b. A lamp, which appears to the eye to give off a perfectly white light,
may look so red to the camera that the resulting picture has a reddish tint on
the color monitor (television set). Another lamp may produce light that looks
to the camera quite bluish, although our eyes again perceive it as normal white
light.
c. A harsh light, or a light coming from an unusual angle or direction,
may produce shadows that conceal, rather than reveal, the actual shape of an
object.
3. Television lighting technique is defined as the adjustment and manipulation
of light to meet the technical requirements of the camera while creating a
pleasing television picture. Controlling lighting for television is critical.
To explain how we control lighting, we will further discuss the following
areas:
a. Types of light and illumination.
c. Technical requirements.
d. Aesthetic requirements.
4. As in all photographic arts, in television you encounter two basic types of
light and illumination. The two types of light are directional and diffused.
The two types of illumination are outdoor and indoor.
a. Directional light illuminates only a relatively small area with a
distinct beam.
It produces a well-defined shadow and produces fast falloff,
which means that the light area changes rather abruptly into a dense shadow
area. To achieve directional light we must use spotlights.
b. Diffused light illuminates a relatively large area with a wide
indistinct beam. It produces soft, undefined shadows and causes slow falloff.
The lighting instruments used to emit diffused light are called floodlights.
c. Outdoor illumination is primarily accomplished by the most reliable
source we have, the sun. But, the sun does not always emit the same type of
light. On a cloudless day, the sun emits a highly directional light, like a
spotlight. On an overcast day, the clouds act as diffusers and change the sun
into a diffused light source, like a floodlight. This light is nondirectional
(diffused) and has a slow falloff. Although we use special light sources and
reflectors to adjust the lighting as much as possible when outdoors, we
generally have little control over outdoor illumination.
d. Indoor illumination will almost always require the use of lighting
instruments.
If the room is partially illuminated by available light (i.e.
light coming through a window) the job of matching the amount and the two types
of illumination becomes even more challenging.
The amount and types of
lighting instruments used varies from one handheld light to complete lighting
grids that allow total and precise control over the light.
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