Lighting Research

Three-point Lighting:

This is the most basic lighting set-up which consists of the...

• Key Light - this is the main light used on the subject and it is also the brightest light source for the shot.
• Fill Light - this is a softer light and the purpose of this light is to fill in the shadows created by the key light, preventing them from getting to dark, and lastly the 
• Back Light - this is used to separate the subject from the background. It enhances the sense of depth in the shot. Back-lighting often creates a halo effect around the characters head, particularly the edges.

Low-key lighting:

The low-key lighting gives more of a shadowy effect. This shadow created by the low-key lighting would be most effective and conventional in horror films.]

Four-point lighting:

Four-point lighting is the same as three-point however with the addition of background lighting. The background lighting is used to illuminate the background area of a set.

Top lighting:

Top lighting is another common lighting technique; this is when the upper areas of the subject or character are lit (outlined) by the source generating above it.

Under lighting:

Under lighting is the approach of lighting a subject/character from a point below them. This partially creates a kind-of spooky effect.