Lighting Tip #1 Three Point Lighting

Three point lighting is pretty much how it sounds. We set up a shot with three points of lights to illuminate what we are filming. This is the most basic lighting set up and will look amazing if you use it right.

Alright, so in the diagram above there are your three lights. There's the key light, the fill light, and the back light. The key light is going to be your strongest light out of the three (hence key light). The fill light helps to soften the shadows cast by your key light, but be careful to make sure that it is dimmer then your key light and doesn't make your actor or whatever thing you are filming look flat. Your back light is to add some 3D to what you are filming.

This is a good example! This looks normal right? Remember that you thought it was normal. So that strong light coming in from the right? That would be the key light, the "sun" of the lights. Next it's hard to tell but if you look at her left arm or at the left side of her temple, you can see light, that is the fill light. Now look at the top of her hair or the top of her shoulders, that is the back light. It adds a sort of halo. Now stand back and look at it again, now all you can focus on is what I have shown you. If that's true, YAY! I did my job, if not, go stare at it some more. 

On to the more complicated bits. This is a two point lighting system. See how the key light is very harsh without the fill light. This creates more of a dark or intense feel. This is the kind of lighting you would use for a horror movie or maybe a spy flick. 

So in this picture it's all one light, and it looks incredibly flat. The background might as well be attached to him. His face has no depth either, that might as well be drawn onto that background there. Below I will show you another example of 3 point lighting and just a single light side by side.

Wow, which one looks better? So that's why we use three point lighting, so it doesn't look like crap. Now don't get me wrong, one point lighting can be good depending on what you're going for, but like this, no. The picture below shows a GOOD use of single point lighting.

Now this does take some practice, I can't just say, put it that light this far away from the camera and angle it this much and it'll look beautiful! You need to do some trial and error. Another thing to ALWAYS ask yourself when setting up lights is: "in this scene, where in the world is the light coming from?" In other words, if you're inside and there is a light that is coming at a very low angle you have to think, where in the 'actual' world is the light is coming from, is it coming from a lamp on the desk? Or maybe a computer or T.V. screen. You need a logical reason to put a light where you're putting it. More lighting tips coming soon.

-Sirwhovian, Out!