Broad, diffuse lighting across the entire set—no sculpting, no contrast. Fast setup, flat result: only when time or gear is tight.
blanket strategy
You know the situation: The director wants to shoot an entire apartment in two hours, the ceiling is low, and the shooting schedule is tight. That's when you reach for the blanket strategy — an emergency solution that uses minimal equipment and allows for quick setup and teardown. You mount several large softboxes or HMIs with diffusion frost directly to the ceiling or to lightweight rigs, angle them slightly towards the scene, and create a uniform, hard light without highlights or modeling.
The crucial point: This strategy deliberately ignores all classic DoP craftsmanship techniques. No key-fill separation, no rim light for plasticity, no backlight for depth. The result is flat and monotonous — but quick to achieve. Every face looks the same, every room appears diffuse and without spatial tension. Some people also call this "shit routine lighting" — and rightly so.
Practically, it works like this: You calculate the illumination level you need on set (usually 500–800 lux for standard cameras), divide the required power equally among several lights, and distribute them in the room. No focusing on faces, no setting of accents. Advantage: If the actor moves, the lighting remains consistent. Disadvantage: The face appears faceless, the scene loses emotional breath.
There are films that consciously use this strategy — not out of a lack of time, but as a design element. Flat, desaturated lighting can also intentionally appear cold, isolated, or documentary. This is then not a deficiency, but dramaturgy. But if you use it out of necessity, it's always noticeable. It's better to clarify with the director in advance: Do we need real light sculpture, or is illumination sufficient? If the latter, then I always say — let's be open about the fact that we're going for routine and plan accordingly. Then everyone is consciously decided on the shot.