Lighting Basics

Types of Lighting

Hard Lighting - Creates strong shadows, Usually used from behind the actor or to spotlight them

Soft Lighting - This sort of lighting is used to fill an open space such as living room or open studio space

3 Point Lighting;
When you have your actors in position, you can light them up in 3 different ways;

1. Back Light - This creates a fine line behind the actor, separating them from the background. This tends to be a hard light.
2. Key Light - Used to light the face, add detail and this also tends to be a hard sort of light.
3. Fill Light - This is different to the other two points. This type is used to canvas a space or to light up the entire area.

FACT..
Cameras aren't as powerful as our eye are at picking out light. Our eyes are better at adjusting to light in different situations. Different lighting may take longer to adjust too but our eyes will always adjust more than a camera lens.