How to Replicate Lighting Styles from Famous Films
Looking to replicate lighting from your favourite film? We've compiled some tips on how to create these lighting styles at home yourself with Godox LED video lighting kit. Check it out below:
Contents:
1917 (2019, DoP Roger Deakins)
Blade Runner 2049 (2017, DoP Roger Deakins)
Moonlight (2016, DoP James Laxton)
How can I light a scene like Roger Deakins in '1917'?
Roger Deakins, the Director of Photography for war-film 1917, used large-scale motivated light sources, often hidden from view, such as flares, practical lamps, or large soft bounces, combined with natural lighting. Deakins himself admits that most of his films are "naturalistic" and that lighting is used when needed, and that he will use artificial lighting in appropriate contexts to boost practical lighting on-set and balance the resulting shot.
To replicate his style, use the Godox KNOWLED MG1200Bi as a sunlight-replicating source, with a large scrim or bounce surface to simulate environmental sources. Add haze to capture volumetric shafts. The Bi-Colour function of the MG1200Bi plus the brightness adjustment options allow for different tones of light colour to help replicate candlelight, moonlight and more for maximum authenticity and colour matching.
Use practical lighting to add depth and character, and avoid flat frontal lighting. Deakins also leans into natural colour tones — avoid overusing gels or RGB effects unless motivated.
What lighting style is used in Blade Runner 2049 and how can I recreate it?
Blade Runner 2049, much different from 1917 in style and theme, uses a mix of soft and harsh shadows, intense directional light, and vivid colours to reflect the futuristic, high-tech dystopian setting.
To replicate similar effects with the goal of adding more in post-production, RGB lighting will be your best friend, thanks to their ability to produce bi-colour lighting tones as well as the full creative colour range. Use COB LED Heads like the Godox Litemons LA300R or KNOWLED MG1200R with soft diffusion panels and filters to produce soft washes of light such as above, if replicating the colour from large screens, or in this case, holograms. The wider your softbox of source of diffusion, the wider the resulting light will spread.
Smaller RGB light units such as the TL60s or TL120 tubes in RGB mode can add up-close, saturated washes of light, and can be great for replicating practical light sources such as the image below. Backlighting and silhouette are frequent—control spill with floppies and embrace shadow as part of the scene.
How can I light a scene like from Moonlight using Godox gear?
Utilising a wide mix of both natural lighting and artificial light, Moonlight, like the name suggests, uses a lot of moonlight-inspired colour in it's lighting including saturated, cool blues, as well as purples and pinks. The different colours also represent the main character's journey throughout the film. Softer, more intimate scenes in the film are also reflected by softer shadows and gentle lighting,
Again, RGB lighting equipment is vital for replicating these styles, and are the best option for easily achieving the same colour tone, saturation and intensity across different days of shooting. Keep exposure soft and embrace shadow. Let background fall off into colour wash. Subtlety is key—avoid overlighting. Larger lights like the MG1200R would work well for outdoor, large-scale scenes, but smaller lights such as the ML100R would be perfect hand-held for tighter indoor shots where a small pop of creative colour is needed.
