Top Light
Light falling from almost directly above a person’s head. The brow and eye sockets block the light so the eyes sink into shadow, and shadows also form under the nose and chin. With the eyes hidden, you cannot read the person’s mind, and it feels mysterious or intimidating. It sits much higher than butterfly lighting, which shines from above and in front and leaves light in the eyes.
How it feels
- Mystery
- Intimidation
- Isolation
- Tension
- Unreadable
When to use it
- A powerful figure in a crime film
- Under a single bare bulb in an interrogation room
- A spotlight on stage
- A character left alone
In the movies
The Godfather 1972
Cinematographer Gordon Willis used overhead light throughout the film. The opening scene in Vito Corleone’s office shows pools of overhead light and the darkness around them. Marlon Brando’s eyes are often hidden in shadow, reportedly because the audience did not always need to know what this man was thinking.
Not to be confused with
- Butterfly Lighting
- Butterfly lighting shines from above and in front, so light stays in the eyes. Top light is almost directly overhead, so the eyes fall into shadow.
- Hair Light
- A hair light shines from behind and above onto the top of the head and shoulders. Top light comes straight down from above onto the face.
- Under Light
- The exact opposite: it shines from below upward, so shadows rise upward.
Prompt
top light
Hard top light from directly above, the eyes sink into shadow, mysterious and intimidating.
Try these combinations
Medium shot + top light: an interrogation room
Medium shot, harsh overhead light, a suspect sweating under a single bare bulb in an interrogation room
Wide shot + top light: alone on a stage
Wide shot, a single spotlight overhead, a lone dancer on a dark stage