LIGHTINGCommunications Technology

TGJ4M

TYPES OF LIGHT Incident light is light that strikes on the

surface of a subject Reflected light is light bouncing off of a

subject

LIGHT QUALITY 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?

UNDERSTANDING LIGHT

BASIC CHARACTERISTICS OF LIGHT Quality (coherence) Colour Temperature Intensity

QUALITY OF LIGHT Hardness or softness of light

Soft light Hard 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 LIGHT Soft (diffused) light has the opposite

effect. Soft light tends to hide surface

irregularities and detail.

SOFT LIGHT Diffusers are used over the front of

lights to soften and diffuse their beams.

SOFT LIGHT Videographers (cinematographers) often

rely on umbrella reflectors or soft box to create a soft lighting effect.

COLOUR TEMPERATURE Light is produced by many different

sources: the sunan incandescent light bulba fluorescent light

Each of these can be distinguished in terms of colour temperature.

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?

WHITE BALANCE

Incorrect White Balance Correct White Balance

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

LIGHT INTENSITY 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 INTENSITY

LIGHT INTENSITY 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.

LIGHT INTENSITY An incident light meter can tell you

how bright the light is that's falling on a scene.

How can you control light intensity?

EXTERNAL LIGHT Using external lights can be very

effective to light a scene Makes a perfect picture with vibrant

colours, no shadows and well defined edges

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

THREE POINT LIGHTING Involves specific placement of 3 lights

around your scene These lights are called…

Key LightFill LightBack Light

THREE POINT LIGHTING

THREE POINT LIGHTING

KEY LIGHT The brightest, the most important lights

on the set. Pointed directly at the scene and on one

side of the subject

FILL LIGHT Less powerful than the Key Light Placed on opposite side of Key Light Fills in shadows to give scene a more

natural look

BACK LIGHT 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.