A cameraman, or more specifically, a cinematographer, has the job of painting with lights, so one must know how to mimic certain situations and be able to manipulate the light to their liking, as well as the director’s. There are four things you need to consider when setting up lights: movement, placement and intensity. This is how they break down:
Movement: When light moves, it can mean a number of things. A character could be approaching a scene, a light could be „going out“ which could create a creepy basement interrogation scene, or it could be something along the lines of a dance party or perhaps a rave of some kind. Maybe flashes are needed to mimic paparazzi taking pictures, in which case a lot of movement is needed as that could consist of a bunch of consecutive flashes from all over the frame.
Placement: Depending on where you place the light on a character, it creates different shadows on their faces and can create different moods and can change the way you look at someone. For instance, when you light someone from the bottom, it creates an evil look. Remember when you’d go camping and you’d scare your little sister by placing a flashlight under your chin, turning it on and making a scary face? Just like that. The more lights you use, the less shadow you will create, so using just one light will create more shadow and make a character look darker and more mysterious.
Lighting your actors appropriately is also very important because where the light is placed will cast different shadows on their faces. The lower the light, the more ominous someone will look and also keeping them in half light and half shadow-not revealing their whole face. If you think of a light as a little sun and then shine it on your actors according to the time of day you’re trying to mimic, thinking about the angle of the sun during that time of day will also help you manipulate the light to your liking. Protagonists tend to get lit brighter and their eyes are shown more to the audience to keep a connection. The antagonists tend to be darker lit and their eyes are not seen as much so the audience doesn’t feel as connected to them and they seem less trustworthy.
Intensity: As a Yiddish proverb once stated, „The eyes are the mirror of the soul.“ Eyes also tell a lot about a character-if they’re lying, feel uncomfortable, sad or happy-you name it. You can also read subtext through eyes, meaning one can look into another’s eyes and tell what they’re really feeling as opposed to what they said they felt. This is one reason why mysterious characters or villains tend to be lit less because of their dark demeanor. Most of the time, villain’s eyes are not seen as well because they’re lying or the production does not want the subtext of the character to be read as well. Not seeing someone’s eyes also makes them less trustworthy.
The darker it is, the more mysterious and dingy the scene becomes. The brighter the scene, the happier the characters are and the audience will feel more comfortable. Dramas tend to be darker and comedies are brighter for that exact reason. Comedies want you to laugh; so making it brighter will create a happier mood for the audience, therefore making them laugh easier.
Color: Light color is fun to play with but can also be challenging because it can change the way a character’s skin tone looks and can mess with the white balance on your camera. A cameraman must know how to properly white balance a camera to every color temperature without losing an actor’s proper skin tone. Light color can also determine the time of day, as daylight is bluer and indoor lights tend to be more orange or „tungsten,“ as we call it in the film industry. Color can also be used to portray sunsets, sunrises and can be used for schemes throughout the film. Perhaps a character’s light tends to have more of a certain color in it every time they appear on the screen because color also represents how we feel about people and can evoke certain feelings.
Once you fully understand these concepts, putting them all together and creating a specific mood, time and place becomes easier and more fun as time goes on and you learn more. Each project presents more obstacles to overcome and packs more creativity into your head of never-ending learning. With each set comes new people and new ideas to share and learn. The cameraman is always learning and growing with each project.
Thrilling work of the TV show lighting camera man at Mark Cella’s site.
My friend and I were just talking on the subject you referred to in your web publication with apparently, I am the winner of the argument! Thank you for clearing it out.
I cannot WAIT toward scan more of this. I mean, you just get so much in relation to this. So much of it Ive never even thought of. You sure did put a new twist lying on amazing that Ive heard so much on. I dont believe Ive actually scan anything that does this subject as excellent justice as you just did.
Recognition for another nice post. I am pretty sure this post has helped me save many hours of scrolling through other similar posts just toward find what I was trying for. Once again: Thank you!
very interesting area will save your blog on the way to check if you write more as regards in the imminent.
I had this page bookmarked some time before but my notebook crashed. I have since gotten a new one and it took me a while to come across this! I also in fact like the theme though.
I am going to go ahead and bookmark this content for my brother for the study project for class. This is a good-looking blog by the way. Where did you get the design for this webpage?
My bro saved this internet site for me and I have been going through it for the past couple hours. This is really going to assist me and my friends for our class project. By the way, I enjoy the way you write.
I am going to go ahead and save this article for my brother for their study project for class. This is a beautiful web site by the way. Where did you get the template for this webpage?
I am going to go ahead and bookmark this content for my brother for a coming up research project for class. This is a nice-looking internet site by the way. Where did you get the theme for this webpage?
I had this post saved some time before but my computer crashed. I have since gotten a new one and it took me a while to find this! I also really like the theme though.
I am going to go ahead and save this page for my sister for their study project for school. This is a sweet blog by the way. Where did you pick up the design for this webpage?
This is a attention-grabbing article by the way. I am going to go ahead and save this post for my sister to check out later on tomorrow. Keep up the fine work.
I am going to go ahead and save this page for my sister for the research project for school. This is a good-looking blog by the way. Where did you find the design for this webpage?
I had this post bookmarked a while before but my notebook crashed. I have since gotten a new one and it took me a while to find this! I also really like the template though.
I am going to go ahead and save this page for my sis for a coming up research project for class. This is a attractive site by the way. Where did you pick up the template for this webpage?
My brother saved this blog for me and I have been reading through it for the past couple hrs. This is really going to help out me and my friends for our class project. By the way, I enjoy the way you write.
I was exploring on line for some information since yesterday night and I at long last found this! This is a terrific web page by the way, however it appears a little difficult to see on my smart phone.
This is some useful stuff. It took me some time to find this site but it was worth the time. I noticed this article was hidden in bing and not the first spot. This web page has a ton of decent stuff and it doesn’t deserve to be burried in the search engines like that. By the way I’m going to add this web page to my list of favorites.
My sister saved this blog for me and I have been reading through it for the past several hrs. This is really going to benefit me and my classmates for our class project. By the way, I enjoy the way you write.
I really enjoy this template you’ve got going on in your web site. What is the name of the template by the way? I was thinking of using this style for the site I am going to make for my class project.
I really enjoy this template you have got going on on your web page. What is the name of the design by the way? I was thinking of using this style for the web site I am going to build for my class room project.
I really enjoy this theme you have got going on on your internet site. What is the name of the theme by the way? I was thinking of using this style for the web page I am going to create for my school project.
I was researching on the web for some info since yesterday night and I finally found what i was looking for! This is a terrific site by the way, but it appears a slight difficult to see from my i phone.
I was researching on-line for some information since yesterday night and I finally found what i was looking for! This is a excellent web site by the way, except it is a little difficult to read from my verison phone.
I am going to go ahead and bookmark this page for my sis for the study project for class. This is a sweet web page by the way. Where did you find the design for this webpage?
I was searching on line for some info since yesterday night and I at long last found what i was looking for! This is a terrific blog by the way, however it seems to be a slight hard to read on my tmobile phone.
This is some agreeable stuff. It took me a while to find this website but it was worth the time. I noticed this article was hidden in yahoo and not the number one spot. This internet site has a lot of decent stuff and it does not deserve to be burried in the search engines like that. By the way I’m going to save this webpage to my favorites.
I had this post bookmarked some time previously but my computer crashed. I have since gotten a new one and it took me a while to come across this! I also in fact like the template though.
I had this article bookmarked a while in the past but my PC crashed. I have since gotten a new one and it took me a while to come across this! I also in fact like the design though.
I am going to go ahead and save this page for my brother for a coming up research project for class. This is a appealing blog by the way. Where do you get the theme for this webpage?
This is some good quality material. It took me some time to come across this web site but it was worth the time. I noticed this page was buried in yahoo and not the first spot. This site has a ton of decent stuff and it doesn’t deserve to be burried in the search engines like that. By the way I am going to save this blog to my list of favorites.
Just to let you know, this content looks a little bit strange from my smart phone. Who knows maybe it is just my cellular phone. Great post by the way.
Just to let you know, this post seems a little bit weird from my android phone. Who knows maybe it really is just my cellular phone. Great article by the way.
I really enjoy this theme you have got going on on your internet site. What is the name of the design by the way? I was thinking of using this style for the internet site I am going to create for my class room project.
This is a interesting post by the way. I am going to go ahead and bookmark this article for my sister to read later on tonight. Keep up the fine work.
I was checking via the web for some information since yesterday night and I at last found this! This is a wonderful blog by the way, although it seems a slight difficult to read on my att phone.
Just to let you know, this page seems a little bit funny from my android phone. Who knows perhaps it is just my cellular phone. Great article by the way.
This is a remarkable post by the way. I am going to go ahead and save this article for my sis to read later on tonight. Keep up the fine work.
I am going to go ahead and bookmark this page for my brother for their research project for class. This is a nice-looking web site by the way. Where did you acquire the design for this webpage?
Just to let you know, this page appears a little bit funny from my android phone. Who knows perhaps it’s just my mobile phone. Great article by the way.
I had this article bookmarked some time before but my PC crashed. I have since gotten a new one and it took me a while to come across this! I also in fact like the design though.
I had this page saved some time previously but my notebook crashed. I have since gotten a new one and it took me a while to locate this! I also in fact like the design though.
My brother saved this blog for me and I have been reading through it for the past couple hrs. This is really going to assist me and my friends for our class project. By the way, I like the way you write.
This is some enjoyable material. It took me some time to come across this internet site but it was worth the time. I noticed this website was buried in yahoo and not the number one spot. This weblog has a lot of pleasant stuff and it does not deserve to be burried in the search engines like that. By the way I am going to add this internet site to my favorites.
I am going to go ahead and save this article for my brother for their research project for school. This is a pretty web site by the way. Where did you get the design for this webpage?
I was looking over the internet for some information since yesterday night and I at long last found what i was looking for! This is a wonderful site by the way, although it is a slight hard to read from my att phone.
I had this article saved a while before but my computer crashed. I have since gotten a new one and it took me a while to come across this! I also in fact like the theme though.
The way you write make it really straightforward to read. And the design you use, wow. That is a really good combination. And I am wondering what is the name of the theme you use?
I really enjoy this theme you have got going on in your web page. What is the name of the theme by the way? I was thinking of using this style for the site I am going to construct for my school project.
This is a interesting article by the way. I am going to go ahead and save this article for my brother to read later on tomorrow. Keep up the high-quality work.
My bro saved this web page for me and I have been going through it for the past couple hours. This is really going to aid me and my friends for our class project. By the way, I like the way you write.
I am going to go ahead and bookmark this article for my sister for their research project for class. This is a appealing web site by the way. Where do you acquire the template for this webpage?
This is a appealing post by the way. I am going to go ahead and save this article for my sister to read later on tonight. Keep up the good quality work.
My sister saved this website for me and I have been going through it for the past couple hrs. This is really going to aid me and my classmates for our class project. By the way, I like the way you write.
I was checking using the web for some information since yesterday night and I finally found this! This is a good blog by the way, except it looks a little bit off place on my android phone.
I am going to go ahead and bookmark this page for my sis for the research project for school. This is a nice-looking website by the way. Where do you get the template for this web page?
My brother bookmarked this site for me and I have been reading through it for the past several hours. This is really going to aid me and my friends for our class project. By the way, I like the way you write.
I really enjoy this template you’ve got going on on your website. What is the name of the template by the way? I was thinking of using this style for the blog I am going to put together for my school project.
This is a fascinating post by the way. I am going to go ahead and save this post for my sister to read later on tomorrow. Keep up the high-quality work.
I had this content bookmarked a while before but my notebook crashed. I have since gotten a new one and it took me a while to find this! I also in fact like the design though.
This is a fascinating post by the way. I am going to go ahead and save this post for my sis to read later on tonight. Keep up the excellent work.
I really enjoy this template you’ve got going on in your site. What is the name of the design by the way? I was thinking of using this style for the internet site I am going to construct for my class room project.
I am going to go ahead and bookmark this page for my brother for their study project for class. This is a nice-looking blog by the way. Where did you pick up the design for this website?
I had this content saved some time before but my notebook crashed. I have since gotten a new one and it took me a while to come across this! I also really like the template though.
Just to let you know, this post seems a little bit funny from my android phone. Who knows maybe it really is just my mobile phone. Great article by the way.
I really enjoy this template you’ve got going on in your web site. What is the name of the theme by the way? I was thinking of using this style for the internet site I am going to create for my class project.
I was searching via a search engine for some info since yesterday night and I ultimately found what i was looking for! This is a terrific webpage by the way, except it appears a slight bit off place from my android phone.
I was searching via the web for some information since yesterday night and I at last found what i was looking for! This is a excellent webpage by the way, but it seems a little hard to navigate in my tmobile phone.
I had this website bookmarked some time before but my notebook crashed. I have since gotten a new one and it took me a while to come across this! I also in fact like the template though.
My bro saved this web site for me and I have been going through it for the past couple hours. This is really going to assist me and my classmates for our class project. By the way, I like the way you write.
I am going to go ahead and bookmark this content for my sister for the study project for school. This is a attractive site by the way. Where do you obtain the template for this website?
This is a fascinating article by the way. I am going to go ahead and save this article for my sis to read later on tomorrow. Keep up the high-quality work.
My brother saved this internet site for me and I have been going through it for the past couple hours. This is really going to help me and my friends for our class project. By the way, I like the way you write.
The style that you write make it truly simple to read. And the theme you use, wow. That is a really good combination. And I am wondering what is the name of the design you use?
Just to let you know, this post appears a little bit strange from my android phone. Who knows maybe it is just my phone. Great post by the way.
I really enjoy this template you’ve got going on on your blog. What is the name of the theme by the way? I was thinking of using this style for the web page I am going to create for my class room project.
Just to let you know, this content appears a little bit odd from my smart phone. Who knows maybe it is just my cellular phone. Great article by the way.
I am going to go ahead and save this article for my brother for their research project for class. This is a good-looking website by the way. Where did you obtain the theme for this webpage?
I really enjoy this theme you’ve got going on in your site. What is the name of the design by the way? I was thinking of using this style for the website I am going to create for my class room project.
My sister saved this site for me and I have been going through it for the past couple hours. This is really going to assist me and my friends for our class project. By the way, I enjoy the way you write.
I am going to go ahead and save this post for my sister for their research project for class. This is a pretty site by the way. Where do you find the theme for this webpage?
The style that you write make it very easy to read. And the template you use, wow. It really is a really good combination. And I am wondering what’s the name of the template you use?
Just to let you know, this post appears a little bit funny from my android phone. Who knows maybe it’s just my cellular phone. Great article by the way.
I had this article bookmarked some time in the past but my notebook crashed. I have since gotten a new one and it took me a while to find this! I also really like the template though.
I had this article saved some time before but my PC crashed. I have since gotten a new one and it took me a while to come across this! I also really like the design though.
I was researching from the internet for some information since yesterday night and I at last found what i was looking for! This is a impressive internet site by the way, although it is a slight bit off place in my att phone.