Cinematography-Theory-And-Practice

Figure 7.7. Strong, simple primarycolors can be a powerful element inany image.SOME LIGHTING TERMINOLOGYKey light: The dominant light on people or objects. The “main”light on a scene.Fill light: Light that fills in the shadows not lit by the key light.Lighting is sometimes described in terms of the key/fill ratio.Backlight: Light that hits a person or objects from behind andabove. A rim/edge light might be added to separate a dark sideof a face or object from the background or make up for a lackof fill on that side. Frequently, back light can be overexposedand still record well on tape or film. Also sometimes called ahair light or shoulder light.Kicker: A kicker is a light from behind that grazes along anactor’s cheek on the fill side (the side opposite the key light).Often a kicker defines the face well enough that a fill is not evennecessary. It should not be confused with a backlight, whichgenerally covers both sides equally.Sidelight: A light comes from the side, relative to the actor.Usually dramatic and creates great chiaroscuro (if there is littleor no fill light), but may be a bit too harsh for close-ups, wheresome adjustment or slight fill might be needed.Topper: Light directly from above. The word can also refer toa flag that cuts off the upper part of a light (see chapter Tools ofLighting).Hard light: Light from the sun or small lighting source such as10K is still only a small source in relation to the subject beinglit.cinematography108