In my earlier blog post I wrote that ‘backlight is where the main source of light comes from behind the character. This can create a very mysterious mood. Commonly seen in horror films and detective/crime shows to enhance the use of shadows.’
I hope to investigate this future throughout this blog post and discover more along the way.

Doing research on this particular lighting technique, I found that particular genres of film always seemed to popping up. From mystery to crime to drama to horror, this lighting technique was used as a way to convey a point or dramatic effect within the shot.

So what is backlighting? Backlighting is a type of spotlight, a light that amplifies the brightness of an LCD scene by illuminating it from behind. This effect create a glowing effect on the edge of the subject or person, while the other areas are darker. This lighting technique is usually made more intense by an artificial source but can also be from natural light from the sun or from the moon.

If the lighting source were to be artificial, it is usually set up directly behind the subject, which lights foreground elements from the rear. This effect can create a very dramatic representation of the subject and or person presented in the scene.

The shot I have presented above is a very detailed and well represented example of the backlight lighting technique. The character presented in the shot is positioned to the side but the light formed from the back of him has created this hard light edge surrounding him. It is here we cannot see the characters facial expressions, but what we do see (as the audience) is the movements he or she is making. Commonly seen in mystery or crime films  the smoke in the shot has also been picked up by the light which in my eyes a pretty awesome shot.

The shot above is from the film “A Clockwork Orange”

The film itself to me is a very scary, confronting representation of a young gang. Personally I could only watched 1/4 of the film as it was not the type I could sit and enjoy. I did however remember this shot as it was one I could never forget. The lighting in this shot is amazing from start to finish. The backlight is strong and the shadows that it creates is unbelievable. As they walk up to the old man lying on the ground their shadows are large but the very dominate backlight does not allow the audience to see any of the gangs faces until later in the scene when a close up has appeared.

The way this shot was constructed was to create a very mysterious and “horror” type effect. It was constructed for the audience to feel on edge and wary that something was about to happen within the shot. An old innocent man lying on the ground in a dark alley way and the shadows of 4 young men approaching. The shadows allow the scene to be scary and I feel the director did exactly that when creating and contracting the scene.

The film definition of “Natural lighting” is:
Nature’s illumination: daylight, even on interiors. The term implies that the source is not artificial.

This particular lighting is my personal favourite as it depicts “no” artificial lights were used in order to create the particular setting of the scene. I used the film Shawshank Redemption in a previous blog post to highlight the use of it with the shot from Andy Dufrense cell.

In this particular lighting investigation I am using the romantic comedy film The Notebook as it used a lot of outdoor shots to express a particular emotion at that time of the film. Each of the shots below represent a natural lighting effect where no artificial lighting was added.

In picture 1. It represents natural lighting through the trees surrounding the two characters Noah and Allie. This would have most likely been shot in raw and had the natural lighting edited in editing software. It has the effect of the sun not able to pass the trees but is still able to light the setting. Usually representing midday low lighting

In picture 2. A clear example of natural lighting of the “sun behind the cloud” hence the blue grey coloured representation. Slight lighting is reflected off the top of the characters heads.

In picture 3. We are presented with a natural sun glow from above the character of Noah.

In picture 4. Just like picture 2 the sun is behind the cloud but this shot is representing it is nearing the end of the day.

Natural lighting is used to convey a particular emotion throughout this film. It can also be perceived by a natural street light or even the light represented from the moon itself.

This shot is from the film Harry Potter and the Philosopher Stone.It depicts a front house light as the natural light source on Harry and Dumbledore. It can be seen as a key light effect with a diffuser on it but obviously editing has gone into making this shot look very warm and fuzzy. I used this example of  natural light as it is something that is already in shot. Although yes it is an artificial light source it is in fact natural as it was already in the setting of the shot.

 This is a very good example of natural lighting in the night. The moon although dark at night its white and dominant light source can create a key light effect on a person/object seen in the shot. This shot I have presented with the moon is bouncing off the water giving a bright reflection. As it does this it has also created a very strong backlight which has caused the trees or branches in the shot to be all black figures.

A popular film technique is the use of soft light. This particular light source is normally a diffused light source from the front of the person and a more direct and stronger light from the back, which usually fills up those little shadows to create an even picture.

Soft light can also be known as a fill light as it is not harsh and intense on the character portrayed in the scene. It is here we can get an all round colour balance within the scene.

Soft light and/or fill light has always represented a rather soft even balance to a film, it does not create an emotion of negativity or mystery but almost represents a friendly welcoming approach due to its soft look. This particular lighting effect would never be portrayed in a scary film as it usually creates a soft yellow glow, which to the audiences perspective is positive.

Shot from the film “Her” 

In week 8’s Wednesday class, my group played around with this soft diffused lighting technique which I personally have used in many of the films I have worked on. I experimented with this by placing the light slightly to the side facing up in front of the actor but bounced it off the white wall. We placed a diffuser on the top of the light to filter it so it wasn’t as harsh of a light on the person in front of screen (which was myself).

Shot from an RMIT University film

Soft light technique is basically area lighting, which creates a more natural look. It is one of the most popular uses of lighting cause it evens out shot leaving the characters within the shot natural as if the light was from outside or from a well lit room. Almost an “unedited” shot

The particular shot above from the film “500 Days of Summer“ is a great example of soft lighting. To the audience it has a clear indication of being outside yet there a several lights surrounding them creating an even lit picture.

The next blog post I hope to explore Natural Lighting. 

Throughout the semester I have developed a huge interest in lighting and the components that go into making it look amazing and influential within a shot or scene.

I hope to explore and develop the makings and investigate lighting through a series of substantial posts using constructive writing. I hope to answer questions that I raise throughout my investigation as well as develop a strong understanding of what goes into lighting, the thought process and why they are are positioned in the shot coverage.

When researching lighting as a whole, I found many examples and descriptions of the term itself. I chose to post other scholar term definitions here to reflect back on.

Yale University: The intensity, direction, and quality of lighting have a profound effect on the way an image is perceived. Light affects the way colors are rendered, both in terms of hue and depth, and can focus attention on particular elements of the composition. Much like movement in the cinema, the history of lighting technology is intrisically linked to the history of film style. Most mainstream films rely on the three-point lighting style, and its genre variations. Other films, for example documentaries and realist cinema, rely on natural light to create a sense of authenticity.

Studentnet: Lighting plays an important part in creating the atmosphere in a film. The amount of light and the direction of the light source can give meaning to the viewer of the film. For example, lighting is used to indicate the time of the day.

EICAR International Film and Television School Paris: The use of various light sources, both artificial and natural, to achieve some aesthetic or practical effect while illuminating a scene.

Dictionary.com: the act of igniting or illuminating; the arrangement of lights to achieve particular effects:

The structure of my essay is not really easy to write on the blog.

The way I go about writing my essay is a make a mind map, highlighting particular topics that interest me and jot down notes. I then gather all my information and write paragraphs at a time finding research along the way. I tend to use the internet a lot and over consumption of film viewing as well as peer reviewed articles and journals from the RMIT library.

I hope to start my essay based on these topics

• the emotions of lighting
• how lighting alters and reflects how we think and feel
• how lighting is important
• film examples
• lighting techniques
• etc.

Lighting can be a fairly tricky topic in terms of investigation. For one I noticed people have different names for certain lighting techniques and two it defiantly reflects on personal emotions which some viewers may not feel the same way.

For example: Red lighting can be seen as a horror, blood, creepy representation, but to others it can just be seen as a strong, bold colour creating the visuals of “dominance”. This can be seen in advertising as well.

I think for lighting there are many issues, I can talk about the techniques and I can talk about the emotions, or I can simply just talk about how I feel watching a particular scene and how lighting is reflected on it. But you see the issue with this is this essay is not a reflection on my own emotions, it’s an overall reflection on lighting as a whole and how these emotions and representations are perceived.

So, I hope through research and further development I can find some interesting information.

I chose lighting because I believe this is a key component in film development. It can change and alter the way we see things, which I feel can impact the entire film itself.

I hope to explore in more depth lighting through my essay as I know not only through techniques and representation, lighting can effect emotion as well.

Through further development of lighting I may use examples from filmmakers such as Martin Scorsese, as he uses backlighting, harsh lighting and internal lighting such as lamps etc to the extreme and Wes Anderson, as I believe he uses colour to enhance his lighting and changes the way we see and feel them.

There are many types of lighting techniques used in film that impacts the way the characters and the setting are represented, and here are a few examples.

Backlighting, where the main source of light comes from behind the character. This can create a very mysterious mood. Commonly seen in horror films and detective/crime shows to enhance the use of shadows.

Cameo Lighting, also known as a spotlight. This is where only one light from above or highlights a single person. Which I’m sure most of you have seen in the intro to Mr Bean.

Natural Lighting. It’s a common technique that filmmakers use in order to be as realistic as possible. It is this particular lighting I wish to look deep into as it can come across in many ways as positive and negative depending on the structure of the film. The clip in my previous post from “Shawshank Redemption” is a great example of this natural lighting.

This particular clip shows various lighting techniques. From the audiences perspective the only light source seems to be coming from the single window above in Andy Dufrenes cell.

The light is very harsh through the window and creates a very hard back light on the warden. This lighting as I mentioned before in my other posts is commonly used in horror and crime films, as it can be a rather intense and dramatic view on the character.

The wardens character himself is considered hard and tough so this lighting fits perfectly in his characters. When we look at the lighting positioned to the other characters it is very bright and well lit with a slight shadow from the corner. This lighting can create a sense of vulnerability as each of the officers are conflicted and are unsure of the problem.