Supplement Category: Lighting II
Sustainable film lighting solutions: Light the set, not the planet
In an era where storytelling must align with sustainability, film and television productions are embracing technologies that don’t just light the set – but also lighten the environmental load. Sunbelt Rentals, one of the UK’s leading suppliers of sustainable lighting and power solutions for the screen industries, is at the forefront of this movement. From … Read more
Massive animated lighting
A thrilling live-action remake of How to Train Your Dragon used cutting-edge lighting and motion rigs to recreate the exhilarating sensation of flight. The 2003 animated feature How to Train Your Dragon soared thanks to the cinematic rendering of the story’s Viking world and the exhilarating scenes of dragons plummeting and rocketing throw the sky. Universal Pictures’ … Read more
From amps to action
Showrunnr and Set Logic are transforming the equipment planning process with a solution offering department heads a smarter way to manage kit. Configuring production equipment orders correctly, tracking changes, and securing accurate quotes was never simple — and it’s only grown harder as equipment grows more complex and budgets compress. Relying on static, isolated tools … Read more
Lighting the past with a future-focused eye
Cinematographer Alasdair Walker and gaffers Scott Napier and Ross Grainger reflect on the evolution of lighting technology across eight seasons of Outlander and now its prequel spinoff, Outlander: Blood of My Blood. As prequel series Outlander: Blood of My Blood premieres on MGM+ in the UK, its richly atmospheric look illuminates both a new chapter … Read more
Illuminating Paris: A gaffer’s vision with Nanlux
Sidney Baucheron’s lighting expertise illuminated high-fashion runway and iconic campaigns, blending precision and creativity to transform every set into a work of art. From a young age, Sidney Baucheron was immersed in the language of light. The son of seasoned gaffer Thierry Baucheron, Sidney spent his formative years navigating film sets and equipment rooms, absorbing … Read more
Lighting the future
GODOX IS REDEFINING CINEMATIC LIGHTING FOR A NEW GENERATION Godox is reshaping expectations in professional film lighting by delivering high-output solutions with significantly lower power consumption. As energy efficiency becomes a key consideration for cinematographers worldwide, Godox is pushing the boundaries of what’s possible with high-output, low-draw lighting solutions. The developer has more than three … Read more
VP in the heart of Soho
Film Soho’s new V Studio leverages the Mimik IBL system to help filmmakers create the most cinematic images possible. Film Soho recently launched the V Studio, a purpose-built virtual production stage designed to meet the evolving demands of modern filmmakers — particularly those seeking a high degree of visual control, flexibility, and realism. Positioned at … Read more
Reproduce natural white light with groundbreaking LED
The BLAIR light engine enhances the colours of naturally fluorescing materials, resulting in an image that more accurately matches real daylight and tungsten sources. LED lights are becoming the go-to choice for filmmakers thanks to their efficiency, colour accuracy, and versatility but they bring unintended consequences including forced colour choices and a loss of direct … Read more
Lighting by example
FOLLOW THE BEAR With Erik Wilson BSC behind the camera, gaffer Andy Lowe reveals how he blended traditional techniques with innovative on-set stand-ins to seamlessly integrate VFX and live-action in Paddington in Peru. When shooting a live-action film featuring a fully computer-generated character like Paddington, the approach to lighting doesn’t change as drastically as one might … Read more
Training
LIGHTING THE WAY Helping to provide opportunities for aspiring filmmakers in the camera department for over a decade, First Steps Cinematography has now turned its attention to lighting. Founder Fabian Wagner ASC BSC and mentee Ibiwunmi Balogun explain why they’re pushing for a new status quo in the typically male-dominated sphere. It’s no secret that … Read more
Image-based lighting
LIGHTING WITH IMAGES Any light with more than one pixel – from the two zones of a SkyPanel, to the high resolution of an LED wall – can potentially be driven by a video source to create an authentic lighting effect. “Highly sensitive digital sensors and RGB LED fixtures have already given us enormous freedom, … Read more
Lighting different skin tones
SKIN-DEEP Lighting a human face is at the core of a DP’s work, but diverse skin tones require diverse techniques to bring out their best. “Lighting for different skin tones isn’t about increasing or decreasing light in 2025, because we aren’t shooting on 100 speed EXR stock,” says Tommy Maddox-Upshaw ASC. “You truly need to … Read more
Sustainable lighting
A LIGHT FOOTPRINT The transition to LED fixtures is a done deal, but there is much more to be done to make lighting truly sustainable. “I think the next step in making lighting more sustainable is continuing to push the development of powerful hard-light LED sources – especially those that can truly compete with sunlight,” … Read more
Horror lighting
TECHNIQUES TO CREATE TERROR Provoking the audience to quake in their seats dates all the way back to the Lumières’ L’Arrivée d’un train en gare de La Ciotat. Stories of viewers leaping aside as the train approaches may be apocryphal, but the idea of making audiences jump is almost as old as cinema. Cinematographer … Read more
Natural light
NATURAL BEAUTY The film industry’s desire for attractive light is part of the reason southern California attracted filmmakers in the first place. Ever since, they have sought ways to conveniently simulate natural illumination – but for both technical and artistic reasons, the sun has often remained the filmmaker’s favourite key light. John Christian Rosenlund FNF … Read more
Moving lights
MOVING HEADS, MOVING IMAGES Although designed for the live events industry, moving heads can and have been used for screen work, with creative opportunities and caveats in equal measure. Ed Wild BSC used movers for a moonlit attack scene in a 0.5×0.5km harbour for Guy Ritchie’s The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare. “We had a couple … Read more
Comms
COMMUNICATION IS KEY Filmmaking has often been called a team sport. Finding the right balance between keeping a crew informed and herding cats, meanwhile, involves a compromise that technology has long helped to mitigate. Gaffer David Sinfield prefers, in any event, to talk rather than email. “In any job, there’s a million emails shared between … Read more
Underwater lighting
JUST ADD WATER Filming underwater demands specialist cinematographers. Here, top professionals share insights on how to light the depths for compelling and controlled images. Lighting underwater is a distinct craft that requires more than simply adapting land-based practices. From light loss and colour shift to bubbles, murkiness and safety, every underwater scene presents a unique … Read more
Backlight
BACK TO BASICS It perhaps took the 1950s work of John Alton to legitimise a kind of cinematography that prioritises shapes more than faces. That brand of hard-lit film noir has relaxed considerably during the intervening decades, but the idea of illuminating the far side of the subject has long remained a lighting fundamental. “You … Read more
Reflective lighting
TIME FOR REFLECTION At one time, reflectors might have seemed like a straightforward field, with innovation mostly limited to a better class of polyboard clamp. Gaffer Carolina Schmidtholstein has watched the field advance to the point where sufficiently clever setups can avoid the need for lifting machines. “When I came to England it was 1999,” … Read more