The role of cinematic lighting department in the film industry

Abstract

This study aimed at assessing the role of lighting department in the film industry and objectives like; to find out the different types of lights that are used during the shooting, to find out the challenges faced by the difference directors of photography, to find out the impact of light to actors and to find out the process of film lighting. Lighting is a very instrumental part of film making however n the Ugandan film industry we light films without purpose and hence the film can‟t communicate anything when sound is muted that means the visual components remain dull that‟s why the research did this study to investigate the roles of lighting department to the film industry The research population comprised 5cinematographers, 5 lighting technicians, 2 directors of photography and 3 camera operators totaling to 15 in number. The above respondents were purposively selected because they have been practicing cinematic lighting in the film industry and had viable information about the study. Data were collected using unstructured in-depth interview guides and questionnaires that were applied to purposively selected informants. The study findings indicated that the lighting department is very much important in the film industry in the way that without it, there is no film because the views will not be able to see anything on screen, it‟s the lighting crew that contribute to the visual elements of the film, it was discovered that without lighting nothing will be done even with a good script and cameras and sound, nothing will be achieved unless there is a proper lighting of that film. The researcher recommended that there must be improvement of cinematic lighting by use of standard equipment‟s in filming to improve on the visual qualities of the films in this Ugandan film industry , this will help our movies to reach the international market hence the film makers will be able to make a lot of money In conclusion the lighting department is very important to the film industry and there is no film without the light department however the industry should get more professional cinematographers