LIGHTING

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LIGHTING

• The technique of adding light and color to a scene

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Lighting

• Approach
• Consider the effect you want to achieve... bright
  open, dark mysterious, shadowy and intimate,
  'natural, soft/harsh
• then devise a method for achieving it.

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Other factors

• talent movement (sitcoms lit bright to
  accommodate movement on 'stage'... lighting
  generally not key to story)\
• type of production - hard news, magazine/depth
  interview style, narrative

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Other factors

• goals of production
• availability of equipment and time constraints

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Lighting Units (fixtures, housings)

• General categories of lights
• Spots - focused beam, bright, intense, adjustable
• Floods- softer, more diffuse beam, sometimes
  adjustable, sometimes not

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Spots

• focused beam, bright, intense
• lamp (bulb) moved to focus/flood beam
• very common

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Fresnel (freh-NEL)

• Very common studio and field light
• Adjustable bulb - slides back and forth within
  the light housing
• Special lens at front of light - circular pattern
  adds both focus and diffusion to the light beam

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Ellipsoidal (leko)

• complex lens system
• very precise, less common, studio only

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External reflector spot

• "field" light w/moveable bulb
• Very common in field production
• 1000W Lowel DP Light
• Chimera Soft Box
• 650W fotolite
• Barn doors
• 250W Lowel Pro Light
• Umbrella mount

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Flood

• diffused light, reduces/fills shadows
• scrim can be added to increase diffusion
• Scoop -fixed" bulb, soft light
• Broadlight - "box" shaped, may have many lamps,
  used in studio or field.
• Lowel Tota light - 650W
• Often used w/umbrella
• Built-in barn doors (2, not 4)

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Elements (bulbs)

• INCANDESCENT - typical light bulbs, yellowish
  color
• QUARTZ/HALOGEN - very bright and hot
• 3200K
• - handle w/care use gloves, oils from hands can
  ruin bulb
• HMI - halogen-metal-iodine - 5600K
• bluish light, not common

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Mounting devices

• Lighting grid - mounted on ceiling, 12-20 feet
  high (studio only)
• C-clamp (studio) - connects to grid
• Light stands (field) - tip easily, use sandbags
  if possible, be careful when extending fully
• Various field light clamps - ceiling clips, door
  mounts...

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Brightness control

• Studio lighting control panel - all lighting
  inputs controlled from panel
• Dimmers - in-line power controls which enable
  lights to be dimmed (make sure light wattage
  doesn't exceed dimmer capacity e.g., 600 watts)

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Diffusion devices

• Goal - soften light and shadows, reduce harshness
• Reflector umbrella - light faces away from the
  camera, bounces off of umbrella (think 'senior
  portrait').
• Soft box - nylon box mounts to lighting unit with
  a wire frame, white material softens light
• Diffusion gels - different materials which soften
  light, connected with clothes pins or gel frame

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Diffusion continued

• Bounce light off the ceiling/wall to create a
  diffused light on the subject.
• Bounce-fills - white/gold nylon on expandable
  frames to bounce light onto fill side of
  subject.  Very useful in the sun or with only one
  light.
• - put bounce on opposite side of key light
• - use a C-stand if possible

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Diffusion continued

• Silks/scrims (some bounce fills can do this too)
• Reduce the amount of sunlight falling on talent
  (creates shade) a C-stand if possible

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Direction control

• Barn doors - fit onto lighting unit, help "shape"
  light
• Snoot - same, circular pattern ('coffee can' on
  front of light helps really narrow beam)

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Gels

• colored acetate mounted on front of light
• adds color to light
• can be used to 'correct' color (turn tungsten to
  daylight temp or vice versa)
• CTO - orange, makes daylight warmer
• CTB - blue, makes lighting units match sunlight

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LIGHTING TECHNIQUE

• 3-POINT LIGHTING - basic method
• KEY LIGHT - main light source on subject
• focused, tight beam
• creates strong shadow
• vertical angle 30-40 degrees
•     too low - reflection, shadows on wall
•     too high - shadows on face
• side angle 15-30 deg. to side of camera
• Instruments - Fresnel, ellipsoidal, external
  reflector

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3-Point Lighting contd.

• FILL LIGHT - soft, diffused,
• - opposite side of camera from key light
• - removes shadows from KEY
• Elements scoop, broad, flooded Fresnel or
  external reflector w/diffusion
• One person's key can be another's fill.

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3-Point Lighting contd.

• BACK LIGHT lights the back of the subject
• highlights edges, back, hair
• separates subject from the background
• higher angle than others - 45-50 deg.
• so it won't spill into camera lens
• can be mounted low (rim light)

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OTHER LIGHTING TECHNIQUES

• BACKGROUND lighting
• - lights the 'background'
• - be selective and careful, light separately
• - color helps separate subject from background
• - gobos, 'cookies' can shape light, add patterns
  to light

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OTHER LIGHTING TECHNIQUES

• KICKER - low level light, lights specific item or
  area on set
• Trend is toward lower overall light levels, more
  naturalistic lighting

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Some basic lighting suggestions

• Be very aware of the direction, color and
  intensity of light when setting up on location. 
• Where is the light coming from?
• Can it be controlled, eliminated?
• What color is it?  Is outside light bleeding in? 
  What can we do about it?
• Is light too intense? Too soft?  How can this be
  adjusted?

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Some basic lighting suggestions

• 2. Don't set lights until camera position and
  talent position have been determined.  Don't set
  camera and talent until lighting issues have been
  considered.
• 3. Make sure you look through the viewfinder when
  determining proper light levels (don't just use
  your eyes).

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Some basic lighting suggestions

• 4. Do NOT plug lights and cameras into the same
  outlets. Buzz/hum.
• 5. Never plug a light in with the switch in the
  ON position (ALWAYS turn lights off before
  plugging in).
• 6. Warn people that you are turning lights on so
  that they don't get 'blinded' by the light.
  STRIKING!

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Some basic lighting suggestions

• 7. Use gloves to handle lights once they have
  been turned on - housings get very hot very fast.
• 8. Never touch the bulbs with bare hands, oils
  will cause them to break.

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Some basic lighting suggestions

• 9. Light foreground and background separately.
  Light from main lights should NOT also light the
  background.
• Provide plenty of room between subject and the
  background.
• Light the background with separate units.