Chapter 11Basic Lighting for Documentary
Everything can be transformed, deformed, and obliterated by light. Its flexibility is precisely the same as the suppleness of the brush.
Man Ray, La Photographie N’est Pas L’art1
Film is a visual medium, yet for many documentary filmmakers, lighting is a secondary concern. Unlike fiction film, where “painting with light” is part of the standard process and actors are paid to wait on the lighting crew, documentary makers depend on the cooperation of their subjects and borrowed time. In addition, modern digital cameras are highly light sensitive, able to produce an image with available light in many situations. The addition of a bulky kit of lights, difficult to carry and laboriously time-consuming ...
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