Location Lighting for Television

10

Dimmers on Location

Dimmers can be used on location to enable:

• swift balance of light sources without the need for scrim/ND filters
• on-cue lighting changes to be affected.

Tungsten sources change their colour when dimmed (refer to p. 76 for a discussion on this topic). Fluorescent sources may have a dimmer integral with the lamp ballast. When dimmed the fluorescent light does not change its colour significantly.

Dimming control may be by:

• local control on the luminaire
• 0–10 V
• DMX signal.

HMI/MSR sources using flicker-free ballasts have an integral dimmer with a local dimming control 100–50%. However, the change in colour with dimming may not be tolerable. Consequently, these sources should be fitted with a mechanical dimmer (shutter) ...