These are two processes that I researched earlier in first term, and I have found these two lighting methods to be incredibly useful for lighting scenes in The Deep and Patience (which I am no longer working with), it gives me some sort of base to work from in instead of placing lights anywhere. This also ensures there is some light falling on most areas of the subject, which I’m confident will be useful source of reference for all three films that I am going to be working on- The Deep, Unhatched and “The Raven Project”. So here’s the research that I have collected:
3 Point Lighting Diagram.
3 Point lighting. This is used in film, videos and photography, so widely used and certainly industry standard. I’ve been taught this on a product and advertising photography course by Ray Davenport and this research has helped reinforce what I learnt on the photography course.
Key light– this is your main source of light, so the light with the highest intensity. This is placed to the side of the subject so that there can be some shadow on the other side of the subject.
Fill light– this light is dimmer than the Key. Placed opposite to the key light (see above) and is used to fill the shadows created by the key light. A method that is used in real life (as apposed to on a computer) is to move the light further away from the subject, thereby softening the light.
Back light– Used to give the subject soft highlights and definition from the rear and to make the subject look 3D, and so that the subject is separated from the background
Following on from this, Ray Davenport taught me you have lighting ratios, this dictates how dark the shadows are. You can have: 2 to 1, 3 to 1 and can go up to 9 to 1 lighting, which dictates the intensity or how dark the shadows are on the subject to give the scene/photograph more atmosphere. 2 to 1 means there is 1 f stop between the Key and Fill lights. 3 to 1 means there is a 2 stop difference between the Key and fill lights.
4 Point Lighting Diagram.
4 point lighting has the three main lights just like 3 point lighting but the fourth light is aimed at the background, this provides a mixture of light and dark. “Four point lighting is supposed to be the practical basis for most narrative film lighting, so you have the options to change it”. Read more: http://www.brighthub.com/multimedia/video/articles/59485.aspx#ixzz1ASPDNNwC
Research and Application. 