High Key, Low Key & Three Point Lighting

Lighting has been the subject in cinematography class this week. Lighting can affect the tone, mood and style of any film. It is an important part of cinematography and film in general. We have been learning the difference between high and low key lighting and have been learning about three point lighting as well.

High key lighting has the following attributes:

- bright

- lack of shadows

- lighting ratios are small, reduced

- lack of contrast

Grandma's Boy - Example of High Key Lighting

High key lighting is generally used in such genres as comedy and musical. It purposely has the shadows reduced and this means that there is a lack in contrast.

Low key lighting has the following attributes:

- lots of shadows and contrast

- lighting ratios are large

- darkness, highlights usually pick up the form of the actors

- chiaroscuro - Italian word that means the use of strong contrasts between light and dark, usually bold contrast affecting a whole composition

Harry Potter - Example of Low Key Lighting

Low key lighting is the complete opposite of high key lighting and used for dramatic effect. Films such as Harry Potter and The Godfather use low key lighting.

Three point lighting consists of exactly that - three lights! The three lights found in a three point lighting system are:

- Key light - This is the primary light source

- Back light - This is also known as the 'rim light'. This light provides seperation of the subject from the background

- Fill light - This light fills in the shadows on the face (person) or subject, preventing harsh shadows

The three point lighting system is a simple and most commonly used lighting system to light sets. It is favourable for doing interviews. Also, a kicker light can sometimes be used as well - this light provides definition to background elements but is not a part of three point lighting.

In class, we did experiments using some lights. We set up three different lights and turned off every other light source. We turned each light on, one at a time and filmed the same subject. The lights we used were a pro light, rifa light, rifa light with a soft box on and a fren-l light. I started my experiments using the rifa light with the soft box on it and set the aperture and started filming. Once I was done with this light, I turned off that light and turned on the next one. I did not change the aperture once I had set it. The only things that changed were the different lights I was using. I ended up setting the aperture with the wrong light to start off with and so the experiment did not happen to work out how it was meant to but it still showed the light differences when I switched on a different light. I have never felt that lighting has been one of my strong points (as an animator) but I think with some more research and learning, I may just get there!