Lighting for Digital Video and Television, 4th Edition

CHAPTER 5Lighting Controls and Uses

One of the key requirements of effective lighting is the ability to precisely manage the distribution and characteristics of the light that falls on the set. The implements that do this are known as lighting controls. The most common basic lighting control is the set of barn doors that mount on the front of an instrument. They allow simple cutting or restriction of the light beam to keep it off certain areas of the subject or the set. You might need to cut the light to keep it off a white wall, for instance, or you might wish to cast a thin slash of light across a backdrop. For location interview work, barn doors will probably supply all the control you will need.

For full production or set work, however, ...