7

Breaking Dawn Over Light Sources

In This Chapter

arrow Breaking down light sources

arrow Understanding incandescent lighting

arrow Working with artificial light

arrow Overcoming problems with illumination

Clouds need moisture, mosquitoes need blood, and your movie needs light. Shooting a scene without light is called radio, so unless you want your audience to feel like they’re wearing blinders, make sure you effectively light it.

But there’s quite a difference between having enough light for the scene and effectively illuminating what you choose to capture. One makes your movie look bland and boring, whereas the other speaks visually to the viewer. Yet, before you can successfully control lighting, you first need to understand it. I help you to do that in this chapter.

Understanding Why Lighting Is Critical

“Let there be light.”

It’s hard to imagine an older phrase — or, when it comes to making movies — one that’s more profound. But light by itself won’t translate a series of shots ...

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