3D Lighting - Dimension, Depth, Drama
by C. Andrew Dunning
Originally published in the May 2001 issue of Technologies for Worship magazine.
Lighting can be used to add visual dimension to your services, productions, and special events. By "adding dimension" I mean two different but related things: 1) Enhancing the 3-dimensionality of the subjects you are lighting - your pastor, a soloist, or an actor in a dramatic piece; and 2) adding visual interest to what you want your congregation/audience to be watching - more to do with lighting the surfaces surrounding your subjects. This is not intended to be a "First you do this, then you do this..." sort of article. These concepts can be used together or one-at-a-time, depending on your needs, your budget, space constraints, and available equipment. All of these things are appropriate for both live and televised/taped productions.
Enhancing the 3-dimensionality of your subjects
Something that is often taken for granted and then forgotten is that most of the subjects that we light are 3-dimensional. They are not flat, cardboard cut-outs. Using lighting, there are three basic ways to encourage this dimensionality (my college Lighting 101 professor called "revelation of form.") Though these things have probably been discussed in past articles of this magazine, here is a quick summary:
1) Front light from multiple angles.
Your best starting point here is 45 degrees up from the horizontal and 45 degrees off of each side of straight-ahead. By varying the intensities of the light sources, you can further improve the modeling of your subject.
2) Add back-light.
This lights
the shoulders and hair, enhancing a subject's depth. This also helps to
separate an object from a background - especially if the background is dark
and the person has dark hair. A single source is great, but multiple fixtures
at multiple angles mimicking the front light angles are even better.
3) Add color.
Used properly, color can both give life and can further enhance 3-dimensionality. Try different colors from the various angles mentioned above. Though you can push the "color limits" for dramatic productions, it is safer to start with slight tints if you're lighting worship services. Your safest bet is trying a bastard amber, such as Lee 162 or Roscolux 05 from one side and a pink, such as Roscolux 333, from the other.
If you
are lighting for video, remember a few things:
1) Use lower front-light angles.
The higher
angles can create shadows that look bad on camera. Don't go too low, though.
That will put you back to flat-looking subjects.
2) Be careful with the use of color.
Most video directors will prefer that you provide "white." Though some may like the different colors, even the slightly different color produced by a dimmed fixture compared to one at full can be troublesome to some video directors.
Adding visual interest
You can
also use lighting to add visual interest to what you want your congregation/audience
to be watching. Back to Lighting 101, this is called "composition." In rock'n'roll,
the most common way that this is done is by creating light beams in smoke.
Since most churches tend to frown on that in Sunday morning services (and
because as an effect it is pretty limiting), you'll probably want to consider
using lighting to change the back-grounds of your subjects. Even a simple
brick wall or a white cyc can be made into something that visually complements
your subject and adds depth visually. If your room has a balcony or if your
video ministry uses high camera shots, a background can also include the
stage floor. Not only can lighting a background make things more visually
interesting, but it can also dramatically add to the 3-D enhancement that
I was discussing earlier.
Also a factor of the "revelation of form" that we discussed above, the first thing is to avoid having subjects placed too close to backgrounds. Subjects too close to backgrounds tend to blend in visually with their backgrounds. This also makes getting good back-light angles and lighting the backgrounds more difficult.
Time to experiment. Here are some things to try:
-Color washes.
Try using
cyc lights to make an entire surface a given color. Some intelligent wash
fixtures, such as Studio Colors or MAC 600s, can also be quite effective
at doing this. You can also try using the same fixtures to turn different
parts of the surface different colors at the same time. A really neat trick
is to have cues written that slowly change these colors over time. A combination
of intelligent fixtures and a console such as a WholeHog can even allow
you to create single cues with multiple, randomly changing colors.
A variation on color washes is to use hard-edge fixtures, such as ellipsoidals, Cyberlights, Studio Colors, or MAC 500s to create overlapping circles of light on surfaces. Not as subtle as using wash fixtures, but effective non-the-less.
-Color streaks.
Place PARs on floor bases spaced-out along your upstage wall, simply shining straight up at it. Though simple white light can be incredibly effective, you can also try different colors. You can angle the focus, creating fans or Xs. Give other types of fixtures a try to vary this look.
-Patterns.
Also called
"cookies," "templates," or "gobos," these are used in hard-edge fixtures.
There are hundreds of patterns available, including leaves, clouds, water,
crosses, abstract designs, windows, etc. They can be used to help to define
a location (such as a forest or subway) in a dramatic piece or to add texture
(often called "break-ups) to otherwise blank surfaces.
In their
most basic form, they are simply etched stainless-steel disks or sheets.
They can also be made from brass or glass and can be black-and-white or
full-color. Catalogs of stock patterns are available from Apollo, Rosco,
Lee, and GAM. You can also have custom patterns, such as logos, made for
special events. I have even made my own patterns out of disposable cooking
pans.
There
are uncountable ways to use them. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
1) change
the focus direction - straight-on or off-axis (key-stoned).
2) try
different edge-focus settings - sharp-edged or out-of-focus. Some patterns
actually work better slightly out-of-focus. If you're using fixtures that
have the capability to change focus remotely, try writing cues to slowly
sharpen or undefine the edges. Again, a console such as a WholeHog can even
allow you to create single cues with randomly changing focus.
3) focus
them to be separate or overlap the images
4) try
them static or spinning - either by using add-on devices such as the GAM
TwinSpin or by using fixtures with the feature built-in.
5) try
using multiple gobos in single fixtures to create new patterns. Some of
the current intelligent fixtures even will allow you to use multiple gobos,
spinning in different directions and at different speeds AND, on top of
that, prisms. Applying a "focus-changing" effect in your cueing can allow
you to create pretty amazing "morphing" looks.
The thing
to remember as you experiment with different backgrounds is that your intent
is not to let the lighting become the visual center-point. It is VERY easy
to cross that line. Backgrounds that are too bright, too colorful, or too
busy can quickly overtake the real center-point. SUBTLE is the key here.
For example, if you're making background color and/or gobo focus changes
during a sermon, make them VERY slowly.
Again remembering video, keep in mind that keeping a background lit properly can be visual life-or-death on-camera. Not lit, the background can disappear or appear to be muddy, resulting in a boring or unpleasing image. Too bright or too busy, and your subject will appear to be too dim, or as I mentioned above, will be overpowered and may go unnoticed.
I have given you just a few ideas of how to use lighting to add dimension. Now, go and experiment. Use my suggestions as a starting-point. Discover for yourself how to enhance the 3-dimensionality of the people you are lighting and how to add visual interest to what you want your audience to be watching.