Film Lighting Tips

Lighting Tips

• Always recce your locations. Take photographs, video and lots of notes/drawings. Look at how you will power your lights, are there nearby sockets. Is the room big enough to light from inside or do you need light coming through the window. This applies to all equipment not just lighting.

• Less can be more. Do you need 4 lights to get a scene lit or can it be done with 2 and some reflectors. Less lights will be quicker to set up and de-rig. They will also not be as hot for your actors and crew in the same room.

• Use black-wrap or tin foil to block any light spillage from barn doors or light fittings. Be careful, this will block air getting to the lights. Turn them off when not needed!

• Film requires more light than video. This will affect your budget, equipment list, power requirements and set-up times.

• You cannot put more than a combined total of 3500w on a single household ring.

• Draw up lighting plans for all locations. Knowing where you're going to put your lights before you start will speed up set-up considerably. (Only really possible if location has been recce'd).

• Your lighting must be motivated. If it isn't it will distract the viewer from the film or programme. We don't have to see the source of the light, just as long as we can work out where it is coming from. i.e. a window, practical lamp, the sun or a TV. Keep your key light coming from the direction of the main source of light motivation.

• Use a style of lighting befitting the mood of the scene. A romantic scene in a period drama will have soft lighting which wraps around the actors with no harsh shadows. A powerful emotional scene might employ hard light with lots of shadows to portray the scenes emotion.