Back Light Diagram

This is a diagram which I created using paint. This is a diagram showing the use of back lighting when recording a music video. The purpose of using back lighting is the process of illuminating the object from the back. This causes the edges of the subject to glow, whilst the others remain darker. Back lighting helps to provide separation between the subject and its background, therefore this is used a lot in the theatre.

The back light is often referred to as the hair or shoulder light. This is because normally when a back light is being used, it enhances on the actor, flourishing the edges of his/her hair to glow if they have fuzzy hair. This produces an angelic halo effect round their head, which indicates them being 'good' and 'pure'.

The Key light is the brightest light used out of all three lights used in the process. It is placed at a 45 degree angle towards the camera, making it the primary light source. The purpose of the key light is to highlight the form and dimension of the subject. Key lighting can either produce high key lighting, or low key lighting, which ranges from harsh light to soft light.

The Fill light on the other hand is the secondary light source used, having 50-75% less power than the Key Light. The Fill light is used to decrease contrast and to add more details onto the dark areas of an image. The fill light is often softer and by definition, less intense than the Key light.

The camera should be located and positioned about eye level to the actor/actress. This is to make sure that the shot is taken accurately, and the lights don't cause shadows on the wrong places of the actor/actress' body. For example, if the key light is focused under a 30 degree angle, this may cause the nose to cast a shadow on the upper lip, therefore if the actor/actress' may lip sing, this will be unclear, as the shot will not be illuminated enough by the lighting.