LIGHTING NOTESTelecomm I – Unit 4 – Terlecki

WHAT’S SO IMPORTANT?

• Of our three major units (Audio, Video/Picture, and Lighting), Lighting is the most important – and often the most overlooked!

• Why is lighting the most important?• Objects are “seen” by reflected visible light• Lighting helps create mood• Major problems that arise without good light:

• Loss of detail• Loss of color• “Grainy” pictures/video• Shallow depth of field• Hard to focus

REMEMBER THIS?

• Good lighting versus bad lighting:

HOW TO PRODUCE GOOD LIGHT

• Lighting for videography and photography requires balanced light.• Balanced light has equal amounts of the three primary colors

• Red, Green, and Blue• Balanced light is achieved through “Three Point Lighting”

THREE POINT LIGHTING

• Key Light

• Fill Light

• Back Light

• How do these work together?

THREE POINT LIGHTING NOTES

1. Key Lighta) Located left front, higher than the subjectb) Emphasizes contrastc) Twice the intensity of the Fill Light

2. Fill Light1. Helps alleviate the high contrast of the Key Light2. Placed on the opposite side of the Key Light, closer to the camera3. One half the intensity of the Key Light and one third the intensity of the

Back Light

THREE POINT LIGHTING CONTINUED…

3. Back Lighta) Located directly behind the subjectb) Used to highlight the edges of the subjectc) Helps to separate the subject from the backgroundd) Eliminates flatnesse) Helps create depthf) Specifically light the top of the head and shouldersg) The most intense of the three lights being three times the intensity of the

Fill Light.

TYPES OF LIGHTS

• Incandescent

• Fluorescent

• Quartz

• LED (Light Emitting Diode)

QUARTZ BULBS

• Bulb most suitable for video production

• Provides balanced light for life of the bulb

• Burns at extremely high temperature

• Not to be touched by bare skin

OTHER LIGHTS

• Studio Lights• Fresnel

• Has a spotted beam• Has a moveable reflector to adjust the beam• Has a glass lens• Can use Barn Doors

MORE LIGHTS

• Scoop• Has a wide beam (flood light)• Can use a Scrim

• Made of spun glass, mesh, or gel• Changes effect of beam

• Can soften light (spun glass)• Can change color to effect mood

• Lighting Grid• Arrangement of pipes and beams on which to hang (mount) lights

• Panagraph• Used to adjust the height of the light angle

OTHER LIGHTS IN THE STUDIO

• Background or Set Lights• Brightens the background or set• Helps control shadows

• Work Lights• Used for everyday operations and work in the studio• Spares the use of the more expensive studio quartz lights.

LIGHTING DISTANCE AND TEMPERATURE

• Footcandles• Unit of measuring intensity of light• One footcandle is defined as the light from one candle at a distance of one

foot

• Temperature• Measured in Kelvin Temperature

• Mixture of colors in light• Two important Kelvin measurements

• 3200* Kelvin = Quartz Light• 5500* Kelvin = Sunlight

COMMON KELVIN MEASUREMENTS

CONTROLLING THE QUANTITY OF AVAILABLE LIGHT

• Flags• A flat, opaque card• Used to block the path of directional light

• Screens• A large expanse of plastic mesh stretched on a frame• Used to partially block directional light

• Reflectors• A flat, reflective card or canvas• Used to control the directionality of light• Tinted reflectors

• Control the intensity and color of light.

AVAILABLE LIGHT

• What is available light?• Available light is all of the usable light emitted in a given space• Available light includes all lighting sources

• Natural light• Artificial light

• Natural Light• Light created by the Sun• Cannot add additional natural light to any scene

• Artificial Light• Light created by man-made lights• Can add additional artificial light to any scene

QUANTITY CONTROL CONT…

• Barn Doors• Metal flaps hinged to the edges of a light• Can be a bi-fold or a quad-fold• Used to control light spillage

• Cookies• A cut-out placed over a light• Used to control amount or shape of visible light• Most famous Cookie:

• The Bat Signal