Cinematography-Theory-And-Practice

— from very light, almost translucent up to very heavy diffusion.A popular light diffusion is opal; it is so thin you can almost seethrough it. This doesn’t make the light very soft, but sometimeswe want a very subtle effect. Heavier diffusion is much thicker,and it makes the light much softer. About the heaviest, softest diffusionwe normally use on the set is a cotton cloth called muslin.DirectionThe direction from which the key light comes at the actors is oneof the most critical aspects of lighting. The most commonly usedterminology is front, 3/4 front, side, 3/4 back, and backlight. Thedirection of the light is a major determinant not only of the shadows,but it is also an important factor in the mood and emotionaltone of a shot. If most of the light comes from the side or back, thescene will tend to be “darker,” more mysterious, more dramatic.This is especially important if you are trying to make a sceneappear underlit, such as a moody scene where you want the audienceto perceive the scene as very dark. It is rarely a good idea totry to accomplish this effect by radically underexposing: a scenelit mostly from the back will appear dark without underexposing.Avoid Flat Front LightingFlat front lighting occurs when the key light is very close to thecamera. The result is an image with few if any shadows and verylittle depth or dimension. The result is an image that is very flatand without shape. Also, the subject is rarely separated from thebackground or other objects in the frame. This reminds us thatone of the key jobs of lighting is to direct the eye and “pick out”key elements of the frame, usually the actors.There are exceptions, of course, but as a general rule, flat frontlighting is shapeless, dull, and boring. See Figure 7.11: the lightingis hardly better than the average driver’s license photo. In Figure7.12, the light has moved to the side and a backlight plus kicker isadded. As a general principle, the more your key light comes fromthe sides or back, the more it is going to give the subject depthand dimension and serves as a positive element in the composition.Figure 7.15. A powerful backlightand a bounce off the book createa look that perfectly reinforcesthe character of Col. Kurtz and hismental state of isolation and insanityin this scene from Apocalypse Now.lighting basics113