film/tv analysis reflection 4, question 7

Please outline some points that you took away from the Lighting Lecture. Points that excite you, something that was completely new to you, perplexes you or even one you take issue with.

the one key point i took from the lighting lecture was 3 point lighting. its so interesting thinking how any scene in any film or show has been set up using three point lighting, that it’s all specifically done. even more then that, that every shot, even the shortest, two second shots, requires its own specific lighting set up. so that filming every single shot involves deconstructing and reconstructing all the lights to create the right look and feel. this is really important when making a film and is something i will need to take into consideration when we are filming our own film as lighting plays a big part in one of our scenes.

the other point about three point lighting that is interesting is it’s actually set up, with the key light, fill light and back light. each of these plays a really important role in setting up the characters, location and most importantly the mood. the different amounts of key and fill light can be used to create harsh lighting or soft lighting which all give different feels to the situation and the characters. all these things need to be considered when setting up even the simplest of shots.

one thing i did not like is that we did not get the chance to actually practice and experiment with the lights in class. yes we got to see them but i have never done anything with lighting before so it would have been really beneficial to have been able to try a 3 point lighting set up to create a scene and then try shifting it for a new angle or new shot to actually give us experience in setting up and using lighting before the day of shooting.