American cinematographer (Jan-Dec 1938)

386 American Cinbmatographer • September, 1938 How to Control Lighting Without as IV dl as Where Sun Is Barred Now that the weatherman again is giving us more enticing opportunities for outdoor filming, home filmers should ask themselves one very important question. Do we or do we not carry with us what we have learned about cinematic lighting, now that the sun, rather than a group of photofloods, supplies the illumination? It is far too easy to make the mistake of thinking that controlled lighting deals only with interior scenes, and to take whatever lighting nature — and chance — offer when filming outdoors. If you will study the exterior scenes in any professional film you will see that the studio cinematographer never does this. Of course, in home films we can rarely employ all the extensive artifices the professional uses for controlling natural light. But by selection and reflection we can do a vast deal to improve the quality of 16mm. and 8mm. exterior scenes. Fundamentally, we have a choice of three basic angles of simple, natural lighting. The first (F'ig. 1) is the familiar flat front-lighting prescribed in the elementary snapshot-camera instructions. The sun behind the camera, shining full into the subject's face. Interesting Variety There are times, especially in Kodachroming, when this is desirable. But for the most pleasing effect in black and white, especially in photographing persons, this flat lighting is generally the least favorable and the least pleasing. Next we have the far more pleasing cross lighting (Fig. 2). In this the light shines across the subject — either directly By WILLIAM STULL, A.S.C. across or at an angle. It gives a highlight side and shadow side, conveying a more natural relief to the picture, and, in the case of a moving subject, interesting variety. This is probably the best all-around simple exterior lighting. Care must of course be taken to expose so that the shadow side receives ample exposure to avoid unnatural, opaque shadows. Finally we have the back lighting (Fig. 3), the effectiveness of which most of us have probably explored already in filming interiors. In this the sun is behind the subject and produces an outlining highlight along one or both sides of the figure, effectively separating figure from background. This is relatively difficult, for the direct rays of the sun must be shielded from striking the glass surfaces of the lens (they would produce flare) and the exposure must be made for the shadowed front of the subject, which often necessitates overexposure in the more strongly illuminated background. Plywood 3 by 2 — or 3 As can be seen, there are definite limitations to what we can do with unaided natural lighting. But it is possible to use reflectors to redirect natural light with almost as much precision as we would direct the light of a photoflood. Reflectors are simple enough to build. All that is necessary is a reasonably large flat surface coated with some material capable of reflecting light. A simple construction is one using a sheet of plywood perhaps three feet long by two or three wide, with a protective frame like a crude picture frame around the edges, partially to protect the reflecting surface. Such reflectors can advantageously be made double, with two units hinged together so that they fold compactly like a book, but open up to a useful spread. The reflecting surfaces can be made in any of .several ways. For the most potent or "hard" reflectors, the surface can simply be covered smoothly with tinfoil, aluminum foil or gold foil. This reflects a definitely strong beam. The silvered reflectors are best for color, while the gold are excellent for use with panchromatic film. For a more diffused reflection, the reflecting surface can be simply sprayed with aluminum paint. This gives a soft, much less intense light which is more pleasing in lighting close shots of faces. It is a good idea to make your reflectors capable of serving double duty, with a "hard" reflecting surface on the front side and a "soft" reflector on the back. Since we rarely have any too much help in amateur picturemaking, reflectors should be made self-supporting. The simplest way to do this is to hinge a pointed stick to the top of the protecting frame, so that it can serve as a prop. This support should be longer than the reflector, so that the reflector can be used conveniently at any angle necessary, from an almost horizontal position to one nearly vertical. A still better idea, and one more in keeping with modem professional technique, is to make an adjustable, L-shaped hinged brace, the bottom element of which is fitted with a screw socket so that the de\ice can be placed on a tripod. This will give a reflected light from a higher angle, striking the subject level, or even from above, and avoiding the unnatural effects of reflection from beneath. But supposing we have reflectors, how shall we use them ? Chasing Shadows To put it in a nutshell, simply use them to illuminate shadow areas which might otherwise be a problem. This does not mean to eliminate shadows, for the interplay of highlight and shadow is what lends attractiveness to any picture. But the reflected light can equalize highlight and shadow illumination to bring them within range of the latitude of film and processing. This is especially vital in color. The most obvious, of course, is a use Figure 1 Figure 2