Quality of Light | How Cinematic Lighting Has Evolved
Content Creator Max Byrne Gives Insight on the Differences between Hard Light and Soft Light
“We need a hard key light.” It’s a seemingly simple request, but it leaves an untrained ear stuck. What even classifies a hard light source? Can a light be soft? Does this director or DP know what they’re talking about? To answer the third question at least: yes, they do. They’re talking about the quality of light for their current shot. A light’s quality is something that has always reared its head throughout film history as a crucial stylistic, or necessary, choice for any project.
From identifying and analyzing hard and soft lighting and looking back to see how lighting was implemented over the years, we’re set to take a deep dive into quality of light so that you can manipulate it for your own work.
Hard vs. Soft Lighting
So, what exactly is the quality of light in reference to? Brightness, intensity and color accuracy are all good guesses, but in the end a light’s quality refers to how light changes the subject’s look, whether it is with a hard or soft source.
Got harsh shadows? High contrast? A murder yet to be solved? You’ve got yourself a hard light source, popular in noirs of the forties like The Maltese Falcon or even the horrors of today like Insidious. No matter the genre, it can appear anywhere drama is to be had.
On the other hand, an all-encompassing “wrap-around,” even lighting and little contrast are all qualities of a soft light. Find it in a comedy like Happy Gilmore, as it has also become popular in today’s war films like 1917 or All Quiet on the Western Front. Perhaps the quiet, lighthearted moments of a story call for light on the softer side. Ultimately, the amount of contrast and emphasis on a subject’s features is what should be sought after when determining whether or not a light is harsh or delicate.
History of Light Quality in Filmmaking
But how did we get here? Why is hard or soft light so important to film history in general? Well, let’s go back a hundred years ago, where films were shot without sound in mind, back to back next to each other as various crew from various sets shout commands and swears. At least, that’s if Damien Chazelle’s Babylon (2022) taught us anything.
Because of this run-and-gun shooting technique and the state of gear at the time, most shoots relied on natural light; studios implemented glass windows in their ceilings, with sunlight diffused through cloth to obtain an even spread of it. Either that, or gas-discharge light fixtures that were often massive and unbearably loud to make up for the meager film stock that can only handle a maximum speed of 100 ISO… Ouch.
But then, sound came and changed everything - as sound does. So did war, and by the 1940s, the old, boisterous lights were gone and the over-reliance on soft light diminished with the bleak wartime state of mind. Thus, DPs at the time achieved bolder, sharper looks to match it, with the heavy contrast brought on by hard light sources.
The French New Wave called, they want soft lighting back. In the fifties, the small budgets that greatly characterized this movement forbade any of the vigorous equipment the Americans developed. Ofter, the French New Wave was populated by directors focusing on a natural look, without the use of filters or any complex setups. Sunlight and improvisation won the day, and this style’s popularity reached filmmakers all over the world who incorporated it into their own work, re-captivated by soft light.
Nowadays, there seems to be no contest between the two. History’s various film movements have inspired today’s filmmakers to implement various qualities of light in their projects. Even the same hero receives different lighting qualities, from the soft lighting-dominant 2017 release of Justice League to the contrast-centric The Batman (2022). The tools have been growing with the trade; the quiet, efficient and effective LED light, for example. Quality of light has therefore reverted to an option to tell a story, rather than a budgetary constraint.
Inverse Square Law
When you are on set, there are a few ways to approach how to achieve a hard or soft light. One in particular is an equation, thankfully not one from calculus. Known as the Inverse Square Law, it is 1 divided by the distance between the light and your subject squared.
That wasn’t so bad, right? We can get even simpler, as this equation essentially means the larger and closer your source is, the softer the light on your subject will be.
By shifting the key light closer to the subject, you’ll create a more even coverage, or wrap-around, on the subject. Further away, the light source becomes smaller, and thus more concentrated and harsher the light will be.
Making Your Source Smaller or Bigger
Tools like the Aputure Fresnel 2x projection modifier focuses the beam of a light source, offering a strong and direct key light on one side of the subject, while the other cuts off into shadow.
For softer, less concentrated looks, try a Light Dome SE, for example, to widen and diffuse a source considerably. By breaking up the intensity of the light with a diffusion layer, you might run into a situation where your desired exposure will be impacted.
Not to worry though, by using applications like Sidus Link, you can easily increase the brightness of your source without having to touch the light after setting it up.
Combining Hard Light and Soft Light
There’s hard and soft light, but what if you want to live dangerously and combine the two? You actually can. For example, an amaran 200x S was used as a kick light to create an “edge glow,” something seen in Orson Welles’ Touch of Evil. Then, by placing a bounce board directly across from the light, a wide, soft source reflects back on one side of the subject’s face, yet the contrast on the other side is maintained.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, these lighting styles are meant to support your story visually. There’s never going to be a “wrong” answer, just one or the other. Filmmaking, akin to all other art forms for that matter, is a subjective medium. That shouldn’t be daunting for the up-and-comers out there, because it’s a moment where you can let your imagination fly.
That being said, the quality of light is an immensely important factor to consider when lighting a scene, for both today and since the beginning of filmmaking. Keep in mind the size and placement of hard or soft light sources, whether massive and nearby or streamlined and afar. Then, you can fully grasp which quality of light you need on set. Whether dealing with a high budget, or a shoestring one, the tools needed to project the hard or soft light look are readily available for creators of any kind.
