Cinematography: Knowing When and What Not to Light

I've written a few articles about lighting (within and outside of AC) so far and have purposely left this particular topic to write about as a separate article on its own. I believe this to be the single most visually important thing a filmmaker of any sort can, and should, know about cinematography - knowing what NOT to light. The first time I heard of this concept was a few years ago when I saw a quote from professional cinematographer, Jeff Cronenweth (Fight Club, One Hour Photo, Down with Love). I distinctly remember the essence of what Cronenweth said, "What separates the men from the boys is not what they light but what they don't light," more or less.

Within the realm of Cinematography, I had known about the importance of lighting in general but never really thought to pay specific attention to exactly how to light, or what not to light, until now due to a realization after quite a bit of experience. I had always been taught to light, light, light! Looking back on it, it is shocking how many filmmakers don't even think of it or just flat out ignore the fact that over-lighting can visually kill a project. What is it that visually separates a cheesy 70s film, from a modern masterpiece like Saving Private Ryan? Lighting, or lack there of.

As a cinematographer, knowing when not to light something and knowing what not to light can make a world of difference to your project. Amongst many other things, of course, it can take a great part in setting the tone of your film. For example, take a look at at the film The Godfather - According to Wikipedia, The Godfather is known to be third rank on the AFI list of 100 of the best films in American History. Although the film is not necessarily known solely for its visual effect, it is safe to say that the film is visually stunning and sets the exact (if not close) mood of what you would expect for a film consisting of the nature that The Godfather follows. In American society Mafia is generally known for being a very dark, mysterious subject. You never know what could happen to anyone at anytime who takes part in Mafia activity. What better way to portray this by having limited, underexposed, low key lighting? What is even better is that this style stays within the entire series.

Amateur cinematographers don't understand that they need to take the natural light sources of an establishment and only magnify them so it looks presentable and allows room for the camera to have a low ISO grade (or something comparable in the digital world of cinematography) to eliminate unnecessary film or digital grain. What I mean by natural light is not light from outside, but light that comes from obvious locations within an establish - Realistically, the ceiling is a default location for lighting in any normal establishment. When you go into a restaurant, where are the lights placed? If you were to shoot in that restaurant, only add lighting that magnifies and compliments the light sources that are already there.

Not all scenes require backlighting your characters, especially if it doesn't make sense. For example, if the characters in a scene are stuck in a cave and only have fire lit torches, you should take the light that the torch would naturally create and magnify that. This situation would not require a back light unless there is more than one torch and the torch is placed behind the character you are filming. This scene would also not require any excessive ambient lighting on the walls, unless there are more than two or three torches, due to the fact that a torch can only light a small area at a time. Another example is if your characters are in a secluded room that only has one overhead light source. It doesn't make sense to have a backlight, or even a mai light at an angle where there is no possibility for another light source. Keep this in mind.

There is a separate formula in cinematography that every filmmaker or cinematographer should always follow - Knowing when you are "over-doing it" as well as deciding if "over-doing it" is good or bad for your project and individual scene. This goes for both excessively lighting and excessively NOT lighting. If the subject of your film is a love story with incredibly dark attributes, extremely horrifying situations, and follows a philosophy that would make Adolf Hitler look like an angel... It is generally safe to assume that high key, bright, colorful, fruity/fluffy lighting would not be appropriate.

However, you can also compare this idea to the idea you get as to what separates a good chef from a bad one. Would you rather have a dish that is over seasoned, under seasoned or perfectly seasoned? Would you rather have something over cooked, under cooked, or perfectly cooked? As you can see these are somewhat relative questions. What someone may think is over seasoned you may view as perfectly seasoned and what someone may think is perfectly seasoned you may view as under seasoned. This is where the real craft comes into play. Having the ability to distinguish, on a general level, what is "too much" (whether over-lighting or under-lighting) depending on the nature of your project and individual scene. This is what develops a conscious, unconscious, and subconscious mental style of cinematography.

These are all circumstances that every professional cinematographer faces in every project they involve themselves in. There is a right and a wrong answer, there is a correct formula, but what "they" don't tell you is that the answer is relative. It is purely up to you, as the creator, to follow the simple principles to decide what is logically best for the cinematography of your project and what will be visually acceptable to the human psyche.