A cameraman, or more specifically, a cinematographer, has the job of painting with lights, so one must know how to mimic certain situations and be able to manipulate the light to their liking, as well as the director’s. There are four things you need to consider when setting up lights: movement, placement and intensity. This is how they break down:

Movement: “Why is the light moving?” “How much is it moving?” These are two questions a cameraman or cinematographer must ask himself. If there is no movement, fine-the scene is still. Movement causes curiosity, chaos and directs the eye to a certain place in the frame. If not trying to recreate a scene that requires lights to flicker, turn on and off at a certain rate or move back and forth as if searching for something, movement of light is not required-it just helps to make a more believable situation if necessary. Some examples of scenes that use light movement would be in a scene where the lights are going out or flickering or something like an interrogation scene. Movement could also be used to portray a lightning or a massive earthquake where everything is falling down and the power is going out. Also, any sort of club or party scene would use not only moving lights but colored lights as well.

Placement: “Where is the light coming from and why?” Asking yourself why the light is coming from a certain direction is important because it helps you understand the source better. What makes it shaped that way? Where are the shadows in relation to where the light is coming from? Being attentive to real-life lighting situations is very important to a cinematographer because that way they can mimic the light better and not make it look so fake or forced through the lens. Placing lights where they should be in real life and then making them brighter is the best way to go in my opinion-that way it looks natural. If you want a practical light to look like it’s actually lighting someone, it must be intensified in order to show up on camera. For instance, a little desk lamp will not make anyone show up on camera, but intensifying it will.

Light placement on characters also creates different moods because depending on where you shine the light on someone; different shadows will project onto their faces. The darker the light, the more equivocal someone will look. Lighting from below will make someone look more suspicious and placing light more on the face so you can see a character’s eyes better will make them look friendlier and more trustworthy. Protagonists are usually better lit and more visible while antagonists are darker lit to keep them in the shadows more and to portray a darker character whom is up to no good.

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.

Keeping all these elements in mind when lighting a film will help in many ways. Light can come alive and have life, too it’s just the way it’s done and how it’s captured. Creativity mixed with the understanding of these elements will make your film look amazing and your audience content.

See what’s behind the obligation of the TV show lighting camera man at Mark Cella‘s site.