Setting the Scene s Mood

Setting the Scene's Mood

One of the first things to consider in lighting your scene is the time of day. A good exercise to demonstrate how much difference lighting can make is to create and light the same scene in three or four different lighting scenarios. You can set up one scene to have a scary and luminous quality (Figure 14.3), and then relight the scene for a bright summer day (Figure 14.4). You will quickly see how essential lighting is to a well-produced scene.

Figure 14.3. You can use light to create specific moodsfor example, ominous and scary, as shown here.

Figure 14.4. Light can be used to brighten an entire scene.

The following describes the various qualities of light found at different times of the day (from an artistic point of view):

• Dawn Most of the sky is filled with a light glow, soft and diffused, leaving objects in the room dimly lit. Highlights and reflections become visible first, then everything else slowly comes into view. Dawn has a very subtle light, requiring some time for the human eye to adjust.

• Sunrise Light pours into the room as a new day begins. Long shadows and light patterns are projected on the wall through the window, splashing light around the room. As the sunrise progresses, the day's shadows become more transparent and shorter, leading into the sharp midday sun.

• Sunset Orange, red, and pink sunset colors fill the clouds and the sky, bringing a feeling of tranquility and closure to the day. Mountains and trees are silhouetted against the sun at the horizon, and long shadows lay along the ground.

• Evening Peaceful silvery-blue light fills the room, illuminating it softly. The room is lit with candles and ceiling lights that quickly fall off into the darkness. The only light coming in from outside is the moon glowing through the haze around it, creating ominous bluish highlights throughout the scene.