VP- Ch11
Production Mechanics
- Sound-boom positions - lighting cues - lighting effects
how to create flood/soft light artificially
- large area light fittings -diffusion material in front of light sources -internal reflection light -light bounced from large white surfaces
specialty types of spotlights
-effects/pattern projectors -follow spots
Soft lights are usually used to...
-illuminate shadows without creating additional shadows -avoid emphasizing modeling and texture
most common light sources
-tungsten (incandescent) -quartz (tungsten-halogen) -HMI -Fluorescent tubes -LED
Two Types of Cyc Lights
1. Floor Light 2. Hanging Cyc Light
Two types of Soft Lights
1. Studio Soft Light 2. Portable Soft Light
2 ways to correct color when shooting
1. adjust the camera to compensate for the color variations of the prevailing light by using a suitable color correction filter and/or adjusting the white balance 2. adjust the color temperature of the light to suit the camera's color balance
Ellipsoidal Spotlights
A sharply focused spotlight. The focusing ability allows it to project patterns on the set. Heavier and includes internal shutters (like barn doors) More expensive than other spotlights and has an adjustable beam.
Floor Light
AKA "strip light" are used to light backgrounds from the floor up.
Flood light
Aka as soft light; the scattered, diffused, shadowless illumination that in nature comes from a cloudy overcast sky & is reflected from rough surfaces of all kinds. They are used mainly for fill light and for broad lighting of backgrounds. They can be hung, supported on light stands, or rested on the ground.
Scoop
An inexpensive and simple light instrument, requiring little maintenance and working well when a flood light (fill) is required. However, it can be inefficient and bulky. Also, the light from this instrument spreads uncontrollably, spilling around over nearby scenery.
Soft lights
Available in 2 types and generally use a central lamp that is reflected off of the back of the lighting instrument. Although this device spreads its illumination uncontrollably, it is a very handy lighting tool.
Strip Light/ Cyc Light
Consists of a row of light units joined in a long trough. Each unit has a bulb with a curved metal reflector. The strip light can be used to illuminate backgrounds or translucent screens from the floor.
Portable Soft Light
Designed to be carried easily into the field, but is still often used in the studio. It provides a large amount of soft light.
Multilamp Banks
Excellent soft light sources. Typical design has multiple panels of grouped internal reflector lamps and each panel can usually be independently switched and turned to adjust the brightness and spread of the unit
Incident Light Measurements
Helps to assess the relative intensities of lighting from various directions. When measuring incident lighting, the light meter must be positioned next to the subject, pointed at the light sources. it is measuring the amount of light that is falling on the subject, from the subject's prospective.
2 Primary Ways of Measuring the Lighting in a Scene
Incident Light Measurements & Reflected Light Measurements
Flood Light Bank
Mainly used as a booster light for exteriors and for large-area illumination
Flags
Often used to control spill light from light sources. Flags are generally made of cloth stretched over a metal frame. Usually mounted on a light stand placed in front of the light source. They can also be constructed by using any material that can block the light.
Cyclorama Light
Or "cyc" lights are used to illuminate backgrounds with broad lighting. Basically 2 types of these lights.
Light filters/gels
Placed over lights to enhance the color of the light. Added to create special effects of control the type of light falling on the sunject
Hanging Cyc Light
Projects a consistent broad light down on the background.
tungsten (incandescent)
Relatively cheap, has a reasonably ling life, exists in a wide range of intensities (power ratings) is generally reliable, and can be mounted in many types of fittings. However, these lamps waste much electrical energy as heat. Their typical color temperature is around 3000 to 3200 degrees K.
Diffuser
Some type of translucent material (wire mesh, frosted plastic, or spun-glass sheet) that diffuses and reduces the light's intensity.
Lighting Cues
Such as someone apparently switching room lights on
Gaffer
The head of the electrical department, many time in charge of lighting on a tv set
Base light
The minimal amount of light that allows the camera to see the subject
Sound-boom positions
These help avoid casting shadows that will be seen in the shot
Day Exteriors
These vary from overcast skies to strong blinding sunlight with deep shadows
Fresnal Spotlight
Used in TV studios, where the lights have to be positioned a fair distance from the subject. This type of spotlight is universal and can be suspended from ceiling bars or battens and provides an unfocused spotlight beam. Probably used more in studios than any other light.
kicker, crossback, or 3/4 light
a back light that is roughly 30 degrees off the lens axis
spotlights
a directional or hard illumination that produces sharp shadows. this type of light comes from any concentrated light source, such as the sun or a spotlight.
fill light
a flood light that is placed on the opposite side of the camera from the key light. it reduces shadows but should not eliminate them. it also reduces the lighting contrast. the more the key light is offset, the more important this light becomes. usually one one-half or three-quarters the intensity of the key and black light.
modeling light or accent light
a loose term for any hard light revealing texture and form
lighting plot
a plan that shows where each light will be placed on the set. enables you to immediately identify every lamp during rehearsal
main light
aka "key light" is positioned slightly above and to one side of the camera. this is normally a spotlight and it reveals the shape and surface features of the subject. it produces distinct, harsh shadows. generally same intensity as the black light.
Broadlight
aka "v-light" or "broadside" has a short trough containing a reflector and a tubular quartz light of usually 500 to 1000 W. The bulb may have a frontal shield to internally reflect the light. It produces quite discernable shadows. But, it is an extremely useful wide-angle broad light source that can be hung conveniently in various ways, supported on stands, or laid on the floor.
incident light
aka as direct lighting; the amount of light falling on a subject.
3 point lighting
aka as photographic lighting and triangle lighting; use of two spotlights and a flood light to illuminate the subject, uses both directional and diffused lighting to get the best results
zebra
allows camera operators to evaluate the exposure of the image in the viewfinder by showing all over-exposed segments of a scene with stripes
HMI
also known as a type of gas discharge lamp, these lamps are extremely efficient light sources, using a mercury arc ignited within argon gas. these lights' abilities result in near-daylight illumination (5600-6000 degrees K) This highly efficient lamp is particularly convenient for use on location to fill shadows in exteriors and to light within large daylight interiors bc its color temp blends well with daylight. it gives about three to five times as much light as a quartz light of equivalent power, while producing less heat. Cannot be struck quickly, which is a disadvantage in "shoot-and-run" productions
black light
angled down onto the subject from behind to give some separation between the subject and the background, it emphasizes the shaped of the subjects. generally the same intensity as the key light.
night exteriors
anything from pitch-black night to strong moonlight; from the odd street lamp to "bright as day" surroundings
Gels
color gels (filters) can be placed over lights to enhance the color of the light.
night interiors
conditions here can vary considerably, from total darkness to an extensively lit environment. sometimes the interior lighting is quite unsuitable for the camera and must be switched off.
diffuser
consist of some type of translucent material. they diffuse light and reduce the intensity
Fluorescent tubes
consists of a sealed gas-filled glass tube with a phosphor-coated inner surface. when switched on, the mercury vapor within the tube ionizes, causing the phosphor coating to glow brightly, the color depends on the specific materials used. Provide a broad light source, making the illumination relatively soft and easier on the eyes than intense spotlights. Difficult to maintain light spread.
bounce light
diffused illumination obtained by reflection from a strongly lit surface such as a ceiling or a reflector
base light/foundation light
diffused light uniformly flooding the entire setting. used to prevent under-exposure of shadows and excessive contrast.
eye light or catch light
eye reflection (preferably one only) of a light source, giving lively expression - sometimes from a camera light
rim light
illumination of the subject's edges by back light
Quartz (tungsten-halogen)
in thesee lamps, the tungsten filament is enclosed within a quartz or silica envelope filled with halogen gas. this restricts the normal filament evaporation, providing a longer lamp life and/or a higher more constant light output, of increased color temperature-around 3200 degrees K. the bulb must not be handle, as body acids attacks the surface of the lamp and becomes brittle and extremely hot in use. `
Lighting Effects
include effects such as fire flicker, lightning, moonlight, etc
hair light
lamp localized to reveal hair detail
background light or set light
light illuminating the background alone
side light
light located at right angles to the lens axis, reveal's subject's contours.
edge light
light skimming along a surface, revealing its texture an contours.
base lighting
lighting bright enough to enable all the tv cameras to produce pictures of the highest quality
reflected light
measured with a handheld light meter of a camera's built-in-meter; the light bouncing off of a subject. in this situation, the meter is aimed directly at a subject
Barn Doors
metal flaps attached to the front of a lighting instrument; used to control where the lights falls on a scene. selectively cut off light beams.
cookies/gobos
perforated opaque or translucent sheets that create dappling, shadows, light break-up, or patterns that can be projected onto a set by a spotlight. can be inserted onto the front of some spotlights
reflected light measurements
provides a general indication of the amount of light reflected from the scene, arriving at the camera's lens. in this situation, the meter is aimed directly at the subject , Television cameras use reflected light metering.
camera light
small light source mounted on a camera to reduce the contrast fro close-up shots
contrast contol light
soft fill light from camera position illuminating shadows and reducing lighting contrast
light dispersion
some light sources produce hard light, which casts strong shadows; others create soft light, which is diffused, and has few shadows. this range of tools offers us the choice of bold brush strokes or subtly graded halftones
color temperature
the color quality of the light. light and camera performance should be matched to avoid poor color quality
light direction
the direction of the light affect the way light and shade fall on a subject. it determines which features are highlighted and which fall into shadow
Reflectors
the easiest and least expensive way to improve a subject's lighting when shooting in sunlight
key light
the main light, usually a spotlight, that reveals the shape and surface features of the subject
LED
the newest addition to tv lighting. although they are not the brightest, they are extremely efficient
white balance
the process of calibrating a camera so that the light source will be reproduced accurately as white; the most common technique of color-balancing a camera
effects/pattern projectors
the spotlights, which include the ellipsoidal spotlight can project patterns on the set or scene to stimulate windows, branches, and so on
light intensity
the strength of light that we require on the subject and the surroundings will determine how powerful the lamps need to be, relative to the area they have to cover
day interiors
these can range from locations where sunlight through windows embarrassingly overwhelms any interior lighting to those where you need to provie a high power lamp to stimulate sunlight on a dull day
Dimmer Board
these systems are extremely adaptable and can be suitable for portability. Faders (control levers) and channel swtichers are grouped on a lighting board (console), remotely controlling the lights. Intensity adjustments are smooth and proportional over their range, even for varying electrical loads.
follow spots
used for isolating static objects or following moving performers in a confined pool of light. these large spotlights are carefully balanced for continuous accurate handling and are usually mounted on a stand.
top light
vertical overhead lighting (edge lighting from above). undesirable for portraiture.
Open-face adjustable light
widely used in the field. has many advantage. it is extremely portable, compact, and efficient. diffuser and/or corrective gels are eaily clipped to its barn doors
