Lighting for TV and Film, 3rd Edition

5 Lighting people

 

 

 

Show the hero in a highly dramatic situation, with a half-lit face and deeply shadowed eye sockets, and your audience may accept the lighting treatment as ‘powerful’, ‘moody’, ‘exciting’. Light a newscaster that way, and you may be out of a job!

‘Bad’ lighting

When most people talk about ‘bad lighting’ they are usually criticizing inappropriateness. Ugly shadows, distracting hotspots, flat or excessively contrasty picture quality, burned-out faces … all are acceptable enough when they are appropriate. They may even be part of the ‘atmosphere’ of the occasion. But when they are quite unjustified, even the mildest of viewers can become incensed.

Table 5.1 Lighting people

Front light	Back light
Lamp’s vertical angle ...