Lighting Homework

Lighting

Key and Fill Lighting

Key and fill lighting illuminate the whole face, rarely do you see obvious shadows. Even though the photo I got doesn't show it, the lighting can portray happiness. This type of lighting is also the most commonly used. We could use this in our thriller opening during the questioning of the bank manager. As well as being a happy sort of light set up, it can be used for interrogation in which the light can blind and confuse the subject.

Back Lighting

Back lighting is not a very commonly used set up. However, when it's used it makes the character/person have a silhouette, only lighting their outline. This is a dark type of shot and can be used when creating mystery for a character, be it a robber for example. Back lighting could be a very useful shot in our thriller as at first we want to add suspense by not showing the faces of the people kidnapping the bank manager. 

Side Lighting


Side lighting, along with back lighting is not a very common lighting technique to use, even though we can see part of the characters face, the other half is shadowed, which makes the audience curious to what is on the other side of his face, for example in The Dark Knight where Harvey Dent reveals himself after being burnt. I don't think that side lighting would be good to use in our trailer opening, because, as much as it's nice, I think that for what we want to do, it shows a little too much.




Bottom Lighting


Bottom lighting I have found to be used a lot in hand held camera horror films, as the camera pointing towards the characters with the flash on would be shining from underneath their faces. Again I don't think we'd be using this lighting angle in our thriller opening as it's a bit too 'unprofessional' (for lack of a better word).








Top Lighting


Top lighting I imagine as being used in a street location, for example a character standing under a street light. Depending on how strong the light is, can show us how much of the face is being illuminated, i.e. this photo the beam is subtle. If we were to use this in our thriller opening, I think that the light would have to be a little stronger, just to show a few more features. Especially in the car park scene.