Lighting LAA 
Media Studies 
─ 

Yama Bahadur 
Thomas Tallis School  
Media Studies 
Mr Field 
 
 
 

 
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Soft Lighting 
Soft Light​ is light that creates shadows with a gradual transition from light to dark. There 
are no hard shadows in s​ oft lighting​. ​Soft light​ can be created by different light sources 
which prevents the ​hard shadows f​ rom appearing. ​Soft light r​ efers to light that tends to 
"wrap" around objects, casting d ​ iffuse shadows ​with soft edges. ​Soft light i​ s when a light 
source is large relative to the subject. 
 

Hard Lighting 
Hard lighting​ is a type of lighting which creates ​sharp shadows ​and well d​ efined outlines 
on and off the subject. It is a ​very strong light ​which m​ akes shadows​ and every detail on 
the subject stand out. For example, the lighting shows a lot of the defects of a face, such as 
wrinkles, scars etc. 
 
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Practical lighting 
Practical lighting​ can be a torch or a fire etc, used to create lighting in a film. ​Practical 
lights ​are light sources that are visible within the shot. They will have a spread of functions 
like adding depth or to justify that the light within the​ scene is r​ eturning​ from this light 
sources​. ​Practical lighting ​can also often be assisted by ​reflectors​ as it enhances
more lighting on the characters face, making ​emotions ​and ​facial expressions ​more
recognisable.

 
 

Side Lighting 
Side ​lighting​ ​is light that falls on a ​ subject matter a ​ t roughly ninety degrees to the camera. 
This implies t​ hat o ​ ne​ side​ ​of ​a subject matter is l​ it a ​ nd also the ​different sides​ are​ in 
shadow​. In terms of ​serving to​ to convey a subject’s ​form​ and ​type this can be​ ideal. Of the 
3​ directions, s​ ide​ lighting​ creates the strongest sense that​ a subject matter​ has ​3 
dimensions. There’s ​forever​ a catch ​but​ The catch d ​ uring this​ instance is d
​ istinction. ​Side 
lighting​ doesn’t e ​ qually​ illuminate your subject. 

 
 
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High Key Lighting 

High key lighting i​ s a type of lighting for film, television, photography, and media. ​It was 
originally used for technological reasons, since film and tv in the early days did not deal 
well with high contrast, but now is used to ​suggest a ​ n ​upbeat mood​. ​High key lighting 
consists of low contrast​ and is more e ​ venly lit ​than other lighting techniques. The use of 
colors is ​mostly white​, which makes the brightness more ​brighter​, meaning there is much 
less dark tones​ used. There are ​fewer shadows a ​ nd the e ​ motional connotations a ​ re 
happy, safe and joyful​, and the lighting is mostly u ​ sed in comedies r​ ather than horror. 
The lights typically include a​ key light, fill light to fill in shadows, a backlight and 
background light. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
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Low Key Lighting 

Low key lighting ​consists of ​dark tones​ and ​colours. ​Where a ​high key lighting ​scene 
feels a
​ iry and light​, A ​low key lighting ​scene can feel ​mysterious and dark​. It is used 
when a subject needs to be isolated or to c ​ onvey drama​. Below is an example from the 
movie ‘The Dark Knight’. The image shows a character surrounded and ​isolated by dark 
and​ mysterious lighting​. The lighting creates a rather ​unsettling and mysterious, dark 
atmosphere.​ The d ​ im hues​ and ​shadows c​ reated are suited to the use of h
​ orror films.  
 

Back Lighting 
Backlighting i​ s caused once the ​light supply is behind​ the topic shining towards the 
camera. If your subject obscures the light supply and if exposed the background rather 
than your subject the results are going to be a ​silhouette​. Silhouettes look flat, virtually 
sort of a cardboard cut-out. If the form of your subject is robust this may be terribly 
effective. ​This effect c
​ reates a glowing effect​ on the edge of the subject or person, while 
the other areas are darker. This lighting technique is usually made more intense by an 
artificial source but can also be from n​ atural light ​from the sun or from the moon. 
 

 
 
 
 
 
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Fill Lighting 
In television, film, stage, or photographic lighting, a ​fill light​ may be u
​ sed to reduce ​the 
contrast​ of a scene to match the dynamic range of the recording media and record the 
same amount of detail typically seen by eye in average lighting and considered normal. ​The 
purpose of this light is to f​ ill in the shadows​ created by the key light, preventing them 
from getting too dark.  

 
 
 
 
 
 

Venetian Lighting 
Venetian lighting is a very creative way of creating light on an object or character. The 
lighting creates g
​ reat shadows​ on the character to create a s​ inister effect.​ The lighting 
was often used in H ​ ollywood​ as it was cost effective. Here are some examples of venetian 
lighting used in film: 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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As you can see in the examples, the lighting is caused by the blinds in the shot. The blinds 
create a s​ inister and shadow e
​ ffect on a character. ​The venetian blinds setup is a famous 
​ his can be a great contrasting effect adding detail to 
and well used trick for many films. ​ T
your shot. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Chiaroscuro Lighting 
Chiaroscuro​ is an italian term and it ​refers to dark and light lighting​. It mostly refers to 
the​ dark/light contrast​ used in cinema. It was first used in film in 1915 ​while filming ​The 
Warrens of Virginia. 
 
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Rembrandt Lighting 
Rembrandt lighting c​ ould be a​ lighting technique t​ hat's​ ​utilized in​ studio portrait photography. 
It ​is​ achieved u
​ sing​ ​one l​ ight​ and a reflector​, or 2 ​ ​ lights​, and is f​ ashionable​ a ​ s a result of​ ​it's 
capability ​of manufacturing​ ​pictures​ ​that​ ​seem​ e ​ ach​ ​natural and compelling​ with minimum 
equipment​. ​Rembrandt​ lighting​ is c​ haracterised​ by ​associate degree​ w ​ ell-lighted​ triangle 
below​ t​ he attention​ of t​ he topic​ on the less w ​ ell-lit​ ​side​ of the face. ​it's​ named after the Dutch 
painter o ​ ld master​, W​ ho​ ​typically​ used t​ his sort​ of lighting. 

Uplighting 
Uplighting​ is a popular ​lighting effect​ created by strategically p
​ lacing lighting fixtures 
on the floor and pointing them up​. Thus creating the effect of "​up lighting​". U ​ plighting​ is 
a ​very effective way to dramatically improve the ambience of an event space. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Spotlighting 
You can use a flashlight to create this effect, but a powerful spot might be necessary if you 
need more illumination. It c ​ reates focus​ on a certain subject. For example, a character 
hears a sound and goes to investigate with a flashlight. This makes it more ​suspenseful 
and s​ cary​ for the viewer. It is often u
​ sed in horror movies. 

 
 
 
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Film Noir 
Film Noir mostly uses Low key lighting throughout, causing light/dark contrasts and 
dramatic shadow patterns. The shadows of venetial blinds that cast upon a character or a 
subject are now iconic visuals of Film Noir. Characters are obscured by darkness to create a 
rather anonymous and scary scene. In the scenes, they do not use more than three lighting 
techniques: the key light, fill light, and back light. These help to create an outline and 
separate the character from the background. Hard light is used to create harsh shadows, 
where as soft lighting is used to make characters look more glamorous. 

Hard Lighting: 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
In film noir, they usually used ​hard lighting​. This was because the lighting c
​ reates a very 
large and hard shadow w ​ hich can create horror and an anonymous figure for the viewer. 
Fog can also add great effect to a silhouette character. It can illuminate the character and 
cast and eerie glow which can be used in horror films or films based on mystery.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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In this you can clearly see the ​hard shadow​ on the wall. It can c
​ reate a mysterious sense 
as we can not clearly see the character. Shadowy figures are a huge part of film noir, and is 
also a highly used technique in films now. It can create mystery and an anonymous feel to 
a character. This is highly used in horror films and mystery films to create build up.  

Low Key Lighting: 

 
 
 
 
 
 
Low key lighting​ is used to ​create better contrast and shadows​. ​Lowkey lighting​ is 
created by hard lighting t​ o make shadows look better. Usually, low key lighting is used by 
a director if they want to isolate a subject or convey drama. 
This sort of lighting adds a unique lot of mood against the rest of the film. With​ lowkey lighting 
we tend to be able to see these 2 kinds of pictures.​ ​Low key lighting typically involves lots of 
contrast and creates an entirely different mood than high key lighting.  
 
 

Chiaroscuro Lighting: 
Chiaroscuro is an italian word which means light and dark. Chiaroscuro lighting was used in 
paintings and later on then in cinemas. The lighting makes the characters face half lit with 
light. Each director has their own perception of using this technique. For example, some 
can lit half of the characters face and some all of the characters face. Chiaroscuro not only 
creates a sense of depth and volume in paintings but also Films and on scenes. 
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Soft Lighting: 
Soft lighting ​is the​ opposite to hard lighting​. There ​isn't so sharp shadows​ which makes 
the character​ less scary​. This is done by a
​ iming the light around the character​ and not 
on the character. The lighting technique can be used to make the character seem 
important however, also ​very friendly and innocent​ as the l​ ighting creates a warm 
welcoming. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Horror Lighting 
Use of shadows: 
Shadows ​are used in horror films to signify that a certain character is a ​bad c​ haracter or 
that something ​bad i​ s going to happen. ​Shadows c​ an make a character seem m ​ ore 
scarier​ and potentially make a character look scary even before seeing the character.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
In the photo above, the s​ hadow created by the lighting a
​ bove the character creates an 
anonymous​ like character. We can not see the characters e ​ motions or facial expressions 
however, we can view the characters body shape, which shows a ​creepy, skinny, evil like 
figure. 

 
 
 
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Atmospheric effects: 
Atmospheric lighting c​ an often have a big effect on the viewers impression on characters 
and scenes etc. It can be used to reveal certain characters in a more ​sinister w
​ ay, to add 
tension​ and create​ build up​. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
In the photo above taken from a film, you can see the character is being introduced to 
viewers in a rather s​ inister w
​ ay. The bright s​ unlight​ in the background creates a s​ inister 
effect on the character, leaving viewers ​wondering​ who the character is. 
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Up lighting: 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Uplighting i​ s used to make a subject look​ scarier​ and more ​evil t​ o the audience. This is 
made by placing a light underneath the characters face to create s​ hadows​ going upwards. 
This is used in a lot of horror films to create an ​evil s​ cene of a character. 
 

 
 
 
 
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Music Videos 
Lighting to convey mood:  
 

 
M Huncho - Birds 
 
We can see in this music video, the character/rapper is in a balaclava and the lighting is in a 
red coloured tone​. This creates a ​devilish​ and ​sinister​ effect on the viewers. Moreover, 
the character is in a balaclava which can ​connote anger​ and ​violence​ and also m ​ ystery​. 
The music video ‘Birds’ by M Huncho has various different types of lighting techniques. The 
red colour connotes anger and a sense of fierce. The balaclava can back this up too, as the 
balaclava can connote crime and murder. Furthermore, there is spot lighting used to make 
the subject look more clear and visible. Also, to let the viewers know that the subject is 
important.  
 
 
 
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Tory Lanez - Real Addresses  

   
In this music video, backlighting is used. Backlighting helps gives the character more shape 
and depth. Backlighting can bring your character out and away from looking two 
dimensional. As you can see, the character surrounded by the lights from the crowd looks 
more like a silhouette.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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‘212’ by Azelia Banks 
 
In the music video for ‘212’ by Azelia Banks, there is a black and white filter used 
throughout the video. This creates the video to appear as edgy and strides out. The video is 
very plain and simple the whole way through which is why it is an abstract video. 
There is a contrast between her and the wall behind her. This is because she sticks out due 
to the clothing she is wearing and the black and white features. 
 
 
 
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Linkin Park - Numb 

 
This music video uses rather dark lighting connoting the feel of the song. I believe the 
lighting of the videos gives a feel for the song and the screenshot shows this accurately as 
the song is about someone standing out in a world where everything is not fit in with the 
rest of society.