Lighting should be believable and motivated—or at least, that’s what modern filmmaking conventions say. We have already talked a lot about it and how to achieve it. After all, emulating light is a crucial skill for lighting designers. However, how about breaking the rules? What if we want to use unmotivated light deliberately as a storytelling tool? Let’s take a look at some examples that may help us on this mission. Like many other filmmakers, I sincerely believe that all tools should support the story. Of course, lighting is no exception. When it’s motivated, it helps the audience immerse themselves in your created world without being distracted, and we will discuss this below. But what if the distraction is intended or even desperately needed? Motivated versus unmotivated light When we talk about motivated lighting, we mean believable lighting, cohesive lighting, and authentic lighting. In short, film lights that can be justified within the shot. Sometimes, filmmakers use practicals for this purpose: Say, if you want to illuminate the background, you can place a small lamp within the frame to create the illusion that it’s casting the necessary light. In other cases, we rely on common sense. If there is a window in the room and the viewers know about it, they will believe the daylight falling onto the actor’s face from that direction. Of course, natural lighting is the most believable, and we can surely use it as well, but not in all cases. (You can read more about why...
Published By: CineD - Friday, 6 September, 2024