3 Point Lighting
3 point lighting is a system of 3 lights used in media productions to create different effects and add emotion to the scene. It involves using 3 different types of lights to illuminate the subject and create different effects. The three methods used are: key light, fill light and back light. This is the base set up of lighting in productions, but you can remove, add or adjust the lights to create your desired effect. Three point lighting adds depth and makes the quality of a video look more professional.
Key Light:
The first step in setting up your 3 point lighting is to set up the key light, this is because it's the brightest of them all and will be the light that illuminates the subject most. This light should be set up on the side of the camera, 20-45 degrees from it, shining towards the subject diagonally. It can be placed on the right or the left side. The shadows created by the key light add depth and makes the subject more three dimensional., which can be an advantage when filming dramatic scenes. The key light is usually twice as bright as the fill light, but by dimming it, you can create darker shadows on the face. The contrast between the key and fill light is 2:1.
Fill light:
The fill light is positioned opposite the key light, decreasing the shadows created by the key light by filling in the dark spaces, making it more even. The fill light is usually 50% less powerful than the key light, otherwise it would overpower the key light and fail to create the even effect of lighting on the subject. To make sure the fill light is less powerful, you can use a less powerful light or move the fill light further away from the subject.
Back light:
The back light is set up above or below the frame, keeping the equipment out of shot, and pointing directly at the back of the subject. The back light creates separation between the subject and the background. This light helps the subject stand out and lessens any distracting features of the background, so the audience focuses on the subject and what emotion they are trying to convey. The back light is positioned behind the subject and illuminates and directs focus on the edges of the subject.
Colour temperature + Kelvin scale:
Colour temperature is something that describes the appearance of light created by a light bulb. This is something that is measured using the kelvin scale, which is measured in degrees from 1000-10,000. For commercial and residential lighting () the kelvin temperatures range from 2000k - 6500k. Colour temperature tells us what atmosphere the light will create before using it, how bright or dim it is.
At the lower end of the kelvin scale the light produced is called warm white, this is with the temperature of 2000k - 3000k and it usually creates a yellow, white appearance.
Temperatures that are on the scale from 3100k and 4500k produce a neutral white, sometimes with a blue tint, referred to as cool white or bright white.
Light bulbs above 4500k on the kelvin scale produce a daylight temperature colour, light bulbs higher than this temperature will give off a blue-white light that closely mimics daylight. This is usually the temperature that most house lights are.
Shooting in Kelvin is essentially using what is known as the white balance. The white balance is a setting built into a dslr camera that you can use so that your images are lit up in a way that is how you would see it, white balance using an equal amount of lights so that it creates an even lit effect on your photos. The built in white balance is not as good as the results you can receive by using the kelvin scale.
