Figure 1-5.
9. Four-point lighting.
Although three-point lighting yields a very good
result, it is somewhat restrictive if more than one camera angle is desired.
Therefore, an alternative lighting technique, known as four-point lighting, is
also used.
Four-point lighting uses four spotlights (fig 1-6).
The
illumination from these lights should strike the object being lighted at
approximately a 45-degree angle from above.
a. Along with allowing greater camera angles, the four-point lighting
technique is simpler to set up than three-point lighting.
However, the
illumination from four-point lighting is very flat (low contrast ratio).
b. The lighting ratio for four-point lighting is 1:1 for all the lights
used. This means that all the lights are illuminating at the same intensity.
10. Methods of eliminating shadows.
a. Regardless of how well you light or which lighting principle you use,
shadows are going to be cast on areas of the set.
Usually, with careful
planning and lighting adjustment, these shadows will fall in areas that the
camera will not "see"; that is, areas of the set that we, as the production
crew, will not use as part of the "on camera" shot. Furthermore, when lighting
a set, additional background lighting must be added to illuminate the remaining
parts of the scene that do not require three- or four-point lighting; i.e., the
flats, props, etc. By adding this background light, the shadows cast by other
lighting instruments are diluted to the point where they are no longer a
problem.
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