Movie lighting is used to make the camera see the scene the way our eyes would.
Unlike the human eye, video and film cameras need specific lighting to produce an image that looks realistic and believable to the viewer. In order to make movies, lighting has to be considered constantly in every shot. There are essentially two types of lighting and several positional techniques used to light a scene in a movie. While there are many variables involved, the basic concepts of movie lighting remain the same throughout the industry.
Available Light
One of the two types of light available to film crews is commonly called "available light." This simply means that the naturally occurring light on the set will be used to completely or partially light the scene. This is usually sunlight, but the term is also used to refer to any lighting not set up by the crew; streetlights, for example, may be considered available light.
Artificial Light
Artificial light includes any set lighting brought in by a movie production crew. There are many varieties of artificial lighting used on movie sets. Common tungsten bulbs can be used, but often have to be adjusted for color. Photo bulbs of 250 to 500 watts are also common artificial-lighting options. Flicker-free fluorescents, halogen-metal-iodide (HMI) bulbs, and devices known as reflectors (used to bounce natural or artificial light from another source) are also common in the industry.
Key
Types of movie lighting may refer to the position of the light source and its purpose as well. The key light is the main light source used to light a subject in a scene. This light is often placed on the front and side of the key subject, such as the speaking actor in the scene, and is slightly elevated to mimic sunlight, moonlight or indoor lighting. This is typically the most intense light used on the set.
Fill
The fill light is set up on the side opposite from the key light and is a less-intense light. The fill light, as the name would indicate, fills in the spaces where the key light does not reach. This type of lighting softens hard shadows cast by the key light and makes for a more visually appealing image.
Back
The back light is often used on the backside of the key subject and is aimed from above to fill the rear and make a sort of halo effect on the head. This is often used in close-up shots of a person and gives them a warm appearance on screen.
Set
The set light is the one light source not aimed at the key subjects in the scene. This light is often farther back on the set and is used to illuminate the background so that the audience can see the setting well. For example, the set light, or lights, may be set up on a city street scene to light the fronts of buildings along the street in the background so that they appear natural looking on screen. Without this light, the background could be too dark and get lost in the shot.
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