LIGHTING

Media in the form of film and television can be broken down into mere light shows.  Without light, film and television would be live performances only to be shared as a story told later to friends - not as an experience shared by many worldwide.

Light, and the way figures and objects are lit within a frame, can create different meanings and evoke emotions from viewers.  High-key lighting refers to a lighting design that creates few shadows.  High-key lighting is calming, there is little left in shadow, and the focus is on the dialogue or on the subjects themselves.  Low-key lighting involves stronger contrasts and sharper, noticeable changes between light and dark.  In low-key lighting, the focus could actually be either on the shadows or the subject, depending on the genre it is used in.

In the GED Achievement: Pep-talks PSA, the creators used high-key lighting, involving few shadows. most shots, in fact, probably used 3-point lighting: the use of a key, a fill, and a backlight.  The key is the primary source of light, the fill is a softer light that literally "fills" in the shadows, and the backlight may have been the fluorescent lights from the office itself.

Figure 1: This shot with Danny Trejo is in high-key lighting.  Notice there are no stark shadows.  You aren't curious if the boogeyman is hiding over his shoulder.  There are no murderers lurking in the other cubicles.  You are only focused on his pep-talk.

Another common practice in lighting is the Rembrandt triangle, made famous by the painter.  It is common in "beauty shots" to make the subject appear more attractive.  The triangle is created just under one of the eyes using the bridge of the nose and the cheekbone.  The Rembrandt can usually be achieved with three-point lighting.

Figure 2: Again, Wendy Raquel Robinson is lit with high-key lighting, as there are few shadows, and this time we can see a Rembrandt triangle on the left side of her face, closest to the graphic.

Because the goal of the PSA was to encourage high school dropouts to return to school to get their GED, the creators had to make the ad appear non-threatening.  Even, high-key lighting with few shadows encourages the positive thoughts behind getting a higher education.