Lighting Penny Dreadful

This striking image uses a combination of dramatic backlighting and practical lights to create an ominous, cinematic effect. Let’s analyze the lighting and discuss how to recreate it with household items.

1. Lighting Analysis

• Strong Backlight (Central Source)

  • The main light source is positioned directly behind the silhouetted figure, creating a powerful backlighting effect. This setup makes the character appear almost entirely in shadow, except for a faint outline that separates them from the background.

  • The backlight is highly diffused, illuminating the walls and creating long, dramatic shadows on the floor, which add depth and mystery.

• Practical Lights (Lamps)

  • The room is lined with several standing lamps on either side, adding warm, ambient lighting to the scene. The lamps are not bright enough to fill in the shadowed areas, maintaining the high contrast between the warm and cool tones.

  • These lamps enhance the symmetry and depth of the image, creating a balanced composition.

• Cool Ambient Lighting

  • The overall color temperature is cool, with a greenish tint to the walls, contrasting the warm light of the lamps. This gives the scene a vintage, almost surreal feel.

  • The ambient cool light likely comes from a combination of natural light through the windows and the color grade in post-production, emphasizing the eerie atmosphere.

2. Setting Up the Scene with Household Items

• Strong Backlight:

  • Use a bright, cool light source like a flashlight or LED lamp behind the subject to create a silhouette. Place a white bedsheet or frosted plastic in front of the light to diffuse it, spreading the light across the room and creating the desired shadows.

  • Position this light at a lower angle to the ground, allowing it to cast long shadows, as seen in the image.

• Practical Lamps for Warm Ambient Lighting:

  • Place lamps with warm (yellow/orange) bulbs along the sides of the room to replicate the practical lights in the image. If you have lampshades, use them to soften the light, mimicking the look of classic floor lamps.

  • Keep the lamp brightness low to avoid overpowering the backlight, allowing them to provide ambient warmth without filling in the shadows.

• Cool Ambient Light on Walls:

  • If you have access to a second light with a cooler tone (like a daylight LED), bounce it off a wall or ceiling to create a faint, cool wash in the room. Alternatively, you can place a blue or green filter over a light to simulate the cool tint.

  • You can also adjust the color balance on your camera to favor cooler tones, making the warm lamps stand out against the cooler background.

3. Camera Settings for Replication

• High Contrast: Increase the contrast to deepen the shadows and make the silhouette effect more pronounced.

• White Balance: Set the white balance towards the cooler end to bring out the greenish tint, while letting the lamps retain their warm color.

• Low Exposure for the Background: Lowering the exposure slightly can help achieve a strong silhouette while keeping the backlit haze bright.

By experimenting with the positioning and intensity of these lights, you should be able to capture a similar atmospheric and symmetrical look with household items.