lights, is used extensively in dramas, musicals,
comedies, and adventure films; its even, flat illumi-
nation does not call particular attention to the sub-
ject being photographed. When the intensity of
the fill light equals that of the key light, the result
will be the highest of high-key lighting: no shadows
at all.
You may have noticed that these terms—low-key
lightingand high-key lighting—are counterintuitive:
we increase the contrasts to produce low-key light-
ing and decrease them to produce high-key lighting.
The cinematographer dims the fill light to achieve a
higher ratio and contrast between shadow depth
and illumination, and intensifies the fill light to lower
the ratio and contrast.
The third source in three-point lighting is the
backlight, usually positioned behind and above the
subject and the camera and used to create high-
lights along the edges of the subject as a means of
separating it from the background and increasing
its appearance of three-dimensionality (such high-
lights are also known as edge lightsor rim lights). In
exterior shooting, the sun is often used as a back-
light. Although it is less important to the three-
point system than key light and fill light, backlight
can be used on its own to achieve very expressive
effects. One effect is to create depth in a shot by
separating a figure from the background, as in the
projection-room scene in Orson Welles’s Citizen
Kane(1941; cinematographer: Gregg Toland), in
which Mr. Rawlston (Philip Van Zandt) and Jerry
Thompson (William Alland) are outlined by the
strong backlight from the projector.
Lighting from underneath a character (sometimes
called Halloween lighting) creates eerie, ominous
shadows on the actor’s face by reversing the normal
placement of illumination and shadow. This sort of
lighting is especially appropriate in the horror genre,
as in James Whale’s Bride of Frankenstein(1935; cin-
ematographer: John J. Mescall), in which the light-
ing thrown on Dr. Pretorius (Ernest Thesiger) from
below accentuates the diabolical nature of his scien-
tific ambitions.
Lighting thrown on a character from above can
be used for many different effects, but a common
result is to make a character appear vulnerable,
or—in the example from Francis Ford Coppola’s
BacklightingBacklighting can provide a dramatic sense of
depth, especially when it is the sole light source, as in the
projection-room scene in Orson Welles’s Citizen Kane(1941;
cinematographer: Gregg Toland). The intensity of light
coming from the projection booth’s windows provides clear
visual cues to the depth of the on-screen space by creating a
deep shadow in the foreground, a bright focus in the middle
ground, and murky gray in the background. The shape of
the beams of light——receding to a vanishing point behind
the wall——not only contributes to our sense of depth but
also accentuates the two main characters in the scene:
Jerry Thompson (William Alland, left), the reporter who
prepared the “News on the March” sequence, and his boss,
Mr. Rawlston (Philip Van Zandt, right).Lighting from below In this scene from Bride of
Frankenstein(1935; cinematographer: John J. Mescall),
Dr. Pretorius (Ernest Thesiger), with lighting cast from below,
watches his monstrous creation come to life.CINEMATOGRAPHIC PROPERTIES OF THE SHOT 241