A cinematographer is a master of lighting. He knows where the light is coming from, how intense it needs to be and what mood it creates. He works very closely with the director and the gaffer to create the perfect balance of light. A few things a cinematographer considers when setting up lights are movement, placement, intensity and color. Here is how they work:

Movement: Movement of light can create lots of different moods. A party scene or dance club would require a lot of movement and color. If a lot of movement is required for a scene, the more prominent a light will become so it stands out more, otherwise it won't be seen as well and it won't portray the effect that is trying to be created. If less movement is needed, maybe the scene has something to do with a light flickering in a dingy basement or simply the sun is going down. It's also easy to recreate paparazzi taking pictures by having a bunch of flashes go off all around the frame. A good way to discover new lighting movements is to play with it and see how it makes you feel-what moods it unveils.

Placement: The placement of lights is very important because any wrong placement and light leaking out of any cracks can create a whole new effect and destroy the one you're trying to create. Light coming from places it shouldn't looks fake and unbelievable. The best way to deal with light placement is to just intensify the practical lights (meaning those that are seen in a house)-putting the lights already given at a location on a dimmer control can do this. Think about where lights are normally seen and how bright they are when you're out looking around and this will help you understand light better and recreate believable situations.

Light placement on characters also creates different moods because depending on where you shine the light on someone; different shadows will project onto their faces. The darker the light, the more equivocal someone will look. Lighting from below will make someone look more suspicious and placing light more on the face so you can see a character's eyes better will make them look friendlier and more trustworthy. Protagonists are usually better lit and more visible while antagonists are darker lit to keep them in the shadows more and to portray a darker character whom is up to no good.

Intensity: As a Yiddish proverb once stated, "The eyes are the mirror of the soul." Eyes also tell a lot about a character-if they're lying, feel uncomfortable, sad or happy-you name it. You can also read subtext through eyes, meaning one can look into another's eyes and tell what they're really feeling as opposed to what they said they felt. This is one reason why mysterious characters or villains tend to be lit less because of their dark demeanor. Most of the time, villain's eyes are not seen as well because they're lying or the production does not want the subtext of the character to be read as well. Not seeing someone's eyes also makes them less trustworthy.

You'll notice in dramas that the character's eyes are very well lit and will almost always have that "twinkle" in them. This is because in dramas, subtext is more important than other genres because drama is all about saying one thing and meaning another, so the eyes must be seen. Brighter light brings out a happier mood, hence why comedies tend to be brighter most of the time. If one were to sit in a dark house all day, they'd probably feel a little worse than if they sat in a well-lit house all day. The same goes for light intensity and how it provokes emotion from the audience.

Color: Light color is fun to play with but can also be challenging because it can change the way a character's skin tone looks and can mess with the white balance on your camera. A cameraman must know how to properly white balance a camera to every color temperature without losing an actor's proper skin tone. Light color can also determine the time of day, as daylight is bluer and indoor lights tend to be more orange or "tungsten," as we call it in the film industry. Color can also be used to portray sunsets, sunrises and can be used for schemes throughout the film. Perhaps a character's light tends to have more of a certain color in it every time they appear on the screen because color also represents how we feel about people and can evoke certain feelings.

When all these concepts are learned and mastered, they come together to create a masterpiece and can be used and manipulated in every project you shoot to invent a different, unique look. With all these concepts and a touch of your personal creativity, the possibilities of painting with light are endless!