Week 9 focused on lighting, and how it affects a specific shot. In groups we experimented with natural and unnatural lighting with reflector boards in a dark room. It was about getting the correct lighting for the scene being created, and the mood we were trying to convey. Paul demonstrated how the offside of the face should be lit, not the side facing the camera, as the back lighting highlights the actor and their facial features; whereas if the front side is lit more, the actor would get lost within the background, and the detail in the face would be non-existent. In this class I understood that lighting plays an important part in creating the atmosphere of a shot. Where the light is directed and the amount of light given, can determine the meaning the audience interprets.

Types of lighting:

-Back Lighting: Comes from behind the character, and makes them stand out more.

-Key and Fill Lighting: Main light source that is within a particular scene, that is usually directed on the character.

-Under-lighting: Light comes from under the character.

-Top-lighting: Light comes from above the character.

-Side-lighting: Light comes from the side of the screen.

With these lighting methods, in class we used reflector boards, one white and one black. My group was beside a window, so we used the natural light whilst using the black reflector board on the other side of the character. This meant that half of the face was lit, and the other was in complete darkness. This showed me how lighting has a significant impact on a scene and how the audience interprets the characters’ story as well.