Broad Lighting
Broad lighting keys the side of the face turned toward camera, so the near cheek is the bright one and the shadow sits on the far side. The face reads open, public, and less mysterious.
Narrative function
Someone is presenting themselves: a speech, a studio comic, a star who must be fully available to the lens. The camera-facing plane carries the exposure, so pores and expression on that cheek are easy to read.
It is the wrong tool for menace, secrecy, or a slimming portrait on a wide face. Broad is not high-key; you can still have a dark room.
The definition is only which cheek is near and lit.
How it works
Turn the face or swing the key so the camera-facing cheek takes the key, often 30 to 45 degrees off a near-frontal axis. Fill can be generous.
Hardness is often softer than noir short lighting. Color is whatever the public space is: daylight, studio tungsten, a bright practical.
Prompt: Broad lighting on [Subject], the camera-facing side keyed, open and public, less shadow on the near cheek.
When to use it
Use it for an open, readable portrait, a public figure, a comic close-up. Do not use it when the near cheek should be the secret.
Compared with similar shots
Short lighting is the reverse: far cheek keyed, near cheek dark. High-key lighting is overall contrast, which often pairs with broad but is not the same job.
Butterfly lighting is on-axis, so neither cheek is favored. Loop lighting can be executed broad or short depending on head turn.
In film
Classical portraiture and studio comedy close-ups, including open faces in Roman Holiday and Singin' in the Rain, key the near cheek so the public can have the person. The shadow, if any, lives on the far side.
Prompt it
Light the near cheek. Use: "Broad lighting on [Subject], the camera-facing side keyed, open and public, less shadow on the near cheek." Say the bright plane is the one occupying most of the frame.
What usually goes wrong
The usual wrong cousin is short lighting. The tell is a dark near cheek and a bright far sliver.
Fix it by turning the key onto the camera-facing side or turning the face toward the key.
Questions
What is broad lighting in film?
Lighting the side of the face turned toward camera. The near cheek is bright; the shadow sits farther away.
Broad lighting vs short lighting
Broad keys the near cheek and feels open. Short keys the far cheek and puts mystery on the camera side.
When should I use broad lighting?
Use it when a face should feel public and easy to read. Skip it when you want sculpture and withheld information.
How do I prompt broad lighting for AI image or video?
Specify the camera-facing side keyed, open near cheek, less shadow on the plane closest to camera.
Melies can generate this Broad Lighting
Melies is the AI filmmaking workspace. This Broad Lighting opens with the lighting prompt loaded, so you generate the key, fill, and falloff instead of naming a mood.