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