One-Light Design
For close shots, a single soft source can
deliver satisfactory lighting—especially when
paired with a refl ector for additional fi ll light.
The subject should be close enough to the
a more natural, “unlit” appearance. The key to
this approach is soft light. Spots and broads can
be used if heavily diffused, but large sources,
such as umbrellas or softboxes, are often easier
to work with.
“Rugged” vs. “Glamorous” Lighting
How you position and diffuse your lighting
instruments often depends on whether you wish to
emphasize facial modeling for a so-called “rugged”
look, or whether you prefer to de-emphasize it
for “glamour.”
Rugged lighting exaggerates the planes and
angles of the face and emphasizes skin texture.
To do this:
●
Keep the key light high for more pronounced
shadows.
●
Reduce or omit key light diffusion. The harder
the beam, the more it emphasizes skin and
other textures.
●
Avoid over-filling to retain enough shadows
for pronounced facial sculpting.
Glamorous lighting uses exactly the opposite
approach:
●
Place the key light lower for moderate shadows.
●
Use considerable diffusion (or a softlight) to
minimize skin texture.
●
Add fill light until the shadows are relatively
faint, but avoid over-filling the neck area to
downplay aging skin.
●
Use a generous rim light to accent hair.
The cinematographer contributes to the effect by
using wide angle lens settings for rugged lighting,
and telephoto lens settings for glamour.
Glamorous lighting.
Rugged lighting.
Figure 16-7 Using a basic four-instrument lighting setup.
Naturalism Expressionism Realism Pictorial realism
Chapter 16 Lighting Applications 337