Unit 7 - Lighting

Lighting makes a BIG impact on your final image. You can use light to: Control the mood of your video Direct the eye of the viewer where you want it to go Emphasize and de-emphasize elements Add texture and color Make people look beautiful, ugly, sinister, or angelic Courtesy of IzzyVideo

To illustrate the importance of using good lighting techniques, let’s take a look at where video comes from… Video is photography at 30 frames per second, with sound. The word photography tells us a lot. The roots of the word are “photo” which means “light’. And “graphy” which means “writing”. So, with photography we’re writing with light. Video is similar. When we shoot video, we’re writing with light at 30 frames per second, with sound. Light is the single most important element that affects the final video image. Courtesy of IzzyVideo

Types of Light Directional Light o light with a harsh beam that causes harsh shadows. o Hard Light o Ex: bright sunlight; flashlight; car headlights Diffused Light o light with a more general illumination over a large area o Soft Light o Ex: cloudy, foggy day sunlight; fluorescent lighting

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Shadows Attached Shadows o seem attached to the object; not seen unattached o help us perceive the basic shape of an object o contribute to the perception of texture

Cast Shadows Cast shadows are seen independently of the object causing them o Helps tell us where things are o Tells us when things are taking place

Falloff Indicates the degree of change from light to shadow. o In other words, the abruptness (or speed) with which light areas turn to shadow areas. o Or the difference between diffused light and directional light

Fast Falloff An abrupt change from light to dense shadow Indicates a sharp edge or corner add photo here

Slow Falloff Shows a more continuous change from light to shadow gradual shading that indicates a curved object

Instruments vs. Lamps Instruments = Fixtures Lamps = Bulbs

Spotlights Collect light rays into focused beams Produce sharp, directional light and cause fast falloff Two Types: o Fresnel o Portable

Fresnel (fra-nel) Developed by Jean Fresnel of France Has thin, steplike lens to direct light into a beam Barn doors - metal flaps to direct light

Portable Spots Small, no lens Ex. Lowel Omni Light Do not have as precise of a beam as Fresnel

Floodlights Have no lens Use large relatively low-powered lamps Creates highly diffused nondirectional light Slow falloff

Scoop Named for its shape Can be used as key and fill lights Lights large areas with even light

Softlight Large with tubelike lamps whose light bounces off a curved reflector Quite large

Fluorescent Bank Rows of fluorescent tubes Efficient Slow falloff Diffused light Less heat

Portable Floodlights small diffused light Examples: o Diffusion Tent o Chinese Lantern o Umbrella

Color RGB -- Red, Green, Blue Additive Primary Colors All different colors can be created by mixing certain quantities of red, green, and blue light.

Color Temperature The standard by which we measure the relative reddishness or bluishness of white light Measured in Kelvin White Balance -- adjusting the camera so it reproduces a white object as white on the screen regardless of color temperature

Studio Lighting 3-point Lighting o Key light - reveals basic shape of subject; placed above and to the left or right of subject o Fill light - fills in (or lightens) shadows cast by key; placed above subject on the opposite side of key o Back light - to outline the subject from the backgroun; give hair sparkle; placed high and behind the subject

3-point lighting

High-key lighting A scene with an abundance of bright, diffused light, resulting in slow falloff or flat lighting Provides a high energy, upbeat feel Game shows, sit coms, commercials for beauty products

Low-key lighting very dramatic uses a few spotlights to create selective lighting with fast-falloff attached shadows and prominent cast shadows outdoor night scenes, dramatic scenes, mystery/crime shows, sci-fi movies

Light Plot sketches that indicate the approximate position of the lights; arrows indicating beam direction can include background scenery, major action areas, set props, camera positions detailed plots show position, type, and function of the instruments needed

Light Plot