How Cinematographers Use Hard Vs Soft Light

In this video I’ll explain what hard and soft light is and how each can be used in different applications to impact the visual storytelling of a film. Then I’ll go over some film equipment and techniques that are commonly used to alter the quality of the light.

MERCH:

SOCIALS:

GEAR:

MUSIC:
Sam Lux - 'Wildfire'
Flint - 'Coffee Break'
Flint - 'Find Serenity'
Aves - 'Chili Crisp'
Tamuz Dekel - 'Blue Beings'
Flint - 'Bleeps & Bloops'
Magiksolo - 'Taito'
Ottom - 'Hold On'
Chill Winston - 'The Truth'

0:00 Introduction
0:48 Hard Vs. Soft Light
2:18 How Is Soft Light Used?
4:48 How Is Hard Light Used?
6:29 Equipment For Soft Light
10:53 Equipment For Hard Light
11:57 MUBI

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[ilyacosmonaut]

In many shots you confuse contrast light and hard light, they are not the same thing. Hard light can easily be low contrast, just as soft light can be contrast.

[mobbyboss]

Just want to say, this is one of my favorite channels.

[JR_Taylor]

Great video. Its worth noting should u ever update this video that hard and soft light is about the size of the light source relative to the subject. Diffusion materials increases the light source size and thats why its softer.

[ccd]

THANK YOU for putting the add at the end. Great video as always.

[ewilly]

I think you got it mixed up at 10:13

The closer a bounce, or any diffuse source, is to a subject, the softer it will be. As size increases either literally or relative to the subject (by getting closer), light quality gets softer

[michaelbailey]

3:23 the shadow are crisp on both sides... they both look like harsh light, except the woman looks illumintade from above

[ilyacosmonaut]

Fun fact, on the cover of the of the video the right picture has a harder light than the left image )

[lorenzbuhler]

Great video!! I didn't know it was a thing to light the two protagonists in a different manner, but it sound very interesting! I was wondering if you could start adding the titles and years of publishing to a movie scene if you show it in the videos, that would be great.

[-dan]

Justo tenía esa duda de las luces y haces un vídeo de eso. Eres el mejor canal sobre fotografía!!

[stephenfurry]

Never heard of Grid Cloth as Half, 1, or 2. I only know them as Full, Light, and Quarter Grids.

[redbeardproductions-kevind]

It's not true that a bounced light is softer if the bounce is farther away. The bounce becomes the new light source, and the farther away a light source is - the harder it is.

[petergivenbless]

I once read Peter Greennaway said that Sacha Vierny could light anything with just a light source and a newspaper!

[JRTET]

is there a list of movies you showed in this clip?

[MoonSafariFilms]

3:20 These are both hard light. The biggest difference in the key is the angle.

[szymongoslawski]

As seen in the comments below there is a lot of mistakes in this video. I propose to consider the size of the light source in relation to the object and its influence on the hardness/softness of the light.
Sincerely.

[jasonkirsch]

Yea many mistakes here... intensity doesn't determine hardness... size of source relative to subject determines hardness. Can be soft and very contrasty it's just harder to achieve.

[lionkingproductions]

Great video! Quick question, what are the best settings for an 8bit Sony camera

[guywalsh]

What’s the best way to light a face with a fedora? Would it be to bounce the light from underneath?

[antoinepetrov]

So can it be said that hard light in cinema is like chiaroscuro in painting? For example, if Caravaggio was a filmmaker, his films would have hard light, and if, for example, Vermeer was also a filmmaker, he would have lit softly?

[a.kafsal]

If I remember correctly, in one of your videos, you talk about a cinematographer who likes hard lights, like, he believes strong dramas require hard lighting, something like this you mention in that video. I can't find the video. Who was it?