Planning: Lighting and colour

Lighting and Colour

What is lighting and colour?

Lighting and colour is an important part of video production. This is because different lightings and colour setups have different meanings depending on the scene. Lighting can be used to convey unique and/or relatable moods and atmosphere. This depends on the type lighting. Colour can be used as a way to help support or create deeper meanings to a scene through connotations and interpretations.  

Lighting

Different angles of lighting

Under Lighting - The lighting is coming from below the person. This is mostly used when the portraying a character is dark, evil or scheming something. Under lighting gives a distorting effect on the character. This type of lighting is used mostly on Antagonists.

Top-Lighting - The Lighting is coming from above the person. This type of lighting is used highlighting the features of a character creating a glamorous look, and mostly on used characters that have good intentions or in heroic scenes, therefore it's used mostly on protagonists.

Back-Lighting - The light source for backlighting is usually behind a person. Not much light is used for backlighting since they make silhouettes on the character this is useful when you only want to see a shadow of a character.

Types of Lighting

Low Key - The lighting is dark with small areas of light which also creates a shadow.

Low key lighting is when there is low lighting in some small areas in others areas there isn’t any. With this type of lighting

High Key - High key lighting appears more natural and realistic to our eyes, therefore, the lighting effect is heightened

The lighting used in music videos from the first day to now has changed and lighting has widely become a common element of music videos. Natural lighting, such as from the sky, street lights when its dark, cars driving by and even the sunlight, are drawn upon for assistance in a music video, with no extra effects or authentic lighting used as they have the ability to have as much impact as authentic lighting. High key lighting is the most conventional as directors use it to retract from the negativity; darker lighting brings to a music video. Backlighting is commonly used in indie genre music videos.

Conventional colour in music videos

The main issue with a mainstream music video is that different genres use different types of lighting and colour to convey different effect and feeling in the music video. Colours play a key role in the music video, for example, Rock bands or heavy metal are unlikely to wear bright colours. And would wear dark colour and surreal colour mixes. Pop music videos usually use brighter colours in their music video.

Conclusion

For the final music video. Our group must come up with a decision on what type of lighting will be using. As a group, we decided that we should use natural lighting and top lighting to carve an angelic silhouette out of the main character rather than record it outside with the weather not being reliable enough, as a sunny day would be a most preferable time to record our music video. After carefully looking at other hip-hop music videos with an upbeat tempo, rhythmic groove and innocent vibe, which is primarily what my group has gone for, it is safe to say that they have acquired the director to film with brighter colours, and conventional lighting for hip-hop, which are commonly the primary colours on the colour wheel.