Lighting for Cinematography

A Practical guild to the art and craft of lighting for the moving image

By David Landau

Table of Contents

Introduction: No matter how good a camera, good lighting is what sells the picture 

Chapter 1: The Magic of Light – What lighting does and what we can make it do 

Chapter 2: Who and What makes light -  the lighting crew, lighting units and basic electricity

Chapter 3: Lighting the Subject - motivated light source and three point lighting

Chapter  4: Light the shot, not just the subject – more than three lights, three planes of lighting

Chapter 5: Common Practical Lighting set-ups - cross key, chicken coop, china ball, bathrooms 

Chapter 6: Lighting for Movement – subject and camera moves,  hallways, stairways, ambient soft light

Chapter 7: Dealing with Daylight 1 - Shooting Exteriors

Chapter 8: Dealing with Daylight 2 - Working with windows

Chapter 9: Night Light - lighting night exteriors & interiors

Chapter 10: Working with Color - using color for mood, gels

Chapter 11: Light the scene, not just the shot – High Key, Low Key, contrast ratios, exposure choice, Chiaroscuro lighting, Rembrandt lighting and Butterfly lighting

Chapter 12: Special Lighting Considerations & Effects– fire, water, rain, fog, lightning, poor man’s process shot, green screen, product shots

Chapter 13: Lighting Non-fiction - Interview, Corporate, News Magazine, Documentary, Reality  

Chapter 14: Inspiration and Lighting Looks

Appendix 1: Advice from the Field – interviews with cinematographers and gaffers

Appendix 2: Resource – apps, magazines,books, websites, lighting equipment manufacturers