Location Lighting for Television

Location Lighting for Television

by Alan Bermingham
Released July 2013
Publisher(s): Routledge
ISBN: 9781136070457

Read it now on the O’Reilly learning platform with a 10-day free trial.

O’Reilly members get unlimited access to books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.

Start your free trial

Book description

The first book of its kind to introduce the problems of location lighting for single camera operators and provide an insight into the technology and techniques required to solve those problems. The approach is of a basic and introductory nature, geared toward the student and trainee cameraman. Professionals needing a refresher course on the subject will also find this an invaluable reference packed with key information, theory and practical approaches to different lighting situations.

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Half Title
  3. Dedication
  4. Title Page
  5. Copyright
  6. Contents
  7. Acknowledgements
  8. 1. Introduction
    1. 1.1 Overview
    2. 1.2 The need for lighting on location
  9. 2. Lighting basics
    1. 2.1 Psychology of perception
    2. 2.2 Light units
    3. 2.3 Inverse square law – Nature’s law
    4. 2.4 Cosine law – or you don’t get something for nothing!
    5. 2.5 Reflection of light – direct/diffuse
    6. 2.6 Reflection of light – glare reflection
  10. 3. Television camera basics
    1. 3.1 The television signal
    2. 3.2 Tonal reproduction and gamma
    3. 3.3 Tonal reproduction, dynamic range and knee
    4. 3.4 Camera sensors – CCD basics
    5. 3.5 Features of CCD processing
  11. 4. Television optics
    1. 4.1 Focal length
    2. 4.2 Angle of view (horizontal)
    3. 4.3 Lens aperture (f-number or f-stop)
    4. 4.4 Depth of field
  12. 5. Colour television
    1. 5.1 Principles
    2. 5.2 Camera overview
  13. 6. Colour temperature/ND filters
    1. 6.1 Colour temperature – defining white
    2. 6.2 Colour temperature correction
    3. 6.3 MIRED
    4. 6.4 Change of camera white point
    5. 6.5 Colour temperature measurement
    6. 6.6 Correlated colour temperature and colour compensating filters
    7. 6.7 Neutral density filters
  14. 7. Camera sensitivity – how much light do we need?
    1. 7.1 Defining sensitivity
    2. 7.2 Factors affecting sensitivity
    3. 7.3 ASA rating and video cameras
  15. 8. Light sources
    1. 8.1 Choice of light source
    2. 8.2 Tungsten and tungsten halogen sources
    3. 8.3 Discharge sources – general
    4. 8.4 Discharge sources – operating practices and safety
    5. 8.5 Discharge sources – xenon
    6. 8.6 Discharge sources – CDM
    7. 8.7 Discharge sources – fluorescent sources
  16. 9. Luminaires
    1. 9.1 Luminaires – general
    2. 9.2 The Fresnel spotlight or soft-edged spotlight
    3. 9.3 Luminaire performance
    4. 9.4 Control of beam shape
    5. 9.5 Control of light intensity on location
    6. 9.6 Softlights – general principles
    7. 9.7 Softlights – bounce
    8. 9.8 Use of diffusion
    9. 9.9 Softlights in practice
    10. 9.10 Softlights – specials
    11. 9.11 Open-faced luminaires
    12. 9.12 Hard-edged projectors
    13. 9.13 Broad sources/cyclorama units and ground rows
    14. 9.14 PAR lights
    15. 9.15 Scrollers and dowsers
    16. 9.16 Special lights – Dedolight
    17. 9.17 Fluorescent luminaires (coldlights)
    18. 9.18 On-camera and battery lighting
    19. 9.19 Specials
    20. 9.20 Moving lights – intelligent lights
  17. 10. Dimmers on location
    1. 10.1 Dimmers
    2. 10.2 Dimmer law
    3. 10.3 Control of dimmers – DMX/512 (Digital Multiplex/512)
  18. 11. Lighting grip equipment
    1. 11.1 Basics
    2. 11.2 Stand accessories
    3. 11.3 Super-clamps and telescopic poles
    4. 11.4 Clamps
    5. 11.5 Scaffolding, trussing and scissor lifts
  19. 12. Electrical essentials
    1. 12.1 Electrical mains supplies – basics
    2. 12.2 Installations
    3. 12.3 Electrical safety
    4. 12.4 Use of generator
  20. 13. Safety
  21. 14. Basic lighting on location
    1. 14.1 Basic lighting kit
    2. 14.2 Effect of light – not just illumination!
    3. 14.3 Basic portraiture – ‘creating a good likeness’
    4. 14.4 Keylight – practicalities
    5. 14.5 Fill-light, fill or filler
    6. 14.6 Control of light – use of inverse square law
    7. 14.7 The backlight
    8. 14.8 Background light
    9. 14.9 Kicker
    10. 14.10 Lighting the offset presenter
    11. 14.11 Interview lighting – single camera
    12. 14.12 Two-handed interview – multi-camera
  22. 15. Lighting in the real world
    1. 15.1 Basic observations
    2. 15.2 Creating the illusion of reality
    3. 15.3 Coping with reality
    4. 15.4 Coping with excessive contrast
    5. 15.5 Lighting continuity
  23. 16. Vision control and measurements
    1. 16.1 Vision control – the essence of good picture quality
    2. 16.2 Use of colour monitor
    3. 16.3 Light measurement – incident light meters
    4. 16.4 Light measurement – spotmeter
    5. 16.5 Zebra/Picoscope/Vical – aids to exposure and continuity
  24. 17. Exterior lighting
    1. 17.1 Observing the day
    2. 17.2 Daylight exteriors
  25. 18. Expanding the basics
    1. 18.1 Lighting for subject movement – basics
    2. 18.2 Lighting for subject movement – setting a crossover
    3. 18.3 Lighting for subject movement – alternatives
    4. 18.4 Creating mood – the implicit requirements
    5. 18.5 On-camera filters
    6. 18.6 Lighting effects
    7. 18.7 Lighting demonstrations
    8. 18.8 Pack shots
    9. 18.9 Conference lighting
    10. 18.10 Silhouette lighting
    11. 18.11 Chroma key on location
    12. 18.12 Lighting musicians
    13. 18.13 Lighting in public places (supermarkets/offices/hospitals)
    14. 18.14 Stadia lighting – night
    15. 18.15 Stadia lighting – special events
    16. 18.16 Street lighting
    17. 18.17 Lighting in churches
    18. 18.18 Night-lighting – principles
    19. 18.19 Night-lighting – practice
    20. 18.20 Lighting for cars
    21. 18.21 Cars at night
  26. 19. Planning essentials
    1. 19.1 Planning
    2. 19.2 Strategy, lighting kits and timescales
  27. 20. Lighting and sound pick-up
  28. 21. Lighting standards
  29. Bibliography
  30. Glossary
  31. Basic conversion table
  32. Index

Product information

  • Title: Location Lighting for Television
  • Author(s): Alan Bermingham
  • Release date: July 2013
  • Publisher(s): Routledge
  • ISBN: 9781136070457