Different types of Lighting Techniques in cinematography

                                      

 A certain quantity of light is required to capture the picture on the camera sensor. However, the portray and impact of the scene depends on the quality and distribution of light. 

Following aspects are to be considered: 

Is the light source hard or soft 

Focus angle relative to the camera position 

Color of the light

Lighting Techniques 

The Three Point Lighting technique is a standard in cinematography and still photography. It involves using three light sources; Key lighting, fill lighting, and backlighting. You can use any number of lights for achieving the required lighting effect.

 Key Lighting

It is the main and dominant source of light for a character or object. Although there are no defined rules, a common place to start is 45° from the camera and 45° off the floor. You can place the lights elsewhere depending on the mood or location of the scene.

 

 Low-Key Lighting

This lighting is used in a low-key scene, where you only need to lit a few areas of the frame with many deep shadows. You just need to underexpose to achieve a low-key effect.

High-Key Lighting

It is used for a high-key scene that generally appears bright with few areas of underexposure. The sets and costumes need to be in light tones. The lighting will generally use much soft, diffused illumination with relatively few shadows. The scene can also be hard-lit from more frontal angles with additional light filling in the few shadows.

Fill Lighting

 It is used to fill in the shadows created that are created by the key light. It usually comes from near the camera to avoid any further shadows. Many studios include using a frame of bulbs around the lens for fill lighting. 

Soft-light sources are often used for fill lighting. The soft light's shadowless quality allows for a greater freedom to place the fill. Many television studios use soft lighting where all lights are hung from above and the action must be properly lit for several cameras at a time.

Back Lighting

It separates the actors from the background adding three-dimensionality to the picture. Generally, the back lights are positioned behind and above illuminating the top of his shoulders and head.

Using Light Meters Light meters judge the lights intensity. They allow you to match the light levels to a particular film stock thus giving consistent results.

Following are the two types of light measurements:

 Incident Light Meters: These measure the light intensity that is originating from the lamp and outputs the reading in f-stops, depending on the shutter speed and film sensitivity. Some light meters can also display the light reading in foot-candles. Incident light reading must be intelligently interpreted to remove the influence of background.

 Reflected Light Meters: These measure the light that is reflected from the subject and output the reading in footlamberts (lumens per square foot). They also display the preferred f-stop to expose the subject.