How to achieve lighting like this

Joe Riggs · March 20, 2009

I am trying to achieve similar lighting style for the following

http://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu357/joeriggs/1.jpg

timHealy · March 20, 2009

doesn't look too hard.

Something large and soft key light coming from camera right ( I would guess a bounce), a smallish, soft, but not too bright backlight, and something soft and bluish (maybe a bounce again), coming through the window. A few ways to accomplish this.

Have I been vague enough?

Best

Tim

timHealy · March 20, 2009

Sorry tried to edit unsuccessfully:

doesn't look too hard.

For the first: Something large and soft key light coming from camera right ( I would guess a bounce), a smallish, soft, but not too bright backlight, and something soft and bluish (maybe a bounce again), coming through the window. A few ways to accomplish this. This is a more contemporary method.

The second is an older method and uses hard light to hit your actors. Maybe the 60's.

The third looks more recent but there seems to be a light hitting the background with a window pattern. But she doesn't seem to be all that far away from the wall and it is hitting the actress too. I would pull the actress away from the wall and light her seperately from the wall.

The still you provide in the link seems like you used a wide angle lens compared to at least the first one. I would use the long end of the lens and pull the camera back away from your actors.

Best

Tim

Joe Riggs · March 20, 2009

This post was accidentally cut off, it should read:

I am trying to achieve a similar lighting style for the following setups "in my original post". I know there is a significant difference in the color palate, quality of the light, etc... Eventually, I'll have to settle on a lighting style, since they all take place in the same room.

There is a chandelier in the middle of the room, and I'm using that for motivation for the key light. I have a 2k broad, a couple 1k's and a few 650 Fesnels. I am not sure how these great images were lit, but below is what my untrained eye came up with, in order to try emulate them for my shoot.

#1. 2K through a silk, 650 blue gel backlighting.

#2. Same 2k through a silk, 650 fresnel at the fireplace, with a flag cutting it.

#3. 2k shooting through a window pane or other object. Do I need two lights one for the subject, one for the wall?

#4. No reference for this one, I would like a strong beam to back light the man speaking. 650 fresnel through Hazer for the beam highlighting the speaker. 2k far back, front lighting the actor and back lighting the audience.

Any ideas or suggestions are greatly appreciated, thank you.

David Mullen ASC · March 20, 2009

The second and third frames were from "Black Narcissus" (1947), which won the Oscar for Best Cinematography for Jack Cardiff.

The first was from "Far From Heaven" (2002), Todd Hayne's homage to Douglas Sirk melodramas.

Here are some more frames from "Black Narcissus":

Ralph Keyser · March 20, 2009

Wow.

David, I don't know how you do it, but thank you.

There's another must-see movie for my list.

May I ask the source of the still frames from "Black Nacissus"?

David Mullen ASC · March 20, 2009

May I ask the source of the still frames from "Black Nacissus"?

I grabbed them off of the DVD

Freya Black · March 20, 2009

Wow.
David, I don't know how you do it, but thank you.

There's another must-see movie for my list.

May I ask the source of the still frames from "Black Nacissus"?

Also check out "The Red Shoes" which is also completely amazing and here in the UK is much easier to get hold of and is actually a super cheap DVD. I bought mine new for like £2 or £3!

Both amazing they really ought to make a box set with A Matter of Life and Death on it too so you can get all 3 cardiff/archers films at once or failing that at least the red shoes black narcissus and Tales of Hoffman but AFAIK there isn't.

love

Freya