Cinematography: Lighting in Practice

The Magic of Painting with Light

Imagine you’re a painter. But instead of brushes and colors, you use light to create your masterpiece on screen. That’s what cinematographers do every day!

Think of light like cooking ingredients. The same ingredients can make completely different dishes depending on how you mix them. Light works the same way—the same scene can feel scary, happy, romantic, or mysterious just by changing how you use light.

Color Temperature: The Warmth and Coolness of Light

What is Color Temperature?

You know how a campfire feels warm and orange, but ice feels cold and blue? Light works the same way!

Color temperature tells us if light looks warm (like a candle) or cool (like a cloudy sky).

We measure it in Kelvin (K)—think of it like a thermometer, but for light color:

The Two Magic Numbers

As a filmmaker, remember these two numbers:

• 3,200K = Indoor tungsten lights (warm orange)
• 5,600K = Daylight (neutral/cool)

Example: You’re filming inside a room with big windows. Sunlight (5,600K) streams in, but you also have table lamps (2,700K). The camera sees this difference! The window looks bluish while the lamp area looks orange.

How to Fix Mixed Colors

Option 1: Match lights to daylight Put blue gel (called CTB - Color Temperature Blue) on your warm lights.

Option 2: Match daylight to your lights Put orange gel (called CTO - Color Temperature Orange) on windows.

Option 3: Use it creatively Let the colors mix! Warm light on faces + cool light from windows = beautiful, natural look.

graph TD
    A[Light Source] --> B{What Kelvin?}
    B -->|Under 3200K| C[Warm/Orange]
    B -->|Around 5600K| D[Neutral/Daylight]
    B -->|Over 6500K| E[Cool/Blue]
    C --> F[Feels cozy, romantic, nostalgic]
    D --> G[Feels natural, realistic]
    E --> H[Feels cold, sad, clinical]

Practical Lights: Lights You Can See in the Shot

What Are Practical Lights?

Practical lights are real light sources that appear in your scene—things the audience can actually see!

Think of them like actors. They’re not just decoration; they’re doing real work!

Examples of practical lights:

• Table lamps
• Candles
• Neon signs
• TV screens
• Fireplaces
• Streetlights through windows
• Christmas lights
• Phone screens

Why Use Practical Lights?

1. They give actors something to interact with An actor reading by lamplight feels real. An actor pretending to read in perfectly even light feels fake.

2. They create natural shadows Practical lights give you automatic highlights and shadows that make sense to viewers.

3. They justify your lighting If someone asks “Where is that light coming from?”, you can point to the lamp!

Example: In a coffee shop scene, you hang fairy lights around the window. Now you can add warm, sparkly fill light and it makes perfect sense—the audience sees the source.

Making Practicals Work

Problem: Most regular bulbs are too dim for cameras.

Solutions:

1. Put brighter bulbs in lamps (but watch for overheating!)
2. Add a dimmer to your movie lights so they match the practical
3. Use practicals as “motivation” but add hidden movie lights nearby

Pro tip: Put movie lights near practicals so shadows fall the same direction. The practical becomes the “excuse” for your real lighting!

Lighting Modification Tools: Shaping Your Light

Think of these tools like kitchen utensils. A knife can chop, slice, or dice. Lighting tools shape light in different ways.

Diffusion: Making Light Soft

What it does: Spreads light out, making it softer and gentler.

Think of it like: Frosted glass on a bathroom window. You still see light, but it’s not harsh.

Example: Direct sunlight on a face = harsh shadows under nose and eyes. Put a silk between sun and actor = beautiful, soft light that wraps around their face.

Reflectors: Bouncing Light Back

What they do: Take light from one place and throw it somewhere else.

Types:

• White = Soft bounce (gentle fill)
• Silver = Strong bounce (punchy fill)
• Gold = Warm bounce (sunset feeling)
• Black = Anti-bounce! Absorbs light to deepen shadows

Example: Your actor faces a window. Their face toward camera is bright, but the other side is dark. Hold a white reflector on the dark side—light bounces back and fills the shadows!

Flags and Cutters: Blocking Light

What they do: Create shadows by blocking light from going places.

Think of them like making shadow puppets—you’re sculpting darkness.

Uses:

• Keep light off the background
• Create a shadow on one side of a face
• Block light from hitting the camera lens
• Create dramatic strips of light

Example: You want mysterious lighting. Put a flag between your light and half your actor’s face. Now half is lit, half is in shadow = instant drama!

Grids and Egg Crates: Controlling Spill

What they do: Make soft light more directional.

Think of looking through a cardboard box. You can only see straight ahead, not to the sides.

Use them when: You want soft light that only hits what you point it at.

Interior Lighting: Controlling Your World

The Joy of Shooting Inside

Indoors, YOU are in control. You decide every light source. It’s like building with blocks—you place each piece exactly where you want it.

The Basic Three-Light Setup

This is your foundation. Master this, then break the rules!

graph TD
    A[Key Light] -->|Main light| B[Subject]
    C[Fill Light] -->|Softer, fills shadows| B
    D[Back Light] -->|Separates from background| B

Key Light: Your main light. This creates the shadows that give your image shape.

Fill Light: Softer light on the shadow side. Controls how dark those shadows get.

Back Light: Hits the back of heads/shoulders. Separates subjects from the background.

Example: Interview setup. Key light through diffusion at 45 degrees. White reflector on the opposite side for fill. Small light behind the subject pointing at their hair = professional, dimensional look.

Motivated Interior Lighting

The golden rule: Every light should have a “reason” to exist.

Window? That’s your excuse for hard, directional key light. Table lamp? Reason for warm, low fill. Computer screen? Excuse for cool glow on face.

Controlling Daylight Indoors

Windows are tricky—the sun moves! Here’s how to handle them:

1. Add blackout fabric on windows you don’t want
2. Put diffusion on windows you do want (softens and controls)
3. Add ND (neutral density) gel to dim bright windows
4. Shoot with window as backlight and add your own key light

Exterior Lighting: Working with the Sun

The Sun: Your Biggest (and Most Difficult) Light

The sun is like a very powerful but stubborn actor. It does what it wants! Your job is to work with it.

The Golden Hours

Best times to shoot outside:

Example: Need a romantic scene? Shoot 30 minutes before sunset. The sun is low, warm, and naturally beautiful.

Taming the Sun

Direct sunlight = hard shadows. Not always what you want!

Solutions:

1. Use diffusion overhead A large silk or bounce between sun and actor. Instant soft light!

2. Turn actors away from sun Use the sun as backlight. Add reflectors or lights for faces.

3. Find shade Open shade (shaded area facing bright sky) = naturally soft light.

4. Add fill light Use reflectors or battery-powered lights to fill shadows.

Night Exterior: Creating Moonlight

The trick: Moonlight is actually reflected sunlight—it should be cool and soft.

How to fake it:

1. Use a large light source high up
2. Add blue gel (1/2 or full CTB)
3. Create hard shadows (moonlight is directional)
4. Keep exposure low (night should feel dark!)

Example: Night scene in a forest. Big 4K light on a crane, full CTB gel, shining down through tree branches = beautiful, believable moonlight.

Weather Challenges

Putting It All Together

The Lighting Checklist

Before you shoot, ask yourself:

1. What emotion do I want? (Warm? Cold? Scary? Happy?)
2. What time of day is this scene? (Matches your color temperature)
3. Where would light naturally come from? (Motivation)
4. What practical lights can I see? (They help tell the story)
5. What’s my key light direction? (Creates shape and mood)
6. How much contrast? (Shadows: deep, medium, or filled?)

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Too much light: Let some shadows exist! Flat lighting = boring.

Ignoring color temperature: Mixed colors can look accidental (unless intentional).

Forgetting the background: Light your subject AND your background.

No motivation: If viewers wonder “where’s that light coming from?”, you’ve lost them.

Your Lighting Journey Starts Now!

Remember our painting metaphor? You now have all the brushes:

• Color temperature = Your paint colors
• Practical lights = Your canvas anchors
• Modifiers = Your brush types
• Interior/Exterior skills = Your techniques

Every great cinematographer started by learning these basics. Now it’s your turn to paint with light!

Start small. Light a friend by a window with a reflector. See how different it looks at sunrise versus sunset. Play with a desk lamp and some parchment paper as diffusion.

The more you practice, the more you’ll see light everywhere—and know exactly how to shape it for your stories.

Happy lighting!