FILM LIGHTING

TECHNIQUES
HOW TO MAKE THE FILM
LOOK MORE CINEMATIC
DP Janusz Kiminski and his lighting equipment
surround the set of Bridge of Spies
BASIC LIGHTING:
THE THREE-POINT
LIGHTING SETUP
The most basic lighting in film is the three-
point lighting setup. Lighting from three
directions shapes your subject and sets
them apart from their background.
To achieve this, your film lighting
equipment needs to face your subject
from three directions: front, back and side
(generally).

Film lighting basics: Amelie (2001),

shows cinematographer Bruno
Delbonnel using the three-point
lighting setup.
KEY LIGHT
The key light is the light
that registers most
prominently in your
frame. So, when you look
at the image of Amelie
above, you’ll see that the
screen-right portion of
her face is brightest.
That’s the key light.
FILL LIGHTS
Quite simply, fill lights fill
in the shadows of your
frame. You’ll notice that
the screen-left portion of
Amelie’s face is in
shadow, but with her
features still plainly
visible. That is a fill light
at work.
BACK LIGHT
The back light gives an
edge light to the rear
portion of your subject.
Often, the backlight
shoots down from a
higher angle. You can see
that Amelie has a light
contour along her
shoulders and the nape
of her neck.
Soft film
lighting
When talking about how a scene
should feel emotionally, one thing
that is referenced by
cinematographers frequently is how
hard or soft the lighting should be.
The hardness or softness of light
concerns how large a light source is,
and how it affects shadows on your
subject.

Soft film lighting in a day exterior

from Harris Savides’ cinematography
in Restless
HIGH KEY LIGHT
This is an effect created by
heightening the key light and
using fill lights generously. This
keeps the lighting bright and
balanced in your
frame, creating almost no
shadow. This balances the
lighting from object to object in
your frame -- which is known as
your lighting ratio

High key film lighting in The Hobbit

DIFFUSED
OVERHEAD
LIGHTING

You can soften a light source

with diffusion materials like
gels or Chinese lanterns to
reduce shadows. This is great
for conversation close-ups.

A Chinese lantern lights this

close-up in The Quiet.
Cinematography by M. David
Mullen
Hard film
lighting
Conversely, smaller light
sources, including bright
sunlight, will heighten the
shadows on your subject.
Conservatively, this should be
avoided. But it can also create
dramatic effects, as was
popularized in the classic film
noirs, which featured suspicious
and volatile characters.

Hard lighting creates harsh

shadows in Blade Runner's film
lighting.
KICKER LIGHT
WITH SOFT FILL
In this effect, the back light hits the
side of your subject’s face. It can
create an angelic rim of light, while
a very soft fill light keeps the face
gently illuminated.

An angel-to-be receives an angelic

kicker light in Northfork.
Cinematography by M. David
Mullen.
LOW KEY LIGHT
Low key lighting refers to
minimizing, or eliminating, the
fill light your shot so that it is
intentionally shadowy. This can
create dramatic, suspicious, or
even scary effects.

Among the types of lighting in film,

low key lighting is great for
extracting mystery from the shot.
Practical lighting techniques at work in James
Laxton’s cinematography in Moonlight
Natural film
lighting
Natural film lighting
refers to using and
modifying the light that
is already available to
you at your location.

Emmanuel Lubezki’s Oscar-winning

cinematography in The Revenant
created beautiful imagery with
natural film lighting.