high key lighting

high key lighting involves a lot of whites and light tones. there are very minimal mid-tones and blacks. it is used to produce images/scenes that create an optimistic and upbeat mood. a high key lighting style often involves a soft key light that is placed near to the camera but not too near to the subject. when positioning the light directly in front of the subject, less shadows are created, making the skin look softer and smoother.

in harry potter and the deathly hallows part two, high key lighting has been used as the background is lighter than the characters. in these two shots, they are no blacks or other darker colours, only white. using high key lighting in these scenes creates a soft and almost angelic look and feel. 

https://www.premiumbeat.com/blog/basic-light-placements/

https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/film-lighting-techniques/

https://nofilmschool.com/types-of-film-lights

rembrandt lighting

rembrandt lighting is a studio portrait technique where a small inverted triangle is visible under one of the subjects eyes

to achieve this lighting technique, the key light should be placed at a 45 degrees angle facing towards the subject. place a reflector on the opposite side of the subject. the camera should be in the middle right in front of the subject. 

butterfly lighting

butterfly lighting is a technique that involves the key light. it creates flattering features and sculptures the face nicely especially with people with high cheekbones and a defined jawline. this lighting technique was particularly popular in the glamorous, early Hollywood era. 

to achieve butterfly lighting, place the key light above and directly centered with the subjects face. doing this creates a shadow under the nose and chin that resembles a butterfly. the lighting is usually soft on the face. 

split lighting

edge/split lighting only requires one light source, usually the key light (natural lighting can also work). by removing the fill light, a shadow is created on one side of the subjects face. in film, this lighting technique can create a dramatic and mysterious effect.

to achieve split lighting, place the light at a 90 degree angle to the direction your camera is facing. having the light on only one side of your subject will create a split in the middle of the subjects face. one side will be lit up whilst the other will be dark. 

this is my example of split lighting. we placed the key light on the left side of the subject which then created a line directly in the middle of the face. one side is lit whilst the other dark. to get this outcome we didn't use a fill light in order to see the shadows that the key light creates. we turned off the lights to do this so we could achieve a better outcome. 

 

continuity editing examples

shot/reverse shot:

the hunger games 

shot reverse shot is a continuity editing technique in filmmaking used in dialogue scenes in which one character is shown looking at another character and the other character is shown looking back at the first character. the characters are also shown facing opposite directions, implying that they are looking at each other

match on action:

Up

match on action refers to film editing technique where the editor cuts from one shot to another view that matches the first shot's action. this technique gives the impression of continuous time. by having a subject being an action in one shot and carry it through to completion in the next, the editor creates a visual bridge, which distracts the viewer from noticing the cut. 

videocide

cross-cutting:

inception

cross-cutting is taking two or more film sequences and cutting between them as they progress. it is an editing technique that is used to establish action occurring at the same time in different locations. the camera cuts away from one action to another.

establishing shots:

 

skyfall

an establishing shot is a long shot usually at the beginning of a scene to introduce or define the general location of the scene that follows. 

180 degree rule:

the shining

the 180 degree rule is a filmmaking guideline for spatial relations between two characters on screen. the 180 rule sets an imaginary axis, or eye line, between two characters or between a character and an object. by keeping the camera on one side of this imaginary axis, the characters maintain the same left/right relationship to each other, keeping the space of the scene orderly and easy to follow

low key lighting

low key lighting uses a lot of dark tones and shadows. it has a very minimal amount of white and mid-tones and a lot of deep blacks. when taking a photo or shooting a scene with low key lighting, your outcome will have striking contrasts which will help to produce dramatic and mysterious scenes/images that also features a lot of shadows. it was often used in noir films to add contrast to the scene or to emphasise characters and details

to achieve low key lighting, only one source of light is needed. when shooting a photo or a scene, it helps for the background to be deep black or something with a similar kind of darkness than a bright or white one. 

fight club is a good cinematic example that uses low key lighting. in both of the images, there are various shadows and dark tones. low key lighting often only uses one light which tends to be either the fill light or backlight. in the first image, the only light source is the light we see in the background, behind the character. this low key lighting is used to create a dramatic mood. the second image shows predominant shadowy areas, with only one light source coming from above. both of these images from fight club create mysterious and dramatic moods. 

when shooting low key scenes, the background is a lot darker than the face which creates the dark and moody atmosphere. 

this shot from twilight is another cinematic example of low key lighting. the only light source is the fill light which only lights up one side of the characters face. this creates a tense and dramatic mood in the scene. the background is a lot darker than his face. 

references:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlRKty7uIIg

https://contrastly.com/understanding-the-basics-of-high-key-vs-low-key-lighting/

three point lighting

three point lighting is a method for illuminating a subject in a scene with light source from three different distinct angles. the three different types of light are key light, fill light and backlight. 

key light:

- this is the main and strongest light that is responsible for exposure. it is placed to one side of the camera/subject so that one side is well lit and the other has some shadow. the key light is the one that has the most influence on the look of the scene/image. placing it to the side of your subject will help to create some dimension and depth. depending on how far off centre you place the key light, your scene/image will be anything from a high-key image to a low-key image.

fill light:

- this light is the secondary light and is placed on the opposite side of the key light. because the key light creates shadows, the fill light is then used to fill the shadows created. it is usually slightly further away from the subject than the key light as it is softer and dimmer. the fill light can also help reduce the overall contrast of the scene if needed. this light and the key light work together to determine the mood of the image/scene you're creating.

backlight:

- this light is placed behind the subject, lighting it from the rear as its purpose is to provide definition and subtle highlights around the outlines of the subject, rather than providing direct light like the others. this light can also be placed off to one side, directly behind or overhead as long as it is still behind the subject. the back light helps to separate the subject from the background so that they don't disappear into it, this provides a three-dimensional look. 

how to achieve it?

- the 'standard' three point lighting setup typically has the key and the fill light set up at about 45 degrees to either side of the subject with the camera in between them. 

the backlight is then usually placed behind the subject, opposite the key light just outside the frame. this creates separation since that side of the frame would be darker. 

why do we use it?

- we use three point lighting because it comes from our natural and artificial spaces. we have to be lit by at least one light which is the light that gives us exposure - the key light. 

when moving around, we are hit by various light sources. when we turn our backs to the sun, it hits us from behind, this is backlight. backlight causes a rim of light behind the subject which cuts it out from the background. 

references:

https://www.mediacollege.com/lighting/three-point/

https://wolfcrow.com/what-is-three-point-lighting-and-why-do-we-use-it/