What emotions do you want to evoke?

Lighting isn’t just for visibility; it’s used to set mood, create atmosphere, and guide the viewer's emotions.

How does the framing make you feel?

Composition helps frame the narrative, giving structure to your story.

Learn to Compose

Develop a cinematic eye by mastering lighting, camera language, and composition inside Unreal Engine.

In-Depth Cinematic Lighting Techniques

Learn to create stunning lighting effects inspired by iconic blockbuster films

Hands-On Camera Handling

Master the art of camera movements, angles, and composition in Unreal Engine.

Portfolio Development

Build a strong portfolio showcasing your skills from basic to advanced lighting and cinematography techniques.

About the Course

Cinematic Lighting with Unreal Engine is a 6-week live course at Origin Art Academy designed to help artists develop a stronger cinematic eye using real-time tools. The course focuses on the core pillars of cinematic visuals—lighting, camera language, and composition—and how intentional creative decisions influence mood, scale, and storytelling. Students progress from foundational lighting theory to more advanced cinematic techniques through guided, hands-on scene work inspired by iconic films. Each week combines live instruction, practical exercises, and thoughtful critique, helping students better understand both the technical and artistic reasoning behind effective cinematic lighting. By the end of the course, students will have developed cinematic scenes intended for portfolio presentation, demonstrating improved lighting decisions, intentional camera composition, and a deeper understanding of Unreal Engine’s real-time cinematic workflow across film, games, and virtual production.

Instructor - Rodrigo de Deus

Rodrigo de Deus is a Senior 3D Environment and Lighting Artist with extensive experience across film, virtual production, games, and automotive visualization. He has worked at leading studios including MPC, DNEG, Framestore, PIXOMONDO, RIOT, and Jaguar Land Rover, contributing to high-end cinematic and real-time projects. With a strong background in environment art, lighting, and Houdini workflows, Rodrigo specializes in creating visually compelling scenes where lighting, camera, and composition work together to support storytelling. Based in Brazil, he brings both deep technical knowledge and a cinematic eye to his teaching, helping artists better understand how professional lighting decisions are made in production. He has been featured on 80.lv for breaking down Disney and Pixar's indoor lighting scene of Luca and composition analysis Netflix's Arcane.

Course Curriculum

6 Chapters · 6 Lessons

  1. 1

    Week 1: Introduction to Unreal Engine and Fundamentals of Cinematic Lighting

    1. (Included in full purchase)

      Basics of Cinematic Lighting

  2. 2

    Week 2: Exploration of Light Types and Lighting Techniques

    1. (Included in full purchase)

      Study of different light types

  3. 3

    Week 3: Visual Composition and Camera Techniques

    1. (Included in full purchase)

      Composition and Camera Moves

  4. 4

    Week 4: Advanced Lighting Techniques and Special Effects in Unreal Engine

    1. (Included in full purchase)

      Lighting & Special Effects

  5. 5

    Week 5: Finalizing Scenes and Cinematic Rendering in Unreal Engine

    1. (Included in full purchase)

      Scene Prep

  6. 6

    Week 6: Portfolio Development and Final Presentation

    1. (Included in full purchase)

      Presentation

This course is designed to remove guesswork.

If you’ve ever felt unsure why a scene doesn’t feel cinematic—even when everything is “technically correct”—this course will give you the clarity you’re missing. You’ll learn how professional artists think about lighting, mood, contrast, and storytelling inside Unreal Engine, using workflows you can reuse on every project. This is not about presets or shortcuts. It’s about understanding the reasoning behind effective cinematic lighting—so you can make confident decisions on your own. Enroll now and start building scenes that feel intentional, cinematic, and alive.

Not sure yet? This course is designed to give you clarity in how cinematic lighting decisions are actually made

Ready to level up your lighting and tell stronger visual stories in Unreal Engine? Join this six-week live course and start creating cinematic scenes with confidence, clarity, and purpose.

Get Access to Cinematic Lighting