Lighting for Video CHAPTER 11 269 to flatten out the texture and shape of the front of your face. If there is a smooth or shiny surface behind you, the light bounces straight back into your eyes (back into the camera lens) and appears as a hot spot on the background. Even a rough surface, such as stone or concrete, may look smooth under direct frontal lighting. It reminds you too of how unpleasantly dazzling it can be for people if you light them this way. Move your flashlight to above your head, shining it straight downward. See how the light emphasizes every wrinkle! The top of your head and your nose are now bright ("hot"), and your eyes are hidden in dark sockets. You have instantly aged a number of years! (Always try to avoid top, overhead, downward lighting, particularly when shooting people.) Hold the flashlight down low, shining upward, and the effect is spooky, because we are not used to seeing people lit in this way--except in horror movies. Now the eyes and the neck are strongly lit. Again, surface details are emphasized with upward shadows. Take the light around to one side. You will see how only half of your head is lit, and the surface texture and contours of your face are unattractively exaggerated. If someone takes the flashlight and holds it behind you, shining onto the back of your head, you will see that only the edges of your head will be lit (hair, ears, and shoulders if the lamp is high). This sort of backlight is successful when you are lighting solid