Photography and Lighting

Creepy. Just how does a scene achieve this effect? How can one movie frame send chills down your
spine? What element in a film could cause you to fear that which does not exist in reality? Sometimes, it
is not only what is exposed to the viewers that gives them the goosebumps but also what is not
exposed. Note that this effect goes beyond horror movies. It might be that in certain parts of your
movie, you will be asked to decide if you need to employ tension, stillness, surprise, or mystery. In these
instances, calculate timing and most especially, lighting. Various effects on video can be achieve---even
without using computers---by differing the amount and intensity of light sources and the lighting
arrangement. The importance of lighting in filmmaking cannot be emphasize enough. Your video is your
world now and you are the one giving it light, you are the one with the hand that guides.

Picture Composition
When you photograph friends using your trusty point-and –shoot camera, you are composing images.
When you draw for your art classes you are also composing image. It is instinct cultivated just by looking
at the things around us. Here, we define composition as the putting together of elements in one shot. It
is a discipline that demands creativity, attention to detail, and dedication.

Every shot made should help tell your story. At the same time, it should also please the eyes. For
example, if you shoot a scene in the country side, you have to decide how the elements should be places
----trees, grasses, hills on the horizon, actor, etc.

The rule of thirds

A basic principle in picture composition is the rule of thirds. Imagine that a rectangular frame is divided
by horizontal and vertical lines into thirds. The more important elements in the frame are places on the
four points where the horizontal and vertical intersect.

Many great picture do not necessarily follow the rule of thirds but is a good starting point and it is also
simple enough to remember.

Framing the body and headroom

When framing a person or face, we usually put a little space on top of the head. This is called headroom.

Without headroom, it seems like the top part of the person’s head is cut off meanwhile, too much
headroom makes the composition uninteresting as if a head without a neck is left floating at the bottom
of the frame.

When framing a person’s body, make sure that the frame does not cut the person at the joints, or it
might seem like he/ she does not have arms or legs.
Looking space
Put adequate space in the direction where your subject is looking for example, if your actor is looking at
the right, put more space on the right side of the frame.

Walking space
Put more space in the direction towards where your subject is moving. For example, if a car is moving
towards the left, you should have ample space on the left side of the frame.

Leveling
If you are shooting spaces with a lot horizontal areas (such as landscapes) or object with strong vertical
lines (such as buildings and skyscrapers), make sure that the frame is leveled. Or else the object will look
like it is about to slide down or fall.

Background-foreground relationship
Composition involves emphasizing important details and leaving out unimportant ones. One effective
way to achieve this is by taking note of the relationship between the foreground (objects nearest to the
camera), middle ground, and background (object and areas farthest from the camera).

Your foreground and background should not be of the same color. This way avoids having your
foreground object (e.g, a person wearing a green shirt) from getting lost in the background (e.g., a
landscape with shrubbery and grasses).

Your background should not be too cluttered to avoid overwhelming your subject in the foreground.

Using color creatively

Conscious and creative use of colors can help you tell your stories better. Color can be used to
emphasize certain details or draw the eyes towards an object. An actor wearing a shirt that is sharply
contrasted with the background emphasizes his presence and draws the viewers’ eyes towards his
actions.

Color can also be used achieve certain effects as with intentionally setting the “wrong” color balance ( or
color temperature ) to give the image a desired color cast.

Reframing
Be conscious of your composition even when you subject is moving. For example, if your subject is
facing right, and you give her looking space on the right side of the frame, your composition will not
work well if she suddenly leans forward or turns her head to the left. You need to adjust your framing to
compensate for your subject’s movements.

Note
Once you have already mastered the rules, you can always do some experimentation. You are
encouraged to play with the elements to come up with your own style.
Video Controls
The digital video camera has several features for manipulating images. These are:

Exposure and Brightness

Digital still and video camera have an auto exposure function. That is, your camera’s image sensor
makes some calculations and decides how much light it will allow in. Most of the time, this works well
enough. However, there are certain instances when it well be more effective to manually control the
exposure yourself. For example, if you have a generally bright area and your subject is under a shade,
chances are your auto exposure setting will compensate for the bright areas and leave your subject’s
face pretty dark.

In this case, change your exposure mode to manual and increase the exposure (i.e. , make it brighter).
Just be careful not to make it to bright that the rest of your picture becomes washed out (i.e. ,
overexposed).

Another exposure tool that most digital cameras have is the back light compensation control. This is
particularly useful in instances when your subject is standing in front of a bright area, say a sunny
window. Normally in auto exposure mode, the subject’s face will be very dark. But using the lack light
compensation helps balance the exposure for your subject’s face.

Focus
The auto focus function is sufficient for most shooting conditions. Nevertheless, for special cases, such
as when your subject is behind a net or glass of if you are trying to shoot an object that is constantly in
motion, you may need to adjust the focus manually. Check your camera’s instruction manual on how to
manually focus you camera.

Using manual focus mode gives you greater control over your image. For example, you can choose to
focus on the subject and leave the rest of the elements and leave the rest of the elements in your frame
defocused. This helps emphasize your subject.

White Balance
Different kinds of light give off different colors. However, our eyes and brains are trained so well to
adapt to these different light color situations that a piece of white paper will appear white to us whether
we are outdoor in high sun, in a shaded area, or indoor with household incandescent lightning.

The sensor chip of a camera, on the other hand, does not have this ability. It records light color as it is.
Light in a shaded area would be a bit bluish, while bright sunlight would be bluish white. Household
incandescent bulbs give off an orange color, while fluorescent lamps are greenish.

To make sure that colors are rendered correctly in each light condition, we have to “teach” the camera
to see white as white by setting the white balance.

Most digital cameras have preset white balance options: tungsten (indoor), daylight (outdoor),
fluorescent, cloud, etc. `If, for example, you are standing outside in bright sunshine and your white
balance is in tungsten mode, the video image that will come out would be bluish. In the same way, if
your white balance is in daylight mode and you go inside a house with incandescent lightning, then you
will get images with an orange cast. These are fine if you are trying to achieve certain effects. Generally
speaking, however, images look the best with the correct color balance.
There are some instances when the white balance presets do not work too well. In these cases, you can
manually set your white balance. You will need a white paper or card as a reference point. You theme
“tell” the camera to recognize this piece of paper or card as white. This will help the sensor render the
rest of the scene in the correct color temperature.

Lightning

Light creates images. Without enough light, the most that will come out of your camera are muddy
pools of black.

Natural Light Source

The sun is the best light source you can get. If you plan or shoot with natural light, it is best to shoot
around these times, the sun still below the halfway mark from the horizon to its highest point. This casts
pleasing shadows on most subjects.

During noon, the sun is too high up, casting harsh shadows on faces. You can use reflector to direct
sunlight at your subject’s face to lessen this problem. Reflectors are usually smooth and silvered. You
can make simple reflector by covering a Styrofoam board with a sheet of aluminum. Make sure that you
hold the reflector steady while shooting or it would cause the light on the subject to fluctuate.

Artificial Light Sources

The most accessible artificial light source is the regular household incandescent bulb. Fluorescent lamps
may also be used, although they give off unstable color temperature and may cause your images to shift
colors all time. Regular incandescent bulbs are tungsten-balanced, so adjust your camera’s white
balance to this setting.

Other artificial light sources such as HMIs are made to have the same color temperature as the sun.
They are said to be “daylight-balanced.” However, they are expensive and are used mostly for
professional productions.

Most first-time filmmakers often make the mistake of relying on fluorescent lightning when shooting
indoors. This make you shots look flat and uninteresting. While they are scenes that would call for this
type of lightning, it is better if you find different light sources in your house. Look around for lamps or
trying shooting with candlelight only; this would cast shadows and make your shot more dramatic.

The direction of your light source determines how your subject would appear on the screen. The front
light has light hitting your target from the direction of the camera. Full front lightning is dull since there
are no shadows and texture is minimized.

Full side light produces shadows that are clear across the frame

Back light comes from behind and outlines the subject and sets it apart from the background. If the
background is bright and there is no other light except for the back light, the subject will be in silhouette.
Top light shines light down directly from above the subject. This makes deep shadows in the eye
sockets.
Under lighting has a light source from below the subject and casts shadow upward. This is not used in
normal circumstances as it gives the subject a ghoulish appearance.

How you light the scene determines the atmosphere of your story. You can make your scene seem
bright and merry by using lightning that doesn’t casts too much shadow. On the other hand, if you film is
a suspense-thriller, then you would want as much shadow as possible. It really is up to you as to how
you light your film.

Summary
The rule of the thirds helps in positioning your subject so you will get interesting shots. Other rules
include framing the character with enough body and headroom, balancing the looking and walking
space, and leveling the camera so as not to get a lopsided effect. You should also be able to determine
which object needs emphasis by using colors and the back-ground-foreground relationship. Finally, you
should know how to reframe. The two light sources that you will use are the natural and the artificial. By
controlling the light and manipulating the video controls of your camera, you should be able to arrange
a simple setup for filming