Before We Dive In…
Join 2,600+ creatives transforming their brand storytelling, marketing, and content systems.
Enter your email below and I’ll send you a Best Shot List Template to go from chaos to clarity and take back control.
What does “cinematic” mean anyway?
Is it the framing, the lighting, the emulation of film, all of the above? Merriam Webster defines it as “relating to, suggestive of, or suitable for motion pictures or the filming of motion pictures cinematic principles and techniques cinematic special effects”.
Blah blah blah.
I have distilled the definition to a simple formula:
A frame of a film can be considered “cinematic” when all elements used in the process of creating this image were intentionally chosen and deliberately implemented in service of the story.
A cinematic frame = intentional decisions * ( story + character + desire + conflict + cinematography + lighting + art direction + location + vfx + music + sfx )
In other words, every decision made by the filmmaker has a clear purpose.
Whenever I approach a scene thinking about the way that I want to light it, I always remember the acronym L.I.G.H.T.
Look. Isolate. Gear. Hone in. Tinker & Test.
Step 1 – Look
The very first thing you should always do when you arrive on location is to assess your environment. Look at the current lighting situation. Are you indoors or outdoors? Is the sun going to be high or low during the time that you’re shooting this particular scene?
What is the color temperature and light output of the lights that are already in the space? Can you control them or flag them off if needed?
It’s important to pay attention to what the natural light (and existing artificial light) is doing to your surroundings before you start to bring in your film lights.
Step 2 – Isolate
Now comes the time to start bringing in some of your grip gear. What existing lights (that you don’t have control over) do you need to flag off?
Are there windows that will compete with the lighting you’re looking to achieve? It’s time isolate, block, and flag off any spill of photons so we can create a blank canvas to paint with light.
Step 3 – Gear
Okay, you’ve been patient. It’s time to break out the big guns. Set up the biggest light you have to show off for the Instagram BTS pics. Get your C-Stands, your sand bags (safety is important!), and other lighting gear in the spots they are meant to be.
Remember that we are always going to be making intentional decisions as to what lighting fixtures we’re going to use. Have a purpose for each light source. Always in service of the story.
Step 4 – Hone in
The lights naked by themselves may be overkill. We need to hone in these powerful light sources so the photons are doing exactly what we need them to.
That’s where your bounces, diffusion, filtration, and negative fill come in. Keep your eye on the contrast ratio, the light intensity, color, and quality.
Do you need to soften your shadows with a diffusion to make a more aesthetically pleasing close-up shot of your lead actor? Is there too much light on one side of the face that you can reduce with negative fill? Is there more light you can bounce to reduce the contract ratio?
Play around with many different light modifiers to see how they are affecting your subject and image overall. This is where the real magic happens.
Step 5 – Tinker & Test
Now that you’ve Looked at your current lighting conditions, Isolated your film set to start with a clean slate, brought in your Gear, and Honed in your lighting decisions — you are ready to Tinker & Test.
This is your chance to make the adjustments needed to allow your lighting of the scene to serve the story to fullest.
Congratulations! You’ve completed the L.I.G.H.T. framework.
Look. Isolate. Gear. Hone in. Tinker & Test.
Now you’re ready to tackle any lighting situation.
