Appendix C: Lighting Setups Library
This is a field reference, not a chapter — a library of ready-to-use lighting setups you can pull up on set and copy. Each entry is a labeled top-down (or face-on) map plus a short when / why / how note. The reasoning behind all of it — quality of light, key and fill and rim, contrast, color temperature, and motivation — lives in Chapter 11 (fundamentals), Chapter 12 (soft/hard, color, ratios), and Chapter 13 (natural and available light). Come here when you know the why and need the where do I put the lights.
Every setup is a starting point to adjust, not a recipe. The right contrast, color, and source for your shot is decided by the story and the face in front of you — so read the map, build it, then tune it while looking at the subject, not the diagram.
How to read these maps
- Maps are top-down (a bird's-eye view of the set) unless the caption says (front view of the face) — those show a face straight on to place a key relative to the nose and cheek.
- The camera sits at the bottom and looks up into the scene; the subject is
( S )in the middle. - Light quantity is always in stops; color is always in kelvin (K) — lower K is warmer (oranger), higher K is cooler (bluer). Verify contrast on the waveform or with zebras (Ch. 5), not by eye.
- Negative fill (a black card that soaks up light to deepen a shadow) has no symbol in the frozen legend — where it appears, it is spelled out in words.
The symbol legend
State it once; it is the same everywhere in this book.
( S ) = subject / talent ▢ = key light (soft) ☀ = sun / window / available light
[CAM] = camera ○ = fill / reflector ▣ = rim / back / hair light
((• = microphone (boom/shotgun) ▽ = practical (lamp in frame)
arrows (→ ↓ ↘) = direction light travels toward the subject; ⇒ = camera-move direction.
Two dials behind every setup: color and contrast
Almost every choice below is really a setting on one of two dials. Keep these two ladders in your head and most of the library reads at a glance.
Color — where your source sits in kelvin (Ch. 12–13). Set white balance to your key and lock it so it can't drift shot to shot.
COLOR TEMPERATURE LADDER (warmer ← → cooler)
~1800K candle / flame (very warm, orange)
~2700K household / warm LED bulb warm interior
~3200K tungsten lamp / "warm" panel classic indoor
~3000–4000K golden hour sun warm, low, directional
~5600K midday sun / daylight / window the daylight standard
~6500K overcast / cloudy cool, very soft
~7500K+ open shade / blue hour cool to blue
Contrast — how many stops the shadow side sits under the key (Ch. 11–12). This is the mood dial.
CONTRAST / RATIO LADDER
0 stops = 1:1 flat, shadowless HIGH-KEY beauty, comedy, commercial
1 stop = 2:1 gentle modeling soft natural, safe, friendly
2 stops = 4:1 clear modeling STANDARD the interview default; serious, shaped
3 stops = 8:1 shadow to near-black LOW-KEY moody, tense, noir, night
4+ stops = 16:1+ stark, near-silhouette horror, menace, extreme
Build order and how to verify
Whatever the setup, build it in this order and check after each addition (this is the method from Ch. 11, and it is why every setup below is addable, not a full rebuild):
- Key first — sets exposure and direction (the shape). Get it off the lens axis (~30–45° around) and above the eyeline (~30–45° up). Confirm a catchlight in the eyes.
- Fill — sets the mood by choosing how many stops under the key the shadow sits. A bounce card beats a bare lamp (soft, and it can't overpower the key); move it in/out to dial the ratio.
- Rim/back — sets separation and depth. Put it opposite the key, against a darker background, and keep it subtle — a rim you consciously notice is too hot.
- Motivate — give every source a believable reason in the room (a window, a practical), and match any added light's kelvin to that motivating source.
Then lock your contrast and match it across all coverage so the intercut doesn't flicker in mood — you light for the edit (Ch. 26–28, Ch. 31).
1. Interview and talking-head setups
The workhorses. All of these light one seated subject at a table (the recurring "talking head" setup). The boom ((• sits just out of the top of frame; a lav is the alternative (Ch. 14–15).
C.1 — One-light interview (key only)
FIGURE C.1 — One-light interview: key only (top-down view)
▢ key (soft), camera-LEFT ~45°, raised ~30° above the eyeline
╲
╲ ↘ (arrow = light travels toward the subject)
( S ) ──────► eyeline just past the lens, to the interviewer
│ ▏ shadow side (camera-RIGHT) falls off — no fill
│
((• boom just above frame
│
[CAM] ~50mm-equiv, subject on the right third (Ch. 6)
Use this when you have exactly one light — or one window — and a face. A single soft source swung ~45° off the lens and raised ~30° does the two biggest jobs at once: it sets exposure and gives the face its shape. Expect a deep shadow side (often 3+ stops under); that shadow is the look, not a fault. Adjust: to soften the mood, slide the key toward the lens axis or drop in any bounce (see C.4).
C.2 — Classic three-point interview
FIGURE C.2 — Classic three-point interview (top-down view)
▣ rim / back light ...................
╲ (behind + high, skims : background :
╲ hair & shoulders, aimed : (kept darker) :
↙ back toward the camera) :.................:
( S ) ──────► eyeline just past the lens
↘ ╱ ╲ ↙
▢ key ───╱ ╲─── ○ fill / white bounce, camera-RIGHT,
(soft), cam-LEFT LOW & WEAK (~2 stops under the key)
~45°, up ~30°
((• boom just above frame
│
[CAM]
The foundational look for a produced talking-head, and the thing to reach for when you have three sources. Key sets the shape, fill sets the mood (dial it to ~2 stops under for the standard flattering 4:1), and the rim lifts the subject off the background for depth. Put the rim opposite the key and against a darker background or it won't read, and keep the fill soft so it doesn't throw a second shadow. Cross-ref Ch. 11; to set the ratio by the numbers, Ch. 12.
C.3 — Window as key, natural interview (the Café Scene)
FIGURE C.3 — Window as key, natural interview — the Café Scene (top-down view)
WINDOW ☀ (soft daylight key, ~5600K)
│
│ ↘ subject turned ~45° into the glass; overhead lights OFF
▼
( S ) ──────► eyeline to interviewer, camera-left
│ ╲
│ ○ white bounce, camera-RIGHT (lifts shadow to ~2 stops under)
│
[CAM] ~50mm-equiv, subject on the right third
The book's café look and the friendliest interview light there is — free, soft, and motivated by a real window. Turn the subject ~45° into the glass so the near cheek keys and the far one falls to shadow, kill any overhead fixtures so you aren't mixing color, and bounce the shadow side back to ~2 stops under. Set white balance manually to daylight (~5600K) and lock it so it can't drift across takes (Ch. 12–13). This is the Café Scene's lighting (built from Ch. 6 onward; window key in Ch. 13).
C.4 — No gear: one window + one bounce
FIGURE C.4 — No gear: one window + one bounce (top-down view)
WINDOW ☀ (the only source; no direct sun on the face)
│
▼
( S ) ─────► looking slightly off-lens
╱ ╲
╱ ○ white foamboard / poster board / a bedsheet, camera-right,
╱ angled to throw the window's light back into the shadow
[CAM/phone] propped at eyeline height on a stack of books
The zero-budget fallback: a room, a window, and one white surface. The window is a big, soft, free key; the bounce is the entire "kit," and its distance is your contrast dial — slide it in to open the shadow, back to deepen it. Keep direct sun off the face (it's hard and harsh); if the sun is blazing, hang a thin white curtain to diffuse it into a soft source. Done well, this beats most talking-heads on the internet (Ch. 11, Ch. 13).
C.5 — Two-person conversation, cross-keyed for coverage
FIGURE C.5 — Two-person conversation, cross-keyed for coverage (top-down view)
key B ▢ ↘ ↙ ▢ key A
(beyond A, high) (beyond B, high)
( A ) ◄──── eyeline ────► ( B )
○ fill A ──► │ │ ◄── ○ fill B
│ ((• boom │
[CAM 1] [CAM 2]
favors A (single) favors B (single)
Cross-key: A's key sits BEYOND B (upper right), so it keys A AND rims B;
B's key sits BEYOND A (upper left), keying B AND rimming A. Match both
keys' height, softness, and ~2-stop ratio so singles + the two-shot intercut.
Use when two people talk and you need clean singles plus a two-shot that all cut together (Ch. 7 coverage). Cross-key them: place each person's key beyond the far side of the other, so one soft source keys one face and rims the other at the same time. Keep both keys matched in height, quality, and ratio, and watch that a key doesn't spill as flat front-light onto the wrong face — if the two keys drift apart in brightness or color, the intercut flickers in mood (matching, Ch. 12; the payoff, Ch. 26–28).
2. Portrait contrast: high-key and low-key
Same person, opposite moods. The only real difference is how much fill — high-key floods the shadow, low-key starves it.
C.6 — High-key portrait (bright, low-contrast)
FIGURE C.6 — High-key portrait: bright, low-contrast (top-down view)
▢ key ↘ ....... bright background (lit or white) .......
(big soft, ╲ ▣ (optional) light on the background keeps it airy
cam-left) ╲ ↙
( S ) ──────►
╱
○ fill ───╱ big soft bounce or 2nd soft source, cam-RIGHT,
(near-equal only ~0–1 stop under the key (1:1–2:1)
to the key)
[CAM]
Key ≈ fill, background bright → open, clean, shadowless.
HIGH-KEY = low CONTRAST, not just "turned up."
Reach for this when the mood is open, friendly, and modern — beauty, comedy, commercial, corporate, most product-to-camera. Two big soft sources near the front with the fill only 0–1 stop under the key (1:1–2:1), plus a bright background so nothing falls into shadow. The classic trap is thinking high-key means "make everything brighter" — it means low contrast; keep exposing so the highlights don't clip on the waveform (Ch. 5, Ch. 12).
C.7 — Low-key portrait (moody, high-contrast)
FIGURE C.7 — Low-key portrait: moody, high-contrast (top-down view)
▣ cool rim (~5600K), behind, opposite the key,
╲ edging the shadow-side hair & shoulder
↙
▢ key ↘ ( S ) ──────►
(smaller/harder ╲ │ ◄── BLACK card here (negative fill):
warm ~3200K) ╲ │ soaks up spill, drops the shadow toward black
[CAM]
Key-to-shadow ≈ 8:1 (~3 stops). Warm key + cool rim + deep shadow = night.
For night, tension, intimacy, noir, danger. One fairly hard, warmish key does the shaping; a black card as negative fill deepens the shadow instead of a bounce lifting it; a cool rim peels the dark edge off a dark background. Aim ~3 stops key-to-shadow (8:1) and keep the lit skin correctly exposed — low-key is bright-where-it-counts with everything else falling away, not a uniformly dim image (that's just underexposure wearing a costume). Cross-ref Ch. 12.
3. The classic face-light positions
These are front-view maps: the face straight on, so you can place the key by the nose shadow it throws. The face reads ( o o ) eyes, ( .. ) nose, ( __ ) mouth. Direction is shape — decide the position first, then refine quality and color (Ch. 11).
C.8 — Butterfly / "paramount"
FIGURE C.8 — Butterfly / "paramount" (front view of the face)
▢ key HIGH and CENTERED, above the lens, angled down
│
▼
( o o )
( .. ) ← small symmetric shadow straight UNDER the nose
( __ ) (the "butterfly" shape)
[CAM] directly below the key
Use for glamour, beauty, and polished symmetrical portraits — the classic Hollywood look. The key rides high and centered above the lens, throwing a small butterfly-shaped shadow directly beneath the nose. It flatters strong, well-defined faces; because the light is high it can hollow the eye sockets, so don't push the angle too far up. Often paired with an under-chin bounce (see C.12).
C.9 — Loop
FIGURE C.9 — Loop lighting (front view of the face)
▢ key ~30–45° to one side, slightly above the eyeline
╲
↘
( o o )
( .. ) ← short nose shadow points DOWN-and-OUT: a small
( __ ) "loop" that does NOT touch the cheek shadow
[CAM]
The safest, most natural flattering portrait — the everyday interview and talking-head default. The key sits ~30–45° off the lens and a little above, so the nose casts a small downward "loop" of shadow that stays separate from the shadow on the cheek. It flatters almost every face. Adjust: slide the key a touch more frontal to soften toward flat, or a touch more to the side and up to deepen toward Rembrandt.
C.10 — Rembrandt
FIGURE C.10 — Rembrandt lighting (front view of the face)
▢ key ~45° to the side, HIGHER than loop
╲
↘
( o o )
( ..)▷ ← nose shadow joins the cheek shadow, trapping a
( __ ) small TRIANGLE of light on the shadow cheek
[CAM]
For a more dramatic, characterful, painterly portrait with clear modeling. Swing the key to ~45° and raise it until the nose shadow connects with the cheek shadow, leaving a small lit triangle beneath the shadow-side eye (about as wide as the eye, no longer than the nose). That triangle is your confirmation the key is well placed. Add a low bounce on the shadow side if it falls deeper than the mood wants (Ch. 11).
C.11 — Split
FIGURE C.11 — Split lighting (front view of the face)
▢ key at 90°, straight to one side, near eye level
→
( o o )│ ← the centre line splits the face: one half lit,
( .. )│ the other half falling into shadow
( __ )│
[CAM]
Use when the story wants confrontation, secrecy, or a divided character — it is a loud, deliberate choice. The key sits at a full 90° so a line down the center leaves one half of the face lit and the other in shadow. Motivate it (a doorway, a window edge) so it reads as intentional, and add a whisper of fill or a rim on the dark side to keep that half from vanishing entirely (Ch. 11–12).
C.12 — Beauty clamshell (butterfly + under-fill)
FIGURE C.12 — Beauty "clamshell" (front view of the face)
▢ big SOFT key, high & centered, angled down
│
▼
( o o )
( .. )
( __ )
▲
○ reflector / soft bounce flat UNDER the chin, angled up
[CAM] between the two, on the axis
The polished beauty look for portraits, product-with-presenter, and cosmetic pieces. It's butterfly (C.8) with a bounce added flat under the chin — the two soft sources "clamshell" the face top and bottom, filling the under-nose shadow and the eye sockets for smooth, near-shadowless skin (essentially 1:1, high-key on the face). Keep both sources large and soft; the under-bounce also adds a lower catchlight that makes eyes sparkle (Ch. 12).
4. Product, object, and shape
Lighting a thing, and lighting for pure outline. Here the "subject" ( S ) is an object on a table.
C.13 — Product on a table (soft top/side light + bounce)
FIGURE C.13 — Product on a table: soft top/side light + bounce (side view)
▢ big SOFT key ABOVE & slightly to one side (softbox or window),
╲ feathered so the top glows and the label reads
↘
┌───────┐
│ ( S ) │ ← the product on the table (S = the object)
└───────┘
○ ──────┘ white bounce on the near side lifts the shadow;
a BLACK card on the far side shapes a glossy edge
[CAM] a little above table height, looking slightly down
The commercial "hero" look for a product, food, or any small object. One big soft source from above and slightly to the side makes surfaces and labels read; a white bounce opposite opens the shadow, and a black card carves the highlight on glossy or reflective surfaces (reflections are shape on shiny things). Keep the source large and close for soft, believable falloff. Adjust: add a low ▣ behind to draw a rim on a dark product against a dark background (Ch. 11–12).
C.14 — Silhouette / backlight only
FIGURE C.14 — Silhouette: backlight only (top-down view)
☀ / ▢ bright source BEHIND the subject (window or panel),
│ aimed back toward the camera
▼
( S ) subject goes dark — shape only, no face detail
│
│ (NO key, NO fill on the camera side — that's the point)
[CAM] expose for the bright background; let the subject fall to black
For mystery, anonymity, a strong graphic shape, or a stylized title/reveal. Put the only real light behind the subject (a window or a panel), give the face nothing, and expose for the bright background so the subject renders as a clean black outline. Keep any stray light off the camera-side of the subject or the effect softens into a mere silhouette-ish shot. Adjust: add a faint rim or a sliver of key to reveal just an edge of feature when full anonymity isn't the goal (Ch. 11).
5. Run-and-gun and minimal kit
For moving fast at events with almost nothing (the recurring "event in available light" setup). Pair this with the no-gear window setup (C.4) when a wall of daylight is available.
C.15 — Run-and-gun single LED
FIGURE C.15 — Run-and-gun single LED (top-down view)
Better: ▢ LED OFF the camera, up & to one side (on a pole, a light
╲ stand, or an assistant's hand), diffused — a mini key
↘
( S ) ─────►
│
[CAM]·▢? on-camera LED only if you must — then bounce it or
│ flag one side so it isn't flat frontal light
((• on-camera mic or lav
Match the LED's kelvin to the room: ~3200K under warm interiors,
~5600K in daylight, or faces go two-tone.
When you're moving through an event or a run-and-gun interview and can carry exactly one light. Get the single LED off the camera and up to one side so it keys like a real source; only mount it on-camera as a last resort, and even then bounce or flag it so it isn't flat front-light. Dial its color to match the room — warm indoors, daylight outside — or faces read two-toned against the background (Ch. 12). Keep a diffuser or a white card on it; a bare LED is a small, hard, unkind source.
6. Motivated interior looks
The advanced move: make the light appear to come from sources the viewer can see or believe. Motivation is what separates "lit" from "real" (Ch. 12).
C.16 — Day interior, motivated by the window
FIGURE C.16 — Day interior, motivated by the window (top-down view)
WINDOW ☀ (the MOTIVATED key — daylight ~5600K)
│
│ ↘ (optional ▢ LED just outside/beside the window, same
▼ ~5600K, to boost or fake the "sun" — never contradict it)
( S ) ─────►
│ ╲
│ ○ bounce fill, opposite the window (~2 stops under)
▽ a practical lamp in frame, dimmed, sells "indoors, daytime"
[CAM]
Everything reads as if the window is doing the work.
When a scene should feel like real daytime indoors, the light must appear to pour from the windows. Let the window be the key, fill the opposite side with a bounce to ~2 stops under, and if the daylight is weak, hide a ~5600K LED just outside or beside the frame to reinforce it — matched in color so the illusion holds. A dimmed practical in shot adds warmth and depth without breaking the daylight logic. Set white balance to daylight and lock it (Ch. 12–13).
C.17 — Night interior, motivated by practicals
FIGURE C.17 — Night interior, motivated by practicals (top-down view)
▽ practical (warm table lamp ~2700–3200K, IN frame)
╲ motivates a hidden warm key just beside/behind it
↘
▢ key (warm, low, from the lamp's implied direction)
╲
↘ ( S ) ─────►
│ ↖
WINDOW ☀ ───┘ ▣ cool "moonlight" rim (~5600–6500K) from the window
(cool, low) side, edging the far shoulder
Little / no fill → shadows fall deep. [CAM]
When a scene should read as night indoors, let the lamps in the room motivate it. A warm practical (~2700–3200K) justifies a hidden warm key beside it; a cool window rim (~5600–6500K) reads as moon or streetlight and separates the subject; keep fill minimal so the darkness stays. The discipline is that every source traces to something the viewer can see or believe. Underexpose the room, not the faces — the lit skin still has to be readable (Ch. 5, Ch. 12).
Build in order (key → fill → rim → motivate), measure your contrast on the waveform rather than trusting your eye (Ch. 5), lock the ratio, and match it across every angle of coverage so the edit holds together (Ch. 26–28). The theory behind every map here is in Chapters 11–13 — this page is only the where.