Lighting

Lighting can suggest atmosphere and mood, e.g. in a horror movie, light and shade are important codes of meaning and major signifiers of genre. High-key lighting is harsh, low-key lighting creates a dark atmosphere, soft-key lighting creates a romantic atmosphere, spotlighting picks out a particular character from a group as special in some way. I will now explain certain aspects of lighting:

• Key Light - Usually the brightest and most influential
• Back Light - Helps counteract the effect of the key light making the character more rounded
• Filler Light - Helps to soften hard shadows, there may be more than one filler light
• Underlighting - When the main soure of light come from below the character, often used in horror films
• Top Lighting - When the main source of light comes from above, can be used to create a glamourous look in a star
• Back Lighting - When the source of light is from behind the subject