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Film & Television vocabulary · Lighting

Negative fill

Meaning in film & television, with examples

nounCommon term

In film & television, negative fill means: The use of dark material to absorb reflected light and deepen shadows on a subject.

In Turkish: negatif dolgu

How it is used

Lighting crews add negative fill when surrounding surfaces make shadows too bright.

Example sentences

  1. We added negative fill beside his face to deepen the shadow on his cheek.

    Absorbing reflected light increases facial contrast.

  2. The white room needed negative fill on both sides of the interview chair.

    Bright surroundings create reflections that need controlling.

Common collocations

  • add negative fill
  • negative fill panel
  • lightingThe use and arrangement of light sources on set to show the action clearly and to create the mood and look of a scene.
  • gafferThe head of the electrical and lighting crew on a film set, who carries out the cinematographer's lighting plan.

More terms: Lighting

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