STUDENT QUICK TIP #15

            The quality of your lighting is driven by the answers to two simple questions:

            1.         Where do you want the shadows to fall?

            This determines the placement of your key.

            2.         How much do you want to see into the shadows?

            This determines the amount of fill you use.

            Everything else – composition, color, movement, grading and other post-production manipulation – follows in kind.

            And, as always, all of it is governed by the manner in which you apply your taste!

4.22.2022

One thought on “STUDENT QUICK TIP #15”

  1. Important post, Richard! One mistake I see even experienced cinematographers sometimes make is not predicting what will be blocking the key light and creating unwanted shadows. This is comes up when there are multiple actors in a room and one actor starts casting a shadow on the other, which is why it is helpful to light with stand-ins… but even before that, you have to make a good guess as to the best placement of the light so that one actor doesn’t cast a distracting shadow on the other (though sometimes that’s OK or even interesting.)

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