ARTS 3061 Workshop Exercise: Exploring the Impact of Light on Storytelling

In this workshop, my group and I explored how lighting can shape tone, mood, and visual storytelling by experimenting with different setups.

We focused on three key lighting approaches: single light source, three-point lighting, and enclosed space lighting. These exercises allowed us to reflect on how lighting choices influence not just visibility, but emotion and narrative clarity.

Single Light Source

Using a single light source in our lighting exercise created a dramatic and focused look that helped isolate the subject. It added subtle shadows and mood, but at times the lighting appeared flat due to its softness and central placement. Shadows lacked definition, and the image felt low in depth.

To improve, we would adjust the light’s angle (more from the side or above) or subtle bounce to enhance contrast and shape. This mirrors the approach seen in Prisoners, as highlighted in No Film School’s article. In one scene, a DIY ring light was used to light the actor’s face during an exterior night shot. The result was simple yet cinematic, a clean illumination on the actor while maintaining a tense, shadowy background.

Source: Prisoners, Alcon Entertainment

This showed us that even with minimal lighting, thoughtful placement and intention can dramatically enhance storytelling and emotion.

Three-Point Lighting

In our three-point lighting setup, the light placement was correctly executed for an interview layout, following the standard angles for the key, fill, and back light. However, the main issue lay in the intensity of the lights.

Source: Columbia Digital Media

The overall scene appeared visually unbalanced due to incorrect light intensity, particularly between the key and fill lights. In our setup, the fill light was brighter than the key, which is the opposite of what’s recommended in a standard three-point lighting setup. As shown in the diagram below, the key light should be the primary and most intense source, while the fill light is meant to be softer and less powerful, used to gently reduce shadows created by the key.

Source: Nofilmschool

Because of this imbalance, the scene lacked proper contrast and depth. The subject looked evenly lit in a way that flattened the image and diminished the visual impact.

Moving forward, we will ensure the key light remains dominant, the fill is softened appropriately, and the back light is diffused to maintain balance and visual clarity. This will help us achieve the dimensional, professional lighting effect that three-point lighting is designed to deliver.

Enclosed Space Lighting

For this setup, we recreated a key scene from our short film Trapped where the main character is trapped in a box (enclosed space). We used a phone light as our only source of light.

However, the scene turned out too underexposed, making it hard to see the subject clearly. The phone light wasn’t strong enough on its own, especially in such a confined, dark space.

Next time, we’ll look at ways to boost visibility subtly—by adjusting the phone light’s angle, using a torch light or adding hidden fill. This exercise showed us the importance of balancing atmosphere with clarity in low-light scenes.

This workshop deepened my understanding of how technical lighting choices can reinforce emotion and narrative intention. Whether it's simplifying with one light or managing the complexity of three, every decision behind the camera shapes what the audience ultimately feels on screen.