Nanlux: Master Lighting for Drama

In the fifth series, we Charters and his crew of lighting consultant John ‘Biggles’ Higgins and gaffer Elena Armellini on a rainy night time outdoor shoot. The scene involves actors walking across a dimly lit yard, getting into a car and holding a conversation. Motivated lighting makes the scene appear real, whether that’s an Evoke 2400B LED spotlight on a crane emulating the light of the moon, a PavoSlim 60B panel light disguised to appear like a sodium light on the wall, or a small PavoTube II 6C stuck to the car’s sun visor replacing the real interior light.

Charters guides us through his lighting choices, explaining that you need to build a flexible lighting kit. The tutorial shows an emotional scene between father and daughter shot in a bedroom. The script required a daytime scene with sunlight coming in through the windows. As the exterior light changed over the day, the job of Charters and his gaffer was to use the lighting to maintain a cohesive ambience.

In the third episode, we learn why it is sometimes important to light a scene for continuity throughout the shoot day. While the natural light in a room may look good at a given time of day, it usually cannot be relied on to remain constant for long enough to complete filming.

In this episode, Charters sets the scene for an emotional drama unfolding in a family home. The characters move through the whole house and each room is lit to appear completely natural. Well placed lighting allows him to shoot continuously as the characters walk around.

In the first episode of the series, we learn how to light a domestic scene at a family dinner table in a way that looks natural. Watch how Charters and Higgins and their team use lighting to create an atmosphere that helps the emotional narrative of the story.