Making Better Movies with Moviestorm Vol 3: Sound and Light

LIGHTING
Movies have often been described as “painting with light”. It doesn’t take long to realize that the lighting for a scene
is critical to setting the mood for the entire piece, as well as the composition. You can completely change what you
see simply by changing the lighting. The color sets the tone for the piece, the brightness sets the intensity, and the
positioning can completely change the shape of the objects on the screen and the visual composition of the shot.
Lighting is a slow, painstaking process, as you’ll find when you get on a shoot. It usually means the entire cast and
crew standing around while the lights are set up, and there’s often a lot of trial and error before the DoP and director
are both happy. The sooner you can give your lighting team a good idea of what you want your scene to look like,
the better. That saves everyone’s time, and on a live action shoot, can make a real difference to how much you can
shoot in a day.
Using Moviestorm to practice lighting skills offers several advantages. If you’re shooting exteriors, you don’t have to
contend with changing environmental conditions: the sun won’t suddenly go behind a cloud, and you won’t see the
shadow of a tree creep gradually across the set as the shoot goes on. You can even eliminate shadows altogether
with just a single click. You can decide what time of day it is, and film at twilight, dawn, or midday to compare the
different lights and how it affects your scene. You can film in bright California sunshine, or on a grey English winter
morning, all without leaving your sofa.
Soft, gentle lighting in this scene immediately suggests it's part of a romance or a mystery - or perhaps a touch
of both? The choice of lighting often defines the mood, regardless of the actors' performances, the script, or
the music.
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