That Perfect Eye Light

[Christopher Lew]

Hi everyone!

 

I was wondering if anyone would be willing to share their techniques on getting eye light for close ups. I've heard the best way is to have a large soft source as far away from the subject as possible so as not to get any spill onto the face. Then again I've seen an image of Wally Pfister on the Dark Knight Rises using what looks like a 1x1 LED panel with a layer of diffusion right next to the lens (during the ballroom dance scene with Anne Hathaway).

 

This would be a perfect example, the thumbnail used for the trailer of this film titled Violet shot by Nicolas Karakatsanis:

 

Edited December 25, 2014 by Christopher Lew

[Adrian Sierkowski]

There's lots of ways to do it-- but you benefit that they eyes are so so reflective.

What I'll sometimes do is build box, maybe 1x1x1 out of foamcore and throw a 25W bulb inside of it often on a dimmer, with 216 over the opening. This will sit either on the camera or right next to it on a small c-stand and can be played as an eye-light.

 

Another option is to take something like a coat-hangar and wrap it in a few christmas lights, and then put that wherever you need. They also make battery powered x mas lights these days. I don't prefer the LED ones though.

 

 

Sometimes too just a good sized piece of paper will work if you're really close in on the eyes.

[Guy Holt]

I've heard the best way is to have a large soft source as far away from the subject as possible so as not to get any spill onto the face.

 

It depends on what effect you are after. For a cold glint in the eye use a small 150/200 fresnel, scrimmed way down, just above the lens to create a point of light. For a warm glow use a large china ball dimmed way down, just above the lens.

 

Guy Holt, Gaffer, ScreenLight & Grip, Lighting sales & rental in Boston.

[David Mullen ASC]

There is no perfect eye light, anything that creates light can create an eye light. If it's too bright so that it is filling in too much, then knock it down. Snooting the light, using an egg crate, etc. can only reduce the spill on the other people in the scene, it won't be enough to light the eyes separately from the face. So short of a tiny projected spotlight on each eyeball, any eye light will act as a fill light, so the only trick is to reduce the level. There isn't a magic light that somehow reflects brighter but fills less.

 

How close the face is to the lens is a factor as well, a small LED on the lens like a Micro LitePanel might be fine if the camera is only three feet or less away but if you are on a long lens and 10 feet away, then it might not be a large enough reflection for you.

 

On "Smash" I started out using the smallest Lowel Rifa as an eye light but I ended up switching to a 1x1 LitePanel for many shots since it didn't need a power cord run to it, it could run off of a battery, so it was quick to throw it in under the lens on a small stand. Plus if I didn't put a snoot on it, it didn't stick out as far as a Rifa. On Steadicam shots, I'd put the Micro LitePanel on the camera.

 

Another factor is CONTRAST. The more contrast there is in the color-correction, the more the shadows are pushed darker, the more the fill will drop off... but the reflection in the eye will remain. This is why eye lights are used more / work so well often in movies that are doing some sort of high-contrast effect like skip-bleach.