Obligation Of The Music Lighting Camera Operator

A cinematographer is a master of lighting. He knows where the light is coming from, how intense it needs to be and what mood it creates. He works very closely with the director and the gaffer to create the perfect balance of light. A few things a cinematographer considers when setting up lights are movement, placement, intensity and color. Here is how they work:

Movement: Movement of light can create lots of different moods. A party scene or dance club would require a lot of movement and color. If a lot of movement is required for a scene, the more prominent a light will become so it stands out more, otherwise it won’t be seen as well and it won’t portray the effect that is trying to be created. If less movement is needed, maybe the scene has something to do with a light flickering in a dingy basement or simply the sun is going down. It’s also easy to recreate paparazzi taking pictures by having a bunch of flashes go off all around the frame. A good way to discover new lighting movements is to play with it and see how it makes you feel-what moods it unveils.

Placement: The placement of lights is very important because any wrong placement and light leaking out of any cracks can create a whole new effect and destroy the one you’re trying to create. Light coming from places it shouldn’t looks fake and unbelievable. The best way to deal with light placement is to just intensify the practical lights (meaning those that are seen in a house)-putting the lights already given at a location on a dimmer control can do this. Think about where lights are normally seen and how bright they are when you’re out looking around and this will help you understand light better and recreate believable situations.

Using more lights makes things brighter and creates a happier mood. Therefore, villains normally are lit less and heroes are lit more to portray the darker and the lighter moods. Heroes will not be lit from underneath as much as they will from the front, back and side, using more lights. Their faces will be better lit so you can see their eyes better.

Intensity: Light intensity can make things look different and hide objects and even wrinkles in shadows. I once had an actress ask me to turn the light down a little because she thought she looked better in the lower lighting-and she was right-it took away some of her wrinkles and made her look a little younger and thinner. It was after this encounter that this lesson stuck with me. Just like black clothes give you the illusion of looking thinner, less light also makes you look thinner and younger. If you notice, in films you will see that antagonists are shown in darker lighting because shadowy figures represent someone evil or unapproachable to people. Protagonists are better lit and you can see more of their face because someone who’s eyes you can fully see seems more trustworthy and approachable.

Intensity can also be used to represent times of the day. Obviously it’s not going to be bright outside at 10PM, so you’ll need to use dimmer lights and add some color to them. A scene with a romantic dinner would use dimmer lights as opposed to a reenactment of a football game at night. Each scene calls for a realistic intensity of light and your job as a cameraman or cinematographer is to find that realistic balance. A good idea is to take note of the light around you in every day situations-see how intense the light is, where it’s coming from and what color it emits. This will help you create more realistic lighting situations in the movies you make.

Color: Light color is fun to play with but can also be challenging because it can change the way a character’s skin tone looks and can mess with the white balance on your camera. A cameraman must know how to properly white balance a camera to every color temperature without losing an actor’s proper skin tone. Light color can also determine the time of day, as daylight is bluer and indoor lights tend to be more orange or “tungsten,” as we call it in the film industry. Color can also be used to portray sunsets, sunrises and can be used for schemes throughout the film. Perhaps a character’s light tends to have more of a certain color in it every time they appear on the screen because color also represents how we feel about people and can evoke certain feelings.

When all these concepts are learned and mastered, they come together to create a masterpiece and can be used and manipulated in every project you shoot to invent a different, unique look. With all these concepts and a touch of your personal creativity, the possibilities of painting with light are endless!

Thrilling work of the music video camera person at Mark Cella‘s site.