Cinematic Elements: Lighting

Lighting is important in movies, because it helps an audience see actors, see action, understand setting, and can draw attention to props and costumes and other important parts of a scene. There are two basic lighting techniques that are used in film making: high-key lighting and low-key lighting, each with a distinct style and purpose.

The differences are outlined below, and if you’d like to take a closer look, Josh Noel from Shutterstock takes you through both styles in this 3 minute video on Premium Beat.

High-Key Lighting

High-key looks like:

has reduced contrast between dark and light
no, or few, shadows
even tone/lighting across the screen

High-key is used to:

show characters clearly without secrets, ambiguity, or misunderstanding
allow the viewer to focus on the whole screen, actors and action
imply openness

Low-Key Lighting

Low-key looks like:

high contrast between dark and light
some, or many, shadows
creates pockets of visible and non visible areas on the screen

Low-key is used to:

show ambiguity, duality, or secretive aspects of a character
guide the viewer into a point of view or an area of focus
creates tension, confusion, or an overall darker tone