DCE Quizwiz 2

This visual spread of darkness to brightness is often called...

"latitude" or "range"

the inverse square rule: I ~ (1/r squared)

the intensity emitting from a light source onto a subject drops to a quarter of that intensity every time the distance is doubled

Lev Kuleshov editing experiment

- Close up man's face with blank expression - Then second shot of different subject: food = hungry, dead kid = sad, woman = lust - No shot stands on it's own, it's connected to the shot before and after it

contrast range

1 billion parts to 1

Steps to light a dramatic scene

1. Block and mark 2. Set lights with actors or stand-ins 3. Rehearse camera & actor motions 4. Tweak lights 5. Shoot!

5 Main Factors Controlling Contrast

1. level of light on subject/frame 2. ND (neutral density) lters 3. camera's image sensor's sensitivity (most DSLRS use CMOS) 4. shutter speed 5. lens f-stop setting also called iris, exposure, aperture

how many rods and cones do you have

125 million rods and 6 million cones

reflection

Consider pointing light directly at either a reflector or bounce card or even a white wall next to actors or subject to create a soft ll source; Use flag/cutter to cut off key light "spill" from hitting background if you don't want light to hit that part of your frame composition

Close-Up (CU)

Easier to light, Can be joined to almost any other shot, Shows intensity of emotion, vulnerability, intimacy Good for "cutting on the look", Beautiful when used with long lens

Coverage Characteristics

Employs a "safe" shoot with multiple angles of same action (WS+2 MS/CU turnarounds), Guarantees at least 1-2 angles full "coverage" of a scene/dialogue interaction

Wide Shot (WS)

Establishes location/venue, Provides dialogue interaction "home base", Less editing is required, Captures full range of action sequences

Medium Shot (MS)

Great for general dialogue exchange, Captures actor's gestures and body language, Excellent small group shots

Low Key

High Contrast

Two ways to plan a narrative shoot

In-Camera: director shoots the storyboards exactly as they appear on paper Coverage: director shoots storyboards with a loose formula of additional set ups and longer takes

Proper Exposure is...

KING

The most important of the top 5 factors controlling contrast

Level of light on a subject/frame Lens f-stop setting

High Key

Low Contrast

Practical Light

Motivated areas of illumination

Choose correct balance between...

ND lter, exposure/aperture/iris/f-stop setting, internal gain/ISO, and external lighting

In-Camera Characteristics

Presupposes too much: perfect script, perfect storyboards, perfect execution by actors or crew, Shooting days/deadlines can be easily accomplished, Best used on "tight" or very complicated production schedule days

Spatial Edits

Space (walk to door, cut when opens door to new shot)

Striping

Stripe your content with light and shadow in layers to help audience interpret visual depth

Logical

Teacher walks down hallway, teacher teaching in classsroom

Temporal Edits

Time (cut on drop of pens)

Nets

Translucent black cloth used to cut down light in intensity

Silks

Translucent white cloth used for diffusion

Danger of In-Camera

could have gaps in story and poor match action editing

Barn Doors

creates soft edge on intended shadow because it's close to light source

exposing toward the middle of lens means exposing at

f4 or f5.6

Danger of Coverage

footage can be exhaustive to review and be too simple (visually bland)

Err on the side of shooting a slightly lower, flatter dynamic range because...

gamma curve adjustments can pull apart in post

Gold/Silver Reflectors

good for creating extra sparkle in eyes/face but be careful about losing correct skin tone color

Gobo

intentional design placed close to light source to cast image shadow on wall (Batman)

Blackwrap

like foil, shapeable, cut off light, utility barndoors/snoots/cookies/fingers/dots

Scrims

metallic-stitched softener placed in front of bulb

Fingers/dots

mini-version flag/nets and used to knock down a specific hot spot or to create a specific shadow

Best practices to set a new line of action

place a shot "on" the sight line or action axis, have an actor "cross" the line, cutaway (bridge) shot of something else in room or location (sometimes it is something an actor looks at), a continuous uninterrupted moving shot around the axis (no edit = no violation)

Cookies

random cutout pattern that creates dappled lights/shadows (good for breaking up boring walls like light to passing through tree branches)

Reflectors/bounce cards

re-directs light on subject, can be diffused if surface is white...or focused if surface is silver/gold

Bulbs

separates from simple point/shoot footage, simulates reality, sets mood tone and atmosphere, shows off artistic expression, can be powerful storytelling

Flags/Cutters

solid black cloth attached to frames used to cut off light or create "negative fill" light

Err on the side of slightly underexposing because...

today's powerful sensors can pull much info from pixels in post

Diffusion Sheets

various levels of white and/or clear lter to soften light

Dynamic Range

what will be my darkest dark and my brightest bright in my shot?