Lighting 101: Intro to Light Placement
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 พ.ค. 2024
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Three point lighting is the most common structure for cinematic lighting in film history. Everywhere we look, we see three point lighting being used on movies both big and small budget. Not everyone uses three point lighting the same way, but nearly every light placement can fit into one of the three placements of three point lighting. Knowing the basics of three point lighting will help you to better understand film lighting as a whole, and strengthen your ability to communicate your cinematic vision! Today on 4 Minute Film School, we go over the fundamentals of three point lighting and show you how you can take your footage to the next level, using these basic tips.
In this video, Matt from the A-Team shows us the various options you have within a three point lighting setup. He also goes over the names of each light and how they can be used in a scene. First, he goes over the general location of each of the lights in the three point setup; as well as the names given to each light. Next, he shows examples of what lights look like from different angles around the subject, and how they fit into the three point lighting structure. Lastly, he demonstrates how using three point lighting choices can help a subject pop within a scene.
The main lights used in a three point lighting setup are the key light, the fill light, and the backlight. The key light is the main light used to see your subject. This light is often the brightest and shows the most of the subject’s face. The fill light is designed to fill in the shadows made by the key light and fill out the face. It is usually on the other side of the face and not as bright as the key light. The backlight is any light coming from behind the subject. Backlights can come in many different styles but anything that hits the subject from behind can be considered a backlight.
Lighting and cinematography can be very complicated. There are so many different ways of lighting a scene, and with the possibility of light coming from every angle, keeping track of the different lights can be difficult. With this video, we hope to simplify things a little bit, and help you better understand which light is doing what and how to use them to create great images. The lighting is just as important as the camera and the actors. These tools give you as even greater ability to shape the lighting to tell your story.
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A someone who went into this video knowing literally nothing about lighting, this was enormously helpful. Thank you!
My favorite is the style of Roger Deakins with low key lighting and using one light that truly mimics the real life situation. Blade Runner 2049, Skyfall, 1917 are all great examples
Lately when shooting outside I’ve been using the sun as a backlight, with just a fill card in front to bring up the subject’s face. Low budget option that works pretty nice 👍
Awesome Solution
Hah probably first choice after you buy 5 in 1 ....sure it works 😉.
Ondrej Jánoška haha yep I do like the 5in1. But for faces I try to use foamcore or ultrabounce, more natural/ flattering bounces light imo!
like i always say the sun is free why not use it.
excellent use of natural light.
I am mostly using a key and a back/hair light. I've j started using lighting in the last couple of months
This has to be the most straightforward explanation of lighting I've seen, hands down. I buckled in to watch some other dude's 3h tutorial and literally fell asleep as he simply demonstrated a bunch of different lights with little discernable difference between them(???). Production quality was high, but he lost me in the weeds. This was succinct, and told me everything I need to know to ACTUALLY START. Omg, thank you so much.
This is probably the best short summary of lighting that I've seen! It also demonstrats that lighting isn't about eliminating shadows. It's about *controlling* shadows so that they are where we want them and with the right amount of darkness (aka contrast). As he said, you reduce the fill light so you don't flatten out the image. This happens because the shadows go away and there is no longer enough contrast. How much or how little you need depends on the effect you are trying to create (which also has to do with the amount and type of background lighting, if any, that you use). In one respect, you could say that this is exactly what the highlight on the shoulders does. It eliminates the shadows from the top of the shoulder and hair so they separate from the background. That it does this by over lighting (highlighting) the edge of your subject, in that sense, is just another tool for creating contrast.
I love that you go into all of the variations of 3-point lighting! You’re right, there isn’t a “right way” to do it, but I’ve taken so many classes where they basically say “key-fill-back and you’re done.” I love just having a soft key and a hard hair light. I’ve done so many headshot sessions where those two lights were sufficient and gave a nice dramatic but overall full look. Great content as always, and great job, Matt!
Favorite light combination is normally 2-3 point lighting a light directly in front as key, then fill light on side, and a practical in background with RGB. When doing two point will just have key and a practical.
Side lighting is my go-to for horror, drama, and/or pulling off a cinematic effect with fewer lights. I picked up the trick from theater lighting where they use side lighting for dance and physical scenes to accentuate actors' forms. Pull one rim light slightly forward and the opposing one slightly back and you can show off a subjects full form in an interesting and compelling way! And I love that you guys covered it here too!
My favorite light combination... I like placing lights behind a window blind, it creates a very interesting shadow on the subject's face.
I generally like doing High Key soft lighting. I put a 300D as key through a huge octagon soft box, 120D as fill through a 2X3 soft box, and a 120D with 2X fresnel as the rim/kicker light.. while using two other lights for ambient, background light. But honestly, my favorite kind of lighting is lighting to the mood of the story or the shot. As you have shown here. I like the ability to adjust my lighting to create different styles, feel and look. And with the remotes that come with Aputure lights, it's easy to do that quickly, by dimming or pressing the off button. Also, it has an adapter that works with all my modifiers..so I can quickly change the soft box for smaller reflector, honeycomb scrims, snoots, or fresnel. So my favorite kind of lighting is the one you can mold. And the clear understanding of 3 point lighting is exactly that. Good job of quickly and clearly showing it here. It usually takes others a lot longer to explain.
Love this series ! Can’t get enough 🙏🏽
My favorite lightning is 2 light ( key and back fill and bounce if needed ) easy for run and gun documentaries 👌🏽
Gotta love that rim light, instantly makes most scenes look more cinematic!
Great video and welcome Matt!
This was the best video about lighting I have seen yet! Covered many scenarios.
This topic has been covered a million times, but this video is fast and clearly explains the differences and when to use. I’ve been liking the soft top light with rim light in my work.
Thanks so much for the feedback! We appreciate you watching the show
In my shooting style, the hair light/backlight is the most important and most overlooked. Being able to pull the subject off the background is what differentiate a normal shot from a cinematic one. It also gives me a chance to play with motivation of other lights in the background, or get creative and add color to the scene in the hairlight without being overpowering. A nice soft booklight to wrap the face as a key light finishes the the shot.
I like backlit with just a fill that was used a lot in Alien Covenant. i love the way Ridley Scott cinematographer used the lighting to create the atmospheric feel to the movies he makes. Loved the tutorial video too.
This is a great crash course on lighting. Studio work has a beauty of its own.
This video is like a lighting cheat sheet. Almost everything condensed into 4 mins. Super. I'm currently tripping on rim/backlighting. Never realized how imprtant and powerful it is for separation. I think Given the size of the Aputure MC one could just stick it behind a lot of subjects to get some really cool shots.
Oh that would be really cool! That's one thing we didn't try in this video, having the light directly behind the subject. There are so many variations of three point lighting to try
Really appreciate the info given in this video! My go-to-light setup for now is main key light, with reflector the other side and background placing a fill light to make it interesting and separate the subject with background!
the best of lighting video I watched so far, straight to the point with good examples, respect
I LOVE the keylight using Rembrandt lighting with a slight bit of back light on the hair and shoulder. Great video. Nice seeing direct comparisons. Thank you :)
I love the three point lighting setup works. I love the key light on the side and fill light on the other with a back light for seperation of the subject from the background and with some touch of practical lights 👌🏻
Sometimes it’s very important to go back to the basics. I love to use a key light with no fill and practicals separating the talent from the background. This is because I’m focused on shooting low key dramatic scenes where I’m shooting on the far side. These types of setups require a lot less light. My 2 300Ds and 2 120Ds help me achieve this.
I also think people are making lighting to complicated now. They need to focus on how does this lighting setup aligns with the mood of the story. This is why lessons like these are important!! Thanks
i always love having that back-light to add that dreamy/glowy feeling
My all time favorite is the split lighting, I love the dramatic vibe you get from it.
Split lighting is awesome! Really nice go-to setup
Im currently a film student and was having a hard time with lighting, this has helped me immensely!
I think ALL mentioned will become my favorite, due to the fact that it will help me achieve that cinematic feel ALL directors search for.
This was my very first time watching content from this channel. Wow!! I learned a ton in almost NO time!! I’ll be using a few of these tips in my next video!!
Thanks for this! I'm working on learning 3d art and like in film, lighting can make or break a scene. This was very helpful to see what I've been doing intuitively, and what I need to polish. I appreciate your examples and how to the point everything was.
I really like top and back lighting directly behind my subject and below, creating an eerie outline and mysterious look.
I like what I call cross lighting. One key light + the back light across from the key light. Adds a little bit of fill while still maintaining good shadows to give your character depth.
The Rembrandt lighting is my favorite setup!
My Favorite is Rembrandt lighting. Awesome that it was mentioned in the video!
Love the rembrandt lighting! Definitely my favorite
I've been using 3 point lighting lately. using that back light really allows my subject to pop out from the background!
This was very informative thank you! And since you asked my favorite light combo is key light to the left of subject, no fill light, and rim light opposite key light.
Been loving the 1 high key light and hair light look lately for in studio setups 😃💡
Hair and a rim light hitting the side of the face are my favorite combo.
Wonderful video and so helpful for our content when we are discussing cinematography and depth within production design. Really enjoyed this! Thank you so much!
It depends on what I'm trying to convey, but I usually love the look of a soft far side key sometimes with a little bit of fill, or sometimes without any fill at all.
Thanks for the video!
Thank you for this tutorial! Very helpful. My favorite lighting for a talking head is key+fill+back light. If I only have one light, I use key light.
Really interesting to see the subtle importance of a well balanced backlight / hair light, will definitely try to integrate this to my work ! Will you do a similar video for a less controlled, sometimes one man band, more documentary like environment ? Would be a huge help !
Great summary of the basics. Entertaining and informative!
Thanks! I'm glad it was useful
Thanks for your video. I particularly appreciate the diagrams with suggested angles.
Whenever I DP things, I'm always conscious of where my key light is, and a lot of the times it's on the far side of the camera to create more a more dramatic and dynamic look, having a sense of mystery or concealment as the audience is seeing the shadow side of the face. Sometimes it's accompanied with a near side fill, but I also love the look of a nearly silhouetted subject, too! Whatever works best to set the tone of your scene!
I don’t know if it’s really my favorite, but is the one I use the most because in many of the projects I have worked, we need fast set ups that allow us to move freely in the set. So I use a key light that fills the room, trying to mimic one “natural” source, and sometimes bounce it in the background for separation.
Thank you so much for this video! Its so helpful and so short!
I doubt you still have those MC's but my favorite light is the backlight. The creative possibilities are truly endless
I like the key light to the side with barely any fill w/ a backlight - gives the subject more dimension. Although it has to fit the narrative of course. For a typical interview shot, I recently tried bouncing the light off a tilted ceiling with my 120dii and it produced an extremely soft ambient light.
MY fav is the keylight, reflector, and rim light combo!
I think a harsh lone backlight to create a silhouette of the subject is my favorite. Very dramatic. I want in!
Yes! A silhouette can say so much about a character while showing very little
Wow ! Really well done. A must for anyone starting to learn how to paint with light.
Thanks for the support!
Awesome guide! I like tonite a simple keylight with a fill light from the back/side. I think I am gonna switch to the Light Dome II soon and an MX or MC.
Jesus... This video is actually the best on explaining basic lighting.. Thank you
Favorite Lighting is using natural light and shaping it with reflectors and diffusers...Since I don't really have light...lol
Thanks for providing a very clear and detailed explanation.
Thanks we appreciate the feedback!
My favorite combination, is to use depron foam in front of a light source with a grid on top of it. Makes for a really soft key light and great to avoid spill for a Low Key look. Then I like to Illuminate my background to get a lot of depth. Btw loats of good Information fast and on point explained. 🙌🏻
My favorite light combination is a key and fill only a few degrees off of the subject and a high backlight. I do mostly live events that need color as accurate as possible, and I find that setup works the best for me.
The Rembrandt lighting has to be my favorite lighting setup
As I am just starting out my favourite lighting is using the sunlight and a bounce on the talent. Simple but affective.
do you bounce above or below the subject ?
Thank you for this explanation.
Absolutely love this explanation, genuinely been looking for this explanation for years; (mostly found how to place lamps in rooms, LOL) Lighting Tips XD
My favorite combination tends to be a strong backlight with just a little fill (or low key). I don't use it often, but I always like the effect when the scene calls for it.
My favorite is rembrant lighting with a strong backlight
i always struggle to get the rembrandt the lighting. I can never figure out what is 90 degrees
My current favorite light combo is using a natural light source like a window as the key with a bounce to fill. Very nice with all natural light!
i love high contrast lighting with little to no fill and a back light in a different colour tone.
Love this! thank you for creating this video. Very informative
Thanks for watching!
I love using a book light as the key with a hard back light on the top of the head and China ball as a super soft fill!
amazing video. Fast and to the point. thumbs up
Glad you liked it!
Wow, great video. Really digging the Rembrandt lighting
Thanks we appreciate the feedback!
I’d take the three light set up myself, i enjoy a cinematic feel with shadows not balancing on the wall from the subject. The Rembrandt effects always works for me
Exactly what i needed.
Thanks so much
Favourite light combination, which is something I used all the time is a nice soft key light at about 45° and above head height, then a small amount of fill and a small spot hair light. Generally I have the soft key on the same side as the "looking room" for things like interviews. Id love to add an MC to my kit to mix it up a little and add a little bit of colour contrast in the hair/background lights.
My favourite is a key with the Rembrandt triangle and a back light creating an almost halo effect on the subject. Depending on the mood I may also add some color to the back light for a more dramatic look.
Backlighting with the sun and filling up the shadows with a reflector works great :)
Such a great option! Stay tuned for a future episode where we do exactly that!
I'm a fan of a strong key light and a backlight with no fill. When the backlight is opposite the key light, you're left with some nice dramatic shadows where the fill light would normally be. It's a great look for shots with tension and heavy drama.
Oh I love rembrandt lighting so much!
OMG! I have to start by saying I'm a neophyte of videography. Just starting out and I'm a student of TH-cam. I've watched ALOT of videos on all things filming and never comment. Today I'm reaching out to say THIS video right here...made me understand Lighting like never before. Bro if I could SMASH that Like button a couple of 1000 times for TH-cam to give you props I would. As it stands I have clicked my 1st LIKE also. Keep these coming and I just might become a awesome videographer!!
great explanation. Thanks!
My personal favourite setup is Key LIght + Back Light to create depth and separation from the background to create that "Cinematic Look".
I shoot mostly interview setups, so I do a soft key with a large 3ft source, a warmer 1ft fill, and a cooler 56k back light. Then a bunch of accent lights on the background elements. Usually I key the long side of the face, but sometime the short side looks better. It’s fun to including the client in the process. Big reflectors & modifiers are a must when outside. That sun can be your friend or worst enemy.
The more dramatic key light to the side and rim back lightning is definitely my favorite
This is super helpful, thank you !
Rembrandt made it look fantastic in the 1600 with his paintings, and that technique is still amazing to this date;)
i like how the classic three-point lighting looks
Learned so much from this video!
My favorite is the back light accents the subject from behind!
My favourite light combination is a key light with a soft box at an angle and a reflector on the opposite to bounce back the light.
i hv only one light so i try to make most out of it. in the future i will try to use a 3 point lighting.
Thanks for the tips 👍🏻
I love a Rembrandt light with a really soft fill light and a strong backlight!
Favorite totally, 2 point lighting. Rembrandt and fill Ligh. Love more dramatic studio look.
I love blasting a light from behind to get the hard silhouette look.
Brilliant. Thank you
WOW! this is exactly what I needed. :)
I love 2-point lighting: very soft key light and a rim light. Sometimes might use a reflector to cover the darker side of the face
My favorite lighting is very low key light with a bright rim or backlight. Creates such a dreamlike effect.
I love a 45 degree key w/a very low amount of fill and a nice harsh rim light for that dramatic noir vibe.
I love one light. Usually, I soften it up a lot or bounce it off something. I love Deakins's light placed low and bouncing it off some muslin wrapped on the wall.
A soft key light is often all you need!
Helpful for us newbies thank you 🙏🏼
you make it so easy to understand