Lighting defines a scene just as much as props and subjects. Sometimes it's not enough to set up a camcorder and just tape the scene exactly as you see it.

As videographers, we are frequently asked to create a mood rather than simply record a scene. A client may provide a storyboard that calls for a dramatic interpretation of a common scene or perhaps they may require a segue from a serene outdoor environment to a mysterious narrow hallway. As professional artists, we are expected to deliver unique footage. We can do this in a variety of ways ranging from extreme camera angles, zooming techniques, pans, fades or dozens of other filming and editing techniques. However, there are less obvious and more aesthetic ways to accomplish this; ways not usually considered by average videographers because they require advanced skills, patience and perhaps an eye for details that many have yet to develop. Low-key lighting designs are one good way to do this.

Chiaroscuro - The Shadow World

The term "The Dark Ages" was coined in early 17th century Europe, and represented exactly how the European population of the time felt. It was a time of great frustrations and struggles for a developing European people and from those struggles was born a style of painting called chiaroscuro, made famous by Rembrandt's paintings. The word chiaroscuro is an interesting term because it implies clear (chiaro - Latin for clear) while at the same time says obscurity (obscuro - Latin for obscure). How can one be clear and obscure at the same time? Rembrandt painted common subjects such as classic portraits, people in everyday settings and items like boats and scenery. But Rembrandt's use of low-key lighting designs in illuminating these subjects was anything but common. They were powerful, dramatic paintings filled with intrigue, shadows, dramatic lighting and mystery. Many of his subjects were rendered "obscure" or ambiguous through his effective use of deep shadows. Yet there is never a question of subject matter because there was always enough light to provide "clarity". Over time, this style of low-key lighting became known as Rembrandt Lighting. It is a famous example of a lighting design that uses low-key lighting to add mystery and drama to a work.

Add Drama to your Scene

Everyone loves a good mystery. Tom Cruise as the character Cole Trickle in Days of Thunder was basically a race-car driver. No mystery there, however when you are introduced to this character, there is an is an ambiguous, and intriguing treatment of the scene, not because he's riding a motorcycle but because it's a big, slow, cumbersome Harley. The lighting in this scene is wonderful because all you catch is a glimpse of the character, the headlights of the bike and the long rail of the racetrack. It's that ambiguity, and that mysterious, low-key lighting that makes this scene work. Tony Scott, the director could have chosen a super fast "crotch-rocket" style of bike, especially given the film is all about racing and speed, but he chose to be a bit contrary and unpredictable. That is what great directors do. They choose the less obvious path to tell a story, even if only for a few scenes.

Back to our storyboard, which calls for a more dramatic approach to our videography. Armed with the vigorous convictions of the iconic people mentioned above, we can choose to use low-key lighting instead of just the average lighting one usually encounters in videos. We can be a bit ambiguous in our approach to lighting. That's what low-key lighting is all about: ambiguity, which is a wonderful way to invoke a sense of mystery and intrigue in your audience.