrain and the cloud cover gives each geography a unique blend of colours in its light.
· The colour of a light is manipulated by filtering it through a transparent plastic sheet called a Gel, or by reflecting it off of a coloured surface.
Colours and uses

Dark Amber -- highlighting dark hair, warming a scene.Pale Gold -- slightly warming a scene. Rim lighting.Straw Yellow -- highlighting blond hair.Amber – simulating a fire or a sunset.

Different kinds of lights
· Tota
· Pro
· Omni
· Rifa
· Photoflood
· Sun

Some Modifiers

· Umbrellas
· Gels
· Flags
· Cookies
· Reflectors
· Supports


The roles of light

Key
The purpose of a Key light is to create highlights and establish the brightest areas on a subject. In general, all other lights are half as bright as the key light, so it establishes the base from which the others are positioned.

Fill
The purpose of a Fill light is to lighten the shadow cast by the Key and to soften the transition from light to dark areas, making them into more of a gradient.In Modelled lighting the Fill is positioned in balance, opposite the Key light and is about half the brightness or less of the Key.

Rim
A Rim Light separates the subject from the background by creating highlights around the edge of the subject. Often a Rim Light is coloured to give it a different character from the other lights. The Rim light is often placed 180 degrees away from the Fill light and very high, to create highlights on the hair and around the shoulders.

Back light
A back light lights to background. In general, it is one half the brightness of the other lights or about one-quarter the brightness of the Key light. In practice, it has about the same wattage as the other lights (Fill, Rim) but casts over a much wider area.

Practical
A Practical is a real light that exists in a scene, such as a table lamp, a television, a candle, and so forth. In general, a practical light does not provide enough illumination for video, but may be a distraction, casting coloured light into a scene which will change the colour of objects as they move closer to the light.

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Although we will be unable to use professional lighting, this research into the importance and purpose of lighting will help us make good decisions when choosing filming hours and colour mixes when editing. The research is also useful to give an insight into the professional world of film, and how much time and money is spent on lighting.

This research was analysed from the website: http://www.filmdyne.com/Essays/lighting.htm#2a