latitude. An emulsion’s ability to accommodate a certain range of exposures and produce satisfactory pictures. Also called exposure latitude.
LED (light-emitting diode). LED panels range from small sources used for eye light to huge panels designed by Element Labs in Colorado, used as billboards, concert elements, and big VistaVision screens.
Leko. An ellipsoidal spotlight with pattern-forming capability manufactured by Century Strand. Very popular in theater lighting but also used in film and TV as effect light. See also Source Four.
liner. A light source to one side of the subject that produces a rim of light that will help to create a three-dimensional effect.
log gamma emulation. An electronic sensor’s response to light is roughly linear (the photocurrent generated is proportional to illumination level). A film negative’s response to light is logarithmic—linear only for midtones, but then density falls off relative to exposure in the darkest shadows and brightest highlights, creating an s-shaped curve when plotted on a chart, also called a characteristic curve and a Hurter-Driffield curve. The slope of the straight-line portion is called the gamma—the term is often used to describe the contrast characteristics of the image. A log gamma emulation is offered in some digital cameras as a method of simulating a film negative’s characteristic curve and as a way of containing a wider dynamic range within a 10-bit file format. It also allows the footage to go through a digital intermediate color-correction process designed around scanned film.
lookup tables (LUTs). Software for altering a digital image to look as expected and desired at the future stage, without affecting the original recording.
low-contrast (LC) filters. Screens used on the lens to reduce the image contrast.
low key. A lighting style in which the majority of a scene is lit sparingly. It is usually enhanced by dark costumes and sets. A high ratio of key light to fill light is employed for this effect.
LRX Piranha. Self-contained crane-operated light cluster composed of 6K and 12K HMI fixtures and 12K tungsten lamp.
Lumapanel. Ingeniously designed fluorescent panel fixture with twenty-eight bulbs, dimmer controlled. Color temperature can be adjusted by dimming groups of fluorescent tubes.
luminaires. The term used in the film industry for lighting instruments (lights) of different designs. Sometimes they are popularly called lamps, but strictly speaking, a lamp is just the electric bulb in the lighting instrument.
Magic Gadget. Brand name of a programmable light flicker dimmer.
master shot. Widest angle on a scene that establishes the characters in relation to their environment and to each other.
matte. Mask used on the camera or an optical printer to protect certain parts of the frame from exposure, which will later be exposed to a different scene; for example, substituting a different background.
maxi brute. A cluster of 1000-watt PAR lamps.
meat axe. Colloquial term for a small flag.
Midget. Small but sturdy light (up to 250 watts) with a Fresnel lens, made by Mole-Richardson.
Mini-Mole. An inky dink light (up to 250 watts) with a Fresnel lens, made by Mole-Richardson, but not as sturdy as the Midget.
MoleBeam projector. Manufactured by Mole-Richardson both as tungsten and as an HMI source and in various sizes, it provides parallel beams of light ranging from 18 to 36 in. in width and 2K to 20K watts of power.
Musco Light. Self-contained crane-operated cluster of fifteen remote-controlled 6K HMI lights mounted on a 150-foot hydraulic boom.
neutral density (ND) filters. Colorless filters of graduated densities, used to cut down the amount of light entering the lens. They can be employed either on the camera or windows. They are used when light is too intense for a given film or required f/stop.
noise. Digital equivalent of film grain caused by random changes in a color signal.
nook light. Open-ended lamp with narrow housing designed primarily to fit into wall and ceiling corners but often used in studio-built overhead coffin lights.
open-face light. Lighting instrument without a lens in front of the globe.
original. Negative or reversal film stock that was exposed in the camera and processed to produce either a negative or a reversal picture.
overhead. A large frame, supported by two stands or ropes, with white silk or black cloth, to diffuse or block out the direct sunlight on an exterior scene.
paper lantern harp. An aluminum harness rigidly holding the bulb inside a paper lantern.
PAR (parabolic aluminized reflector). Lamp designation for a bulb with a self-contained reflector and lens, similar to the automobile headlight.
PAR can. A PAR globe mounted inside a metal cylindrical can, providing a narrow shaft of light.
peanut bulb. Small bulb used for hiding in confined areas. GE 6S6 is one example of such a bulb.
photoflood. Type of lightbulb in which the light output and color temperature are higher than that of a comparable household bulb but with a shorter life.
plate. Film material shot for front or back projection.
poor man’s process. Method for filming inside a static car at night, when the car movement is simulated by moving and flashing the outside lights.
power window. Digital process of isolating an area within the frame to correct it independently from the surrounding area. It is a generic term originally specific to DaVinci color correctors.
practical. A lamp on the set that is rigged to be operational as a luminaire during the scene action.
primary colors. Blue, green, and red. See also complementary colors.
printer light scale (printing lights). Graduated scale of printing light intensity, allowing one to print the original images brighter or darker to obtain an evenly exposed print from an original with uneven exposures. The light scale is also used when executing optical effects such as fades and dissolves.
process shot. Technique of filming live action staged in front of the screen on which the background view is projected. This background plate can be projected either from behind the translucent screen (back projection) or from the front on a highly reflective screen (front projection). Another type of a process shot can utilize the blue or green screen. Whichever screen color is used does not appear in the foreground action. Subsequently, in postproduction, the color screen can be substituted by an image; for example, an exotic landscape or a castle interior.
pulling. A laboratory procedure of underdeveloping film stock to obtain a lower-contrast image.
pushing. See forcing.
quartz lights. Popular name for tungsten-halogen lamps. Tungsten filament and halogen gas are sealed in an envelope made of quartz or other materials that permit bulb temperature up to 600°C. The particles evaporating from the filament combine with the halogen gas and are redeposited back on the filament. This recycling process prevents the darkening of the bulb so that color temperature stays fairly constant during the lamp’s life.
raking shot, raking two-shot. Shot of usually two people taken from one side, with the foreground head in profile. Example: a shot through the side window of a car with one or both persons in profile.
raw image format. Minimally processed data from a digital camera sensor. This usually means that all possible dynamic range and color information that the sensor could capture is contained in the raw file. Raw data from a single sensor with a CFA in front of it has to be processed in order to be viewable as a full-color image. Since converting a raw image into RGB color triples the amount of data, raw files are smaller than their RGB counterparts of similar pixel dimensions. Raw camera data is sometimes recorded with a compression scheme. All digital cameras have to internally process a raw signal into color for viewing, such as on an electronic viewfinder or monitor, but sometimes this processing is done at lower quality if it is not intended for recording and just live viewing.
Rec.709. Officially known as ITU-R Recommendation BT.709, this defines the parameters for HDTV encoding, including aspect ratio, fra
me rates, pixel count, black level, color gamut, and gamma. (Rec.601 is the comparable standard for standard-definition television.) Though not technically accurate, the common usage of the term refers generally to image contrast and color characteristics designed for TV broadcast and monitor display. An image that was “broadcast-ready” would naturally be higher in contrast than a film negative image, with a more restricted range of colors. Often cameras that record low-contrast 10-bit log images, for example, need a way of sending a corrected Rec.709 signal to any monitors on set in order to look normal in contrast and color. In some ways, the difference between a log image and a Rec.709 image is similar in concept to the difference between a negative image and a positive print of that image designed for projection.
riser. Extending part of a lamp stand or Century stand.
scoop. Studio lamp with a soft, wide round throw of 500 to 2000 watts.
scrim. Lighting accessory of wire mesh or net, positioned in front of a light source when attenuation of light is required.
senior. Focusable studio lamp with a Fresnel lens and a 5000-watt bulb.
shiny board. Large reflector board held in a pivoting yoke. One side of the board is highly reflective, the other soft reflective.
skypan (Skylite). A nonfocusable studio lamp with a bulb of 5K to 10K watts providing illumination over a broad area, such as set backings.
snoot. A funnel-shaped light-controlling device used on lamps in place of barndoors for a more exact light-beam pattern.
softbox. Also known as a coffin light. An overhead light consisting of a boxlike frame with a few rows of bulbs which point either up toward a reflective surface or down toward a diffusing screen, thus producing soft light.
SoftSun light. Open-face, enhanced spectrum long-arc lamp, manufactured by Luminys in a range of wattages—3.3K, 3.6K, 10K, 25K, 50K, and 100K. Used for area lighting when the appearance of natural sunlight is needed. SoftSun is fully dimmable without any shift in color.
Source Four. An ellipsoidal reflector spotlight using an HPL (high-performance lamp) of 575 watts with light output equal to a conventional 1000-watt spotlight. It has shutters for shaping the light beam and a slot for gobos to project various patterns.
space light. Large silk cylinder illuminated from above by six 1K nook lights positioned like spokes of a wheel. The bottom part of the fixture has a frame for clipping on a diffusion screen.
Spun Glass. See Tough Spun.
Steadicam. A stabilizing camera mount, isolating the camera from the operator, thus allowing for very steady moving shots.
storyboard. Series of drawings used as visual representation of the shooting script. The sketches represent the key situations (shots) in the scripted scenes. They indicate the framing, camera angle, blocking, gross character movement in the frame, and basic props and sets. Dialogue, effects, and so on appear below the pictures.
sun gun. Generic name for a handheld, battery-operated light. Small lights of several manufacturers can be viewed in this category, such as LTM’s Cinespace 125 W/200 W and Cinespace 575W, ARRI’s 125 W Pocket PAR, and K5600 Lighting’s Joker-Bug series.
target. 1. A solid or net disc, up to 10 in. in diameter, used to control the lamp beam and create desirable shadows. A type of flag or scrim. 2. Camera imaging sensor CCD (charge-coupled device).
teaser. Large black cloth screen for controlling soft light, often put on stands or hung over a set.
teching down. Method of treating costumes and draperies to better accommodate them to reproduction on color film. For example, rinsing white fabric in weak tea lowers the highlighting tendency of pure white. The term comes from the process originated by Technicolor.
tener. Focusable lamp with a Fresnel lens and a 10,000-watt bulb.
timing (grading). A lab operation before printing to select printer lights and color filters to improve the densities and color rendition of the original footage and thus obtain a more visually satisfactory print. The technician in charge is called a timer (in Britain, grader).
Tough Spun. From Rosco, a highly heat-resistant diffusing material made of synthetic fibers. Replaces the traditional Spun Glass but is sometimes called by that name.
Translite backing. Backing for windows and doors prepared from large photographic enlargements and lit from the back for a desired effect.
T/stop. Calibration of a lens’s light-transmitting power arrived at by an actual measurement of the transmitted light for each stop individually. T/stops are considered more accurate than f/stops.
UltraBounce. Manufactured by LumiQuest, highly reflective material used for bouncing the light.
Variac. Trade name of a popular variable transformer for manual AC voltage regulation.
Wendy light. A powerful area light made up of four panels. Each panel consists of 48 650 W PAR globes; therefore, the full Wendy has the combined output of 124,800 watts. A super Wendy light consists of two half super Wendy lights of 112 bulbs each. The total output of a super Wendy light is 145,600 watts.
wild wall, wild ceilings. Walls and ceilings made to be moved at will, even during the shot.
xenon arc lamp. Daylight-balanced, short-arc light producing a very bright and narrow beam. There is also a 75 W xenon flashlight that, when fully spotted, produces 600 FC at a distance of 100 ft.
zinger. Any directional light source used to highlight a scene predominantly lit with soft light.
Zip Softlight. A narrow, 8 × 17½ in. soft light with a 2000-watt bulb, made by Mole-Richardson.
Bibliography
Bergery, Benjamin. Reflections: Twenty-One Cinematographers at Work. Hollywood, CA: ASC Press, 2002.
Bermingham, Alan. Location Lighting for Television. Boston: Focal Press, 2003.
Box, Harry C. Set Lighting Technician’s Handbook. Fourth Edition. Boston: Focal Press, 2010.
Brown, Blain. Motion Picture and Video Lighting. Second Edition. Boston: Focal Press, 2008.
Carlson, Verne, and Sylvia Carlson. Professional Lighting Handbook. Second Edition. Boston: Focal Press, 1991.
Ferncase, Richard K. Film and Video Lighting Terms and Concepts. Boston: Focal Press, 1995.
Lowell, Ross. Matters of Light and Depth. Philadelphia: Broad Street Books Publishing, 1992.
Millerson, Gerald. The Technique of Lighting for Television and Motion Pictures. Boston: Focal Press, 1976.
Ritsko, Alan J. Lighting for Location Motion Pictures. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1979.
Wheeler, Paul. High Definition Cinematography. Third Edition. Boston: Focal Press, 2009.
Index
Absence of Malice (movie), 198
accent lights, 39, 209
accessories, to luminaires, 63–68
accidental lighting, 169
actors
day-for-night filming and, 202
directors’ relationships with, 152
key lights and, 102, 103
learning to light and, 230
lighting equipment and, 38, 64
lighting a scene and, 147–48, 150, 152, 153, 155, 159, 161, 167, 173, 175–76, 180, 189
location lighting and, 202, 208, 209, 212, 214, 225
makeup of, 182
psychology and, 182
strategy of lighting and, 115, 126, 131, 138, 139
See also faces
aesthetics
collaboration in filmmaking and, 5, 8, 10, 11, 12, 19
lighting a scene and, 152–53
location lighting and, 192, 200
measuring and evaluating light and, 83
Affleck, Ben, 222
Aguilar, Richmond “Aggie”
backlights and, 108–9
collaboration in filmmaking and, 22
fill lights and, 104, 107
and lighting equipment, 49
lighting a scene and, 149, 160–61, 162, 164, 174, 177–78, 185, 188
location lighting and, 195, 206, 226–27
strategy of lighting and, 119–20, 123, 125, 126
Air Force
(movie), 231
air pollution. See environment
airplanes, 224
Allen, Woody, 184
Almendros, Nestor, 105, 108, 109, 118, 134, 135, 136, 145, 152, 163, 165, 198
Alonzo, John
collaboration in filmmaking and, 6, 7, 9, 13
image manipulation and, 76, 83, 93
learning to light and, 230
lighting equipment and, 45
lighting a scene and, 153, 170, 172–73, 182–83
strategy of lighting and, 169
ambient light
anatomy of light and, 106, 108
lighting equipment and, 27, 31, 38, 42, 55
lighting a scene and, 165, 179, 180
location lighting and, 206, 208, 211, 214, 223, 227
strategy of lighting and, 133–34
American Cinematographer, 165
anatomy of lighting, 102–12
answer prints, 94, 95
arc lights, 9, 25, 36, 50, 51, 69, 110, 114, 132, 194, 195. See also HMI
area lights, 49–52, 115
ARRI Corporation
cameras of, 73
lighting by, 34, 47, 47, 48–49, 48, 49, 62, 62, 68, 69
art cards. See cards
art department, 61, 164, 207
art directors, 10–13, 162, 215
A.I. Artificial Intelligence (movie), 33
ASA speed, 78, 84, 94, 142, 222
Ashby, Hal, 5
Asian paper lamps. See China balls
assistant directors, 185
attenuators, 87, 201, 203
automated/intelligent lights. See moving lights
The Aviator (movie), 217–18
Avildsen, John, 184
Awake (movie), 166–67
B2Pro Corporation, 131, 132, 132, 133
Babel (movie), 207, 222, 223
backings, 49, 159
backlights
anatomy of lighting and, 107–12, 108
control of, 129
face lighting and, 171, 173, 174, 175
image manipulation and, 90, 92
lighting equipment and, 28, 40, 46, 56, 60
lighting a scene and, 152, 159, 166–67, 171, 173, 174, 175, 183
location lighting and, 195, 197, 198, 199, 203, 205, 206, 208, 209, 213, 217, 218, 225
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