WHY YOUR LIGHTING SUCKS

Name: WHY YOUR LIGHTING SUCKS
Rating: 4.2 (15 reviews)

The Fundamentals of Film Lighting & Lighting with a Purpose

Created byFilmMAKERS Kit

Last updated 3/2022

English

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What you'll learn

Understand how to interpret a script into lighting design
Make lighting decisions based off script purpose and vision
Communicate with your director on lighting desires
Know first actionable steps to start lighting a scene
Understand principles of lighting and not just "techniques"

Course content

5 sections • 14 lectures • 57m total length

Lighting with a Purpose Overview, the fundamentals of lighting0:44
Focus lighting on a clear purpose to shape the audience's feeling from the script and director's vision. Master the lighting process from start to finish, prioritizing intent over equipment.

Lighting With Purpose Introduction1:10
Identify your cinematic purpose to guide lighting choices, script, and director’s vision, ensuring your shot communicates the intended message for your audience.
The Script - it all begins here!2:57
Learn how the script guides lighting and shot flow, translating a written narrative into moving pictures through mood-driven lighting, storyboarding, and scene-by-scene planning.
The Purpose - what are you trying to do?2:10
Identify your purpose for each shot to guide lighting, mood, and audience response across two narrative scripts, with the same location and actress.
The Directors Vision - communicate with the director, your ideas.3:11
Collaborate with the director to align ideas across pre-production to post, shaping mood, lighting, and blocking. Remember the director makes final decisions and focus on one shot per script.

The Lighting Formula Introduction0:30
Learn a step-by-step lighting formula applicable to any scene and budget, and avoid common cinematography mistakes. Grab your camera and tripod, and let's get started.
Camera - trust the monitor not your eyes!2:12
Rely on a good monitor and your camera settings, not eyes, to light the scene. Set 85mm, 24fps, f/2.0, and a 1/16 nd to expose practicals and shape the creep.
Practicals - what lights are you using?2:01
Learn practical lighting as visible on set, from a dimmed basement lamp to a kitchen spotlight, revealing three lighting positions as Laura moves through the scene.
Lights - shape the shadows to fit the mood!3:22
Shape the shadows to fit the mood by balancing ambient natural light with practicals, scrims, and color temperatures—3k, 3200 kelvin, and 5500 kelvin—using edge lighting to define features.

Motivating the Shift Introduction0:51
Start with purpose, then apply lighting techniques to shape mood. Light the same scene with the same dialogue and actress to convey a different mood by turning off the lights.
New Practicals0:39
Open the blinds to enliven the dining room, keep the back-right corner lamp, dim the foreground lamp, and brighten the chandelier to 80 percent with a lamp on opposite side.
New Lights2:50
Create a warm, inviting scene by bouncing light off unbleached muslin and sheets to form a cove of ambient light around the subject, using 5500 kelvin lights.
Conclusion1:23
Light scenes with purpose by aligning with the script and director, set up camera and practicals, shape shadows to fit mood and goal, with 360-degree footage downloads.

Requirements

All you need is a desire to understand the principles of lighting.
Principles are created to fit what ever equipment you currently have access to, be it $50,000 in lighting equipment or just $50 in lighting equipment.

Description

Why Your Lighting Sucks: The Fundamentals of Film Lighting & Lighting with a Purpose, is a course for all levels of experience. Whether you just started, or have been in the industry for decades, there is something for you!

What you will discover in this course will help anyone avoid the common pitfalls many filmmakers fall prey to, who inevitably light scenes poorly. Instead of focusing on every single lighting technique currently available, or the best lighting equipment on the market, your guide, Drew Harris, Director of Photography, will teach you how to "light with a purpose".

It is not about the equipment you do or do not have. This course is about the fundamentals and taking advantage of what is available to you and leveraging those resources. Drew focuses on a principle based learning approach, one that you will be able to apply to any lighting scenario. His techniques will apply not just exclusively to feature films, but documentaries, commercials, or any gig you are currently working on!

With about an hour of total run time, "Why Your Lighting Sucks" can be completed in an afternoon. From concept to completion that was always the intention we had as Drew and our team spent months developing this for you. We wanted it to be impactful, quick and to the point. Drew does not waste your time and jumps right into the heart of becoming better at lighting and ultimately helps you build a better foundation as a filmmaker. Included are short videos taking you step by step through our approach and it also includes all the Behind the Scenes Footage you could hope for. We hope you love what you learn, and look forward to developing more for you!

Who this course is for:

Beginner filmmakers looking to know where to start with lighting
Intermediate filmmakers trying to up their lighting game
Advanced filmmakers looking to learn new processes and ideas

WHY YOUR LIGHTING SUCKS

What you'll learn

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Course content

Introduction1 lecture • 1min

Lighting With Purpose4 lectures • 9min

The Lighting Formula4 lectures • 8min

Motivating the Shift4 lectures • 6min

In-Depth Content1 lecture • 33min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: