Advanced Lighting Workshop

 We an advanced lighting workshop where we were able to identify different types of lighting along with ways that you can create more light on set by reflecting it off different objects.

First of all, lights create heat and they are very bright so when you're putting a sheet over the light, make sure that is has protective gel on it so that it doesn't catch on fire and create a safety hazard. There are also two commands in the studio when switching on the light. First off is "Eyes Down" this is where you look down because someone is about to switch on a light that could possibly blind you. The second command is "Sparking" when someone switches on the light. These are just safety terms so that you are not blinded on set.

The Red head, is often used for 3 point lighting which is the most basic form of lighting on a set you can get. 3 point lighting is used to create depth in a shot and decreases any chance of major shadows on the face of the actor. We have a key light which is usually to the left or the right of the actor, a fill light which is to the opposite side of the key light so that shadows are not created and a back light for depth in the shot.

The Blonde Light, This is often used to back light a set, it is has brightness settings that you can change depending how much light you want on set. However, a blonde light is very bright so the commands are required when operating with it. 

Fluorescent Lights are used to add colour on the set. They are artistic to look at and can even be included in shot because of their aesthetic value that they propose. A coloured gel is needed to change the colour of the fluorescent and that needs to wrap around the bulb inside the glass casing it comes in.

Soft Box lights create a soft light around the subject. They are not powerful lights and so they have to be put very close to the actor or actress on set which isn't very practical for some sets. They come in a rectangular shape and the light is useful from about head to waist. 

The D.O.P and director are very different. The D.O.P is in charge of the way that the set looks through the lens with all the right shot angles and sizes along with the lighting on set. The D.O.P is in charge of the overall way that the film looks through the lens and then on screen.

You must always adjust the light for the camera and not the camera to the light. This is because the camera may not shoot swell with an exposure that's too high of too low. The white balance settings would be all over the place, so would the shutter speed. This would make the camera function much worse and not look as aesthetically pleasing as it would when the lights are adjusted to the camera. On set lighting technicians can easily work with the lights so that they can adjust to the camera. They can use a tinted wrap or gel to lower the brightness or alter the light particles so that they are more spread out across the subject. You should also always look through the lens when adjusting the light and not the tv monitor as it won't give an accurate reading of what the set looks like where as through the Camera or the Black Magic URSA Mini 4.6K the screen and the lens give of very accurate visuals of what the set looks like.

You can do this with a trace or an even bigger version like this.

This separates the light particles out so that the light isn't too concentrated on one area which doesn't look good on camera.

Adjusting the aperture so it is wider lets more light in the camera so the shot is brighter. You don't want to adjust the aperture too wide as the shit will become over exposed and so it will be un-useable in the edit. Closing the aperture lets little to no light into the lens so the shot will be very dark which is useful for when you have many bright lights on the set and in shot.

A Matte box attaches to the end of a prime lens on a camera so excess light coming from the edges can't be seen in the shot as it is blocked. 

 A Practical light is a light that is not on set and a dress light is a light on set that can be seen like a lampshade.