IAN MURRAY: THE PORTRAIT, HARD/SOFT KEY LIGHT (PART 1)

IAN MURRAY: THE PORTRAIT, HARD/SOFT KEY LIGHT (PART 1)

A lighting tutorial by Ian Murray, Cinematographer, based in the UK.

Learn more about hard and soft key light and its effects.

Understanding the difference between hard and soft light; how to distinguish between hard and soft light and how to evaluate hard and soft light; the characteristics these different types of light bring to the image.

The primary goal of this video is to introduce some of the principals of cinematography through the act of portrait lighting, or the act of lighting the face. We will show practically how this is achieved.

“We often look to nature for lighting inspiration. As cinematographers our job is to notice the light that inspires us and to be able to recreate it. The tools I’m showing you here allow you to evaluate the light and better understand the physics of it and, in turn, how to apply it to cinematography."

“We start seeing light. It’s really very craftsman light. What you do is you just start studying the subject and in that process of studying it you become more sensitive to it and by being more sensitive to it you can start manipulating it in ways that you’re aware of that other people aren’t. But what happens with studying light from a photography point of view, a cinematography point of view - is your relationship with it changes a little bit, you become more intimately involved with it. And that’s what I realised is that the beauty of this process is you start seeing light…”

Ian Murray, Cinematographer

Lights used for this tutorial:
DLH1000SPLUS, 1kW tungsten soft light with Panaura5 soft box
DLED4-BI, 40W focusing bicolor LED light head (with mini soft box)
White, silver and soft-gold reflectors
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18th
May 2020

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