How to Set up Lights for a Movie
- 1). Determine what is the best type of lighting for your scene. Is the scene set outdoors? If so, the sun will be enough. Does the scene take place at night or indoors? Is the movie a comedy or drama? Harsher light with more shadows is generally preferred for thrillers; decide on the exact type of lighting your movie needs.
- 2). Set up a basic lighting system. This will consist of three work lights, which you can buy at any home-improvement store. You will have a key light, which is the main source of light on the subject; the fill light, which is the light on the opposite side of the camera from the key light, and is generally softer; and the back light, which is behind the subject and usually shining down on him (or it).
- 3). Adjust your lights to get the desired effect. Remember that the key light is generally the strongest light, and should look like the main source of light. For example, if you are shooting indoors, you can make it look as if the the key light is coming from a window or a lamp in the room. Once you've established where the light is coming from, you can set up the other lights. The fill light should be on the opposite side, to "fill in" in the side of the subject that has been cast in shadow by the key light. The back light is the set up to add definition to the subject and separate it from the background. This light should not be very strong (unless you have a specific reason for it), because it will put the subject in a large pool of light, which you don't want. You generally want the lighting to appear as natural as possible.
- 4). Step back and look at the lighting. Do you want to add color to the lights? Are parts of the shot in shadow when you don't want them to be? This is where gels and a reflector will come in handy. Placing gels over the lights will add nice color to your scene. A reflector is used to bounce light around the scene. Reflectors can be expensive, but you can use aluminum foil as a cheap substitute. Now all you have to do is start shooting.
