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We're not supposed to notice it.
But the lighting of a character has a massive effect on how we perceive them.
Great lighting can reflect the critical beats of a scene
and a character's state of mind.
Today, we will utilize one of the most important lighting concepts of all.
The Fill Light.
Join us as we fill in the gap.
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Let's look at the building blocks of lighting.
Key and fill lights.
Exposure is established with a combination of a key light and a fill light.
The key light is the main light source in the scene.
And the fill light counters the shadows cast by the key light
literally filling exposure into the shadows.
Fill lights are usually placed at a complementary angle to the key light
to increase or decrease the contrast of the lighting.
A fill can be strong enough to virtually eliminate shadows
which creates a low contrast look.
Or a fill light can be nearly non-existent
to create dramatic contrast.
So when considering how to appropriately and effectively use a fill light,
there are three aspects to consider.
Motivation.
Angle.
And ratio.
Motivation.
Where's the light coming from?
In this scene,
the brightest elements in the frame are these practicals.
This is a motivated source of light.
So the key wraps James in warm light.
The DP establishes the motivated source.
Then they'll determine the angle of the light.
Angle is the geometric relationship of key to fill light.
The traditional angle to introduce a key light
is on the subject smart side
favored away from the camera.
As a result, fill light is introduced on the dumb side
as this is where the shadow from the key will fall.
Once a source in exposure is set
ratio comes into play.
How much fill should be used?
The intensity of the fill
relative to the key light
determines the contrast ratio.
And this is this ratio
that makes the fill light so vital
to the overall lighting scheme.
In this master, the smart side key light
establishes a dramatic contrast ratio,
because the foreground fill is barely existent.
But in this scene,
the fill side exposure has increased
establishing a low contrast ratio.
So the fill light is often taken for granted,
but you can see how massively important it really is to set the mood.
Remember, the key light establishes the direction
and exposure of the motivated source.
The fill then determines the depth of the shadows
created by the key.
Keying the subject from the smart side
and filling them from the dumb side
offers the highest potential for depth in the image.
What are some of your favorite films from a lighting perspective?
Fill us in in the comments.
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