Lighting Notes

For our music video it is important that we pre-plan the lighting that we will use in our music video. This is to make sure that the lighting quality in the shots is good and so that the audience can see what we want them to see within each shot, for example when Alex lip syncs the words to Laura when she is asleep on the sofa, there will need to be some lighting on his face so that it is clear what he is singing in the shots as if all the lights were off and trying to give a night time feel then it would be difficult for the camera to pick up the movement as well. Therefore we will need to plan what lighting we would like in each shot ready for when we film.


Lighting in the hallway

At the beginning of the music video the actress Laura will walk through the font door into the hallway. The hallway will be lit up quite well with the downstairs hallway light. The reason for this is so that when she opens the front door, the fact that it will be pitch black outside will show up well and it will make it clear to the audience that it is late in the evening and that the reason the hallway light is on is because it would be dark otherwise. This will make it obvious for the reason that they are just about to have dinner (because it is late).

Lighting in the dining room shots

During the dining room shots when the couple are eating a romantic dinner the light in the kitchen will be on and as this is a kitchen diner the lights will not be on in the diner section. There will be loads of candles on the kitchen table. The reason for all these candles on the table is because it will create a romantic setting for the couple and make the love story more believable to the audience. The reason that the light in the kitchen will need to be on as well is to help the candles light the room up a little bit so that the camera can see the actors facial expressions and how happy they are together.

Lighting in the lounge for the shots where Laura is asleep on the Sofa

When Laura is asleep in the lounge the light on the left hand side of the room will be on and the light on the right hand side of the room will be turned off. This is so that it is still obvious to the audience that it is night time and that is why she has fallen asleep in front of the TV but so that when Alex (the actor) lip synchs the words to Laura whilst she is asleep it is clear what the words are that he is singing to her, to make the lip synching look more realistic. The camera then moves over to the photo frame, this lighting also helps to see this photo more clearly. This is the reason that some of the lighting will be on and some will be off in this room. As it will be dark outside it will all be unnatural lighting. At the beginning of this shot the TV will be on as well which adds light to the shot.


Lighting in the Lounge of Tom Odell and Laura when they are older

The lighting in the lounge when the couple are older will be all unnatural lighting. There will be a  main light in the lounge and there will also be a lamp on. This is to make the room light up quite a lot as it is set in the evening as now they are grandparents they are having the grand children round for dinner. The unnatural lighting will show the audience that, again is set in the evening.

Lighting in the performance shots

There will be a lot of high key lighting in the performance shots all by unnatural lighting. This is because when we film these shots it will be very dark outside but as the room that these shots will be filmed is in a concert hall of the Salvation Army, there are multiple lights that can be put on to make Alex stand out in the camera. This is important to show that Alex is the star in the music video and he will be highlighted whilst performing. It will also show his lip synching more clearly which is important to make it more realistic and look like he is performing live during the shots.

Lighting in the dressing room and hallway during shots just before the couple go out for dinner

As the shots will be filmed during the day here, there will not need to be much unnatural lighting used within these shots, therefore the only light that will be needed will be to emphasise that fact that Laura is putting makeup on, the other lighting within these shots will be natural lighting coming through the windows. This will be nice to have in the music video as there is already a lot of unnatural lighting used and as this is an indie pop music video it will be nice to have some more natural lighting which will suit the generic conventions more.

Lighting during the park shots

For the park shots, our footage will be shot early in the morning, this is so that it will be quite light outside. This natural lighting will be good as the location is also natural and is a generic convention of an indie pop music video. The fact that it will be light is good to see the lip synching that Alex will do and will make the movement of his lips stand out more and look like he is actually singing it there. The lighting here will make the audience think that it is lunch time and that the couple have gone to the park for a picnic during the day. The lighting will also be good to make the colours of the clothing stand out more. This is because Laura will be wearing a pink hat and scarf and also the leaves in the park will show up more in the shot which will show the audience that it is autumn.

Sophie Thomas