Communications Technology TGJ4M

 Incident light is light that strikes on the surface of a subject  Reflected light is light bouncing off of a subject

 Hard and soft  How can we produce light that is hard, direct, or spotted?  How can we produce light that is soft, diffused, or flooded?

 Quality (coherence)  Colour Temperature  Intensity

 Hardness or softness of light Soft light Hard light

 It gives the light a hard, crisp, sharply defined appearance.  The light from a clear, unfrosted light bulb, a focused spotlight, or the noonday sun in a clear sky, all represent hard light sources. It casts a shadow.

 Soft (diffused) light has the opposite effect.  Soft light tends to hide surface irregularities and detail.

 Diffusers are used over the front of lights to soften and diffuse their beams.

 Videographers (cinematographers) often rely on umbrella reflectors or soft box to create a soft lighting effect.

 Light is produced by many different sources:  the sun  an incandescent light bulb  a fluorescent light  Each of these can be distinguished in terms of colour temperature.

 Both sources of light (sunlight on the right; a standard light bulb on the left) normally appear as white light to the eye.  Why does colour temperature matter?

Incorrect White BalanceCorrect White Balance

 An effect on most cameras  Allows you to videotape in the dark  Image is monotone with green colouring

 Too much light results in an overexposed image.  Too little light results in an underexposed image.  Either of these is undesired and results in missing details on the image.

 Light meters are used to measure light intensity.  A reflected light meter measures the amount of light being reflected from (off of) subject matter.  An incident light meter can tell you how bright the light is that's falling on a scene.

 How can you control light intensity?

 Using external lights can be very effective to light a scene  Makes a perfect picture with vibrant colours, no shadows and well defined edges

 Quartz lamps  Fresnels  Ceramic lamps  LED (Light-emitting diode) lamps  Scoops  Ellipsoidal spot  Camera Lights  Barn doors  Flags  Filter Frames

 Involves specific placement of 3 lights around your scene  These lights are called…  Key Light  Fill Light  Back Light

 The brightest, the most important lights on the set.  Pointed directly at the scene and on one side of the subject

 Less powerful than the Key Light  Placed on opposite side of Key Light  Fills in shadows to give scene a more natural look

 Placed behind the subject and lights it from the rear.  Adds depth to picture  Provide definition and subtle highlights around the subject's outlines.  Separate the subject from the background and provide a three-dimensional look.