International Cinema Festival of India

A cinematographer is a master of lighting. He knows where the light is coming from, how intense it needs to be and what mood it creates. He works very closely with the director and the gaffer to create the perfect balance of light. A few things a cinematographer considers when setting up lights are movement, placement, intensity and color. Here is how they work:

Movement: Movement of light can create lots of different moods. A party scene or dance club would require a lot of movement and color. If a lot of movement is required for a scene, the more prominent a light will become so it stands out more, otherwise it won’t be seen as well and it won’t portray the effect that is trying to be created. If less movement is needed, maybe the scene has something to do with a light flickering in a dingy basement or simply the sun is going down. It’s also easy to recreate paparazzi taking pictures by having a bunch of flashes go off all around the frame. A good way to discover new lighting movements is to play with it and see how it makes you feel-what moods it unveils.

Placement: Depending on where you place the light on a character, it creates different shadows on their faces and can create different moods and can change the way you look at someone. For instance, when you light someone from the bottom, it creates an evil look. Remember when you’d go camping and you’d scare your little sister by placing a flashlight under your chin, turning it on and making a scary face? Just like that. The more lights you use, the less shadow you will create, so using just one light will create more shadow and make a character look darker and more mysterious.

Using more lights makes things brighter and creates a happier mood. Therefore, villains normally are lit less and heroes are lit more to portray the darker and the lighter moods. Heroes will not be lit from underneath as much as they will from the front, back and side, using more lights. Their faces will be better lit so you can see their eyes better.

Intensity: The intensity of a light can easily create different moods. Try sitting in a dark room for ten minutes. Then try sitting in a well-lit room for ten minutes. Most likely, sitting in a well-lit room will make you feel better and happier. Perhaps your mind was wondering more in the light and you felt more scared in the dark because you didn’t know what was around you. The same goes for lighting a movie.

The darker it is, the more mysterious and dingy the scene becomes. The brighter the scene, the happier the characters are and the audience will feel more comfortable. Dramas tend to be darker and comedies are brighter for that exact reason. Comedies want you to laugh; so making it brighter will create a happier mood for the audience, therefore making them laugh easier.

Color: The color of the light also creates mood and helps the audience understand time of day and whether the character(s) are inside or outside. Inside light tends to be more orange or tungsten, and outside light tends to be bluer.

Once you fully understand these concepts, putting them all together and creating a specific mood, time and place becomes easier and more fun as time goes on and you learn more. Each project presents more obstacles to overcome and packs more creativity into your head of never-ending learning. With each set comes new people and new ideas to share and learn. The cameraman is always learning and growing with each project.

See what’s behind the obligation of the mini series camera man at Mark Cella‘s site.