Motion Picture and Video Lighting
for cinematographers, gaffers and lighting technicians
3rd Edition
Published on 16. August 2018
Book
Paperback/Softback
356 pages
978-0-415-85413-9 (ISBN)
Description
Lighting is at the heart of filmmaking. The image, the mood, and the visual impact of a film are, to a great extent, determined by the skill and sensitivity of the director of photography in using lighting. Motion Picture and Video Lighting explores technical, aesthetic, and practical aspects of lighting for film and video. It covers not only how to light, but also why.
This revised edition of Motion Picture and Video Lighting is the indispensable guide to film and video lighting. Written by an experienced professional, this comprehensive book explores light and color theory, equipment, and techniques to make every scene look its best, and is heavily illustrated throughout.
Three new chapters discuss best practices of using light to benefit your film, and an extensive appendix includes discussion on additional tips and tricks. In addition, a robust companion website includes up-to-date video tutorials and other resources for students and professionals alike.
Three new chapters:
Scene Lighting
Lighting as Storytelling
Controlling Light
Topics include:
Lighting sources
The lighting process
Lighting basics
LED, tungsten, Kino-Flo, HMI, and plasma lights
Methods of controlling light
Planning your lighting
The basic methods: a lighting playbook
Visual storytelling with light
Understanding and controlling color
Terminology
Electricity and distribution
Gripology
Set operations
The team: DP, gaffer, grips, lighting technicians
Technical issues
Lighting for greenscreen/bluescreen
Typical equipment orders for large and small jobs
Lighting for high speed and macro photography
Lighting plans for small, medium, and large films
This revised edition of Motion Picture and Video Lighting is the indispensable guide to film and video lighting. Written by an experienced professional, this comprehensive book explores light and color theory, equipment, and techniques to make every scene look its best, and is heavily illustrated throughout.
Three new chapters discuss best practices of using light to benefit your film, and an extensive appendix includes discussion on additional tips and tricks. In addition, a robust companion website includes up-to-date video tutorials and other resources for students and professionals alike.
Three new chapters:
Scene Lighting
Lighting as Storytelling
Controlling Light
Topics include:
Lighting sources
The lighting process
Lighting basics
LED, tungsten, Kino-Flo, HMI, and plasma lights
Methods of controlling light
Planning your lighting
The basic methods: a lighting playbook
Visual storytelling with light
Understanding and controlling color
Terminology
Electricity and distribution
Gripology
Set operations
The team: DP, gaffer, grips, lighting technicians
Technical issues
Lighting for greenscreen/bluescreen
Typical equipment orders for large and small jobs
Lighting for high speed and macro photography
Lighting plans for small, medium, and large films
Reviews / Votes
".Motion Picture and Video Lighting is accompanied by a terrific DVD that contains hours of lighting demos, interviews, on-set footage and visual illustrations of concepts introduced in the text. An appendix containing such useful information as international plug-and-socket types, tips for operating brute arcs and typical lighting orders for low- and big-budget films finishes off a volume that deserves to earn a place in every young cinematographer's library." -Jim Hemphill, American Cinematographer Magazine"A remarkable achievement. This is a brilliant combination of technical information and inventive ideas as well as an enriching chronicle of the evolution of lighting; The knowledge you need to excel in a fast advancing, creative world mentored by one of our industry's true experts." - Armand Gazarian, Director of Photography - IATSE Local 600
"A great upgrade to the best lighting book on the market. Blain has expanded his earlier edition to include the latest lighting equipment as well as present video possibilities and concerns." - Rick Wise, Director of Photography / Lighting Instructor at the graduate division of the San Francisco Academy of Art University
"From 'Light and Shadow--Good and Evil' to the seemingly simple key concept about HD: 'Do not overexpose,' this book embraces our history and educates us about our future. Once again Blain Brown informs the professional as well as the student in the second edition of his glorious book." -Judy Irola, ASC, Conrad Hall Chair in Cinematography, and Head of Cinematography at USC School of Cinematic Arts
"This book is truly the most outstanding, practical, and highly useful guide to film and video lighting I have come across in many, many years." -James L. Moody, head of the technical theatre program for the Theatre Academy at Los Angeles City College
Praise for the first edition: "From the opening pages, I knew I was going to love this book. It is gourmet reading for the lighting connoisseur - a feast for those of us who love chiaroscuro, lightness, and dark." - Bill Miller, Video Systems magazine "A remarkable achievement. This is a brilliant combination of technical information and inventive ideas as well as an enriching chronicle of the evolution of lighting; The knowledge you need to excel in a fast advancing, creative world mentored by one of our industry's true experts."
-Armand Gazarian, Director of Photography; IATSE Local 600
"A great upgrade to the best lighting book on the market. Blain has expanded his earlier edition to include the latest lighting equipment as well as present video possibilities and concerns."
-Rick Wise, Director of Photography / Lighting Instructor at the graduate division of the San Francisco Academy of Art University
"'Lighting is to film what music is to Opera' - DeMille's quote, which is so eloquent and true today. Lighting is hard to learn from a book, but Brown continues to teach this with updates on Motion Picture and Video Lighting. His chapters on controlling light are right on, and his images allow the viewer to imitate them - something we all do! Maybe most engrossing is his history of lights, gaslight, limelight (limestone), BrutArcs, all dangerous but gorgeous. And Blade Runner, who knew? A breakthrough of what was to come."
-Judy Irola, ASC, Professor Emerita, USC School of Cinematic Arts
"From the opening pages, I knew I was going to love this book. It is gourmet reading for the lighting connoisseur - a feast for those of us who love chiaroscuro, lightness, and dark. Author Blain Brown goes to great lengths to make this book as much about video as about film. Whenever he discusses a film technique, he makes sure to cover how it should apply to video as well."
-Bill Miller, Video Systems Magazine
"Written by a professional in the field, this comprehensive book reveals inside information based on years of experience and explores the challenges faced by cinematographers, lighting directors, gaffers and grips. Whether the reader is professional or a student, this book will be a useful reference."
-Lighting and Sound International
"...book has made the biggest impact on my career of all the resources I used to get where I am. And while I have absorbed many, many books, tapes and met several of my heroes who have helped me, I credit your book with giving met he confidence to 'just do it' these last few years and reach this level. Furthermore, your book is the one book that I recommend to young, aspiring people who want to learn our craft..."
-Dane Lawing, DP
"This book is truly the most outstanding, practical, and highly useful guide to film and video lighting I have come across in many, many years."
-James L. Moody, Head of the Technical Theatre Program for the Theatre Academy at Los Angeles City College
More details
Edition
3rd edition
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Professional Practice & Development
Dimensions
Height: 266 mm
Width: 190 mm
Weight
1100 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-415-85413-9 (9780415854139)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
New editions
Blain Brown
Motion Picture and Video Lighting
Book
12/2023
4th Edition
Routledge
€76.00
Available immediately
Additional editions
Book
08/2018
3rd Edition
Routledge
€267.41
Article exhausted; check for reprint
Previous edition
Book
09/2007
2nd Edition
Focal Press
€48.27
Article exhausted; check for reprint
Person
Blain Brown was educated at C.W. Post College, MIT, and Harvard Graduate School of Design. He began in New York as a commercial still photographer before starting in the film business. After working as a gaffer, be became a cinematographer doing primarily commercials and music videos. After completing his first feature film, he moved to Los Angeles where he has been Director of Photography on 14 feature films as well as national commercials, promotional films, industrials, music videos, and documentaries. He has worked in many states in the U.S. as well as Mexico, Canada, India, Italy, France, the Philippines, and Jordan. His experience includes 35mm and 16mm projects, as well as 24P High Def, DigiBeta, BetaSP, and DV. He has completed projects as a director, editor and screenwriter; with three screenplays produced. He has also taught courses in storytelling and visual communication. As a Director of Photography specializing in features and commercials, he is now based in Los Angeles. His books include A Sense of Place; Cinematography; and The Filmmaker's Pocket Reference. His work can be seen at www.BlainBrown.com.
Content
HISTORY OF LIGHTING
Controllable Light
Early Film Production
Introduction of Tungsten Lighting
The Technicolor Era
HMI, Xenon, Fluorescent, and LED Sources
Kino Flo
LEDs
LIGHTING SOURCES
Types of Lights
Fresnels
LEDs
Efficiency
LED Panels
LED Fresnels
Remote Phosphor LEDs
Tungsten Fresnels
The 10K and 20K/24K
The 5K
Juniors
1K
650, Betweenie, and InBetweenie
Inkie
HMI Units
12K and 18K
6K and 8K
2.5K and 4K
Smaller HMIs
When an HMI Fails to Fire
Care and Feeding of HMIs
Xenons
Open Face Lights
Skypan
2K Open Face
1000/600/650 Watt Open Face
Par 64
PAR Groups
Dino, Moleeno, and Wendy
Maxi-Brute
FAYs
HMI PARs
Soft Lights
Space Lights
Fluorescent Rigs
Color Correct Fluorescent Units
Color Correct Bulbs
Cycs, Strips, Nooks, and Broads
Plasma Lights
Other Types of Sources
Chinese Lanterns
Lekos
Crane Mounted Lights
Jokers
Dedolights
Balloon Lights
Barger Lights
LIGHTING BASICS
The Fundamentals of Lighting
The [Conceptual] Tools of Lighting
The Attributes of Light
What are the Goals of Good Lighting?
Full Range of Tones
Shape
Separation
Depth
Texture
Mood and Tone
Exposure and Lighting
Hard vs. Soft
Color Control and Color Balance
Some Lighting Terminology
Working With Hard Light And Soft Light
Hard Light
Soft Light
Direction
Avoiding Flat Front Lighting
Light from the Upstage Side
Backlight and Kicker
Intensity
Adding Texture in Lighting
Color
Lighting Techniques
Classical Hard Light
Ambient
Bringing it Through the Windows
Motivated Lighting And Practicals
Motivated Light
Lighting with Practicals
Available
Basic Principles of Lighting
Back Cross Keys
Ambient Plus Accents
Lighting Through the Windows
Available Light Windows
Day Exteriors
Open Shade and Garage Door Light
Sun As Backlight
Magic Hour
CONTROLLING LIGHT
Hard Light and Soft Light
Fill for Day Exteriors
Silks and Diffusion
Scrims and Barndoors
Flags, Solids, and Nets
Chimeras and Snoots
Softboxes
Eggcrates
The Window Problem
ND For Windows
Cookies, Celos, and Gobos
Dimmers
LED Dimmers
Hand Squeezers
SCENE LIGHTING
Lighting Plans
General Principals of Scene Lighting
Let's Look at These One by One
Read the Script
Confer With the Director
Light the Scene, Not the Set
Insist on Seeing a Full Rehearsal
Insist on Having Lighting Stand-Ins
What Are the Opportunities?
The Set
The Action
Script Hints
Consider Your Resources
Lights
Power
The Location
The Director's Concerns
The Plan
Lighting a Scene With Practicals
Lighting/Grip Order
LIGHT AS STORY
Storytelling With Light
Metaphor
Atmosphere
The Power of Darkness
Establish Character
COLOR
Color Terminology
Color Temperature: The Balances
Warm and Cool
Magenta vs. Green
The CIE Diagram
The Spectral Locus
The White Point
The Line of Purples
Color Balance with Gels and Filters
Conversion Gels
Light Balancing Gels
CTO
CTB
Color Correction Gels
Dealing with Fluorescent Light
Correcting Off-Color Lights
HMI
Industrial Lamps
Camera Filtration for Industrial Sources
Measuring Color
Color Meters
The Vectorscope
Calibration Test Charts
DSC Labs Test Charts
The One Shot
The X-Rite ColorChecker
Color as a Storytelling Tool
EXPOSURE
Exposure Theory
What Do We Want Exposure to Do for Us?
The Bucket
Controlling Exposure
Change the Bucket
The Elements of Exposure
Light
F/Stops
The Response Curve
Underexposure
Overexposure
Correct Exposure
Higher Brightness Range in the Scene
Two Types of Exposure
The Bottom Line
Exposure in Shooting RAW Video
The Tools of Exposure
The Incident Meter
The Reflectance Meter
A Different World of Exposure
Setting Exposure with the Waveform Monitor
F/Stops on the Waveform
Exposure Indicators in the Camera
Zebras
Histogram
Traffic Lights and Goal Posts
Goal Posts
Traffic Lights
False Color Exposure Display
Red False Colors
Comparing Red Exposure Modes
Arri Alexa False Colors
Strategies of Exposure
Don't Let It Clip, but Avoid the Noise
Texture & Detail
The Dilemma
Using Light Meters
Meter the Key
Using the Waveform Monitor
Placing Middle Gray
Start at the Bottom or Start at the Top
Expose to the Right
Zebras
The Monitor
Know Thyself and Know Thy Camera
ELECTRICITY & DISTRO
Measurement of Electricity
Potential
Paper Amps
Electrical Supply Systems
Single-phase
Three-phase
Power Sources
Stage Service
Generators
Large Generator Operation
Guidelines For Running Small Generators
Paralleling Small Generators
Does Paralleling Cause Damage to Generators?
Tie-ins
Tie-in Safety
Determining KVA
Wall Plugging
Load Calculations and Paper Amps
Ampacity
Color Coding
The Neutral
Distribution Equipment
Tie-in Clamps
Busbar Lugs
Connectors
Bull Switches
Feeder Cable
Wire Types
Wire Designation Codes
Distribution Boxes
Lunch Boxes, Snake Bites, and Gangboxes
Extensions (Stingers)
Zip Extensions
Planning a Distribution System
Balancing the Load
Working with DC
Calculating Voltage Drop
Electrical Safety
Wet Work
HMI Safety
Grounding Safety
GFCI
How Does a GFCI work?
GRIPOLOGY
Definitions
Light Controls
Reflectors
Operating Reflectors
Flags and Cutters
Flag Tricks
Nets
Net Tricks
Cuculoris (Cookies)
Grids and Eggcrates
Open Frames
Diffusers
Butterflies and Overheads
Overhead Rules
Griff
Holding
Grip Heads and C-Stands
C-Stand Rules
Highboys
Clamps
Studded C-Clamps
C-Clamp Tips
Bar Clamps
Pipe Clamps
Cardellini and Mafer Clamps
Quaker Clamp
Wall Plates, Baby Plates, and Pigeons
2K Receivers and Turtles
Side Arms and Offset Arms
Other Grip Gear
Sandbags
Apple boxes
Wedges
Candle Sticks
Studded Chain Vise Grips
SET OPERATIONS
The DP
The Team
Gaffer
Assistant Chief Lighting Technician
Third Electric and Electricians
Other Responsibilities
The Key Grip
Grips
Other Crews
Set Operations
Load-In
Staging
The Generator
Cabling
The Process
Rough-In
Blocking
Light
Rehearsal
Shooting
Procedures
Expendables
TECHNICAL ISSUES
Lighting for Greenscreen and Bluescreen
Greenscreen/Bluescreen Tips
Lighting for Process Photography
Flicker
The Power Supply
Flicker-Free HMIs
Dimmers
Dimmer Systems
DMX
Working with Strobes
Strobe Exposure
Lighting and Exposure for High Speed Photography
Exposure
Flicker in High-Speed Photography
Lighting With HMIs and High Speed
Tips for Lighting High-Speed with HMIs
Exposure for Macrophotography
Depth-of-Field in Close-up Work
Lighting for Extreme Close-up
Underwater Filming
Effects
Rain
Smoke
Fire
TV and Projector Effects
Day-for-Night
Moonlight Effect
Water Effects
Lightning
Using the Sun
APPENDIX
Typical Lighting Order For A Small Independent Film
Equipment Order List For a Large Studio Film
Order for a 2nd Unit Night Shoot-Big Budget Film
Light Loss For Common Diffusion Types
Effect Of Diffusion on Color Temp
Lamps and Sockets
Lighting Expendables Order Form
Building Your Own Hand Squeezer
A Typical 5-Ton Truck Package
INDEX
Controllable Light
Early Film Production
Introduction of Tungsten Lighting
The Technicolor Era
HMI, Xenon, Fluorescent, and LED Sources
Kino Flo
LEDs
LIGHTING SOURCES
Types of Lights
Fresnels
LEDs
Efficiency
LED Panels
LED Fresnels
Remote Phosphor LEDs
Tungsten Fresnels
The 10K and 20K/24K
The 5K
Juniors
1K
650, Betweenie, and InBetweenie
Inkie
HMI Units
12K and 18K
6K and 8K
2.5K and 4K
Smaller HMIs
When an HMI Fails to Fire
Care and Feeding of HMIs
Xenons
Open Face Lights
Skypan
2K Open Face
1000/600/650 Watt Open Face
Par 64
PAR Groups
Dino, Moleeno, and Wendy
Maxi-Brute
FAYs
HMI PARs
Soft Lights
Space Lights
Fluorescent Rigs
Color Correct Fluorescent Units
Color Correct Bulbs
Cycs, Strips, Nooks, and Broads
Plasma Lights
Other Types of Sources
Chinese Lanterns
Lekos
Crane Mounted Lights
Jokers
Dedolights
Balloon Lights
Barger Lights
LIGHTING BASICS
The Fundamentals of Lighting
The [Conceptual] Tools of Lighting
The Attributes of Light
What are the Goals of Good Lighting?
Full Range of Tones
Shape
Separation
Depth
Texture
Mood and Tone
Exposure and Lighting
Hard vs. Soft
Color Control and Color Balance
Some Lighting Terminology
Working With Hard Light And Soft Light
Hard Light
Soft Light
Direction
Avoiding Flat Front Lighting
Light from the Upstage Side
Backlight and Kicker
Intensity
Adding Texture in Lighting
Color
Lighting Techniques
Classical Hard Light
Ambient
Bringing it Through the Windows
Motivated Lighting And Practicals
Motivated Light
Lighting with Practicals
Available
Basic Principles of Lighting
Back Cross Keys
Ambient Plus Accents
Lighting Through the Windows
Available Light Windows
Day Exteriors
Open Shade and Garage Door Light
Sun As Backlight
Magic Hour
CONTROLLING LIGHT
Hard Light and Soft Light
Fill for Day Exteriors
Silks and Diffusion
Scrims and Barndoors
Flags, Solids, and Nets
Chimeras and Snoots
Softboxes
Eggcrates
The Window Problem
ND For Windows
Cookies, Celos, and Gobos
Dimmers
LED Dimmers
Hand Squeezers
SCENE LIGHTING
Lighting Plans
General Principals of Scene Lighting
Let's Look at These One by One
Read the Script
Confer With the Director
Light the Scene, Not the Set
Insist on Seeing a Full Rehearsal
Insist on Having Lighting Stand-Ins
What Are the Opportunities?
The Set
The Action
Script Hints
Consider Your Resources
Lights
Power
The Location
The Director's Concerns
The Plan
Lighting a Scene With Practicals
Lighting/Grip Order
LIGHT AS STORY
Storytelling With Light
Metaphor
Atmosphere
The Power of Darkness
Establish Character
COLOR
Color Terminology
Color Temperature: The Balances
Warm and Cool
Magenta vs. Green
The CIE Diagram
The Spectral Locus
The White Point
The Line of Purples
Color Balance with Gels and Filters
Conversion Gels
Light Balancing Gels
CTO
CTB
Color Correction Gels
Dealing with Fluorescent Light
Correcting Off-Color Lights
HMI
Industrial Lamps
Camera Filtration for Industrial Sources
Measuring Color
Color Meters
The Vectorscope
Calibration Test Charts
DSC Labs Test Charts
The One Shot
The X-Rite ColorChecker
Color as a Storytelling Tool
EXPOSURE
Exposure Theory
What Do We Want Exposure to Do for Us?
The Bucket
Controlling Exposure
Change the Bucket
The Elements of Exposure
Light
F/Stops
The Response Curve
Underexposure
Overexposure
Correct Exposure
Higher Brightness Range in the Scene
Two Types of Exposure
The Bottom Line
Exposure in Shooting RAW Video
The Tools of Exposure
The Incident Meter
The Reflectance Meter
A Different World of Exposure
Setting Exposure with the Waveform Monitor
F/Stops on the Waveform
Exposure Indicators in the Camera
Zebras
Histogram
Traffic Lights and Goal Posts
Goal Posts
Traffic Lights
False Color Exposure Display
Red False Colors
Comparing Red Exposure Modes
Arri Alexa False Colors
Strategies of Exposure
Don't Let It Clip, but Avoid the Noise
Texture & Detail
The Dilemma
Using Light Meters
Meter the Key
Using the Waveform Monitor
Placing Middle Gray
Start at the Bottom or Start at the Top
Expose to the Right
Zebras
The Monitor
Know Thyself and Know Thy Camera
ELECTRICITY & DISTRO
Measurement of Electricity
Potential
Paper Amps
Electrical Supply Systems
Single-phase
Three-phase
Power Sources
Stage Service
Generators
Large Generator Operation
Guidelines For Running Small Generators
Paralleling Small Generators
Does Paralleling Cause Damage to Generators?
Tie-ins
Tie-in Safety
Determining KVA
Wall Plugging
Load Calculations and Paper Amps
Ampacity
Color Coding
The Neutral
Distribution Equipment
Tie-in Clamps
Busbar Lugs
Connectors
Bull Switches
Feeder Cable
Wire Types
Wire Designation Codes
Distribution Boxes
Lunch Boxes, Snake Bites, and Gangboxes
Extensions (Stingers)
Zip Extensions
Planning a Distribution System
Balancing the Load
Working with DC
Calculating Voltage Drop
Electrical Safety
Wet Work
HMI Safety
Grounding Safety
GFCI
How Does a GFCI work?
GRIPOLOGY
Definitions
Light Controls
Reflectors
Operating Reflectors
Flags and Cutters
Flag Tricks
Nets
Net Tricks
Cuculoris (Cookies)
Grids and Eggcrates
Open Frames
Diffusers
Butterflies and Overheads
Overhead Rules
Griff
Holding
Grip Heads and C-Stands
C-Stand Rules
Highboys
Clamps
Studded C-Clamps
C-Clamp Tips
Bar Clamps
Pipe Clamps
Cardellini and Mafer Clamps
Quaker Clamp
Wall Plates, Baby Plates, and Pigeons
2K Receivers and Turtles
Side Arms and Offset Arms
Other Grip Gear
Sandbags
Apple boxes
Wedges
Candle Sticks
Studded Chain Vise Grips
SET OPERATIONS
The DP
The Team
Gaffer
Assistant Chief Lighting Technician
Third Electric and Electricians
Other Responsibilities
The Key Grip
Grips
Other Crews
Set Operations
Load-In
Staging
The Generator
Cabling
The Process
Rough-In
Blocking
Light
Rehearsal
Shooting
Procedures
Expendables
TECHNICAL ISSUES
Lighting for Greenscreen and Bluescreen
Greenscreen/Bluescreen Tips
Lighting for Process Photography
Flicker
The Power Supply
Flicker-Free HMIs
Dimmers
Dimmer Systems
DMX
Working with Strobes
Strobe Exposure
Lighting and Exposure for High Speed Photography
Exposure
Flicker in High-Speed Photography
Lighting With HMIs and High Speed
Tips for Lighting High-Speed with HMIs
Exposure for Macrophotography
Depth-of-Field in Close-up Work
Lighting for Extreme Close-up
Underwater Filming
Effects
Rain
Smoke
Fire
TV and Projector Effects
Day-for-Night
Moonlight Effect
Water Effects
Lightning
Using the Sun
APPENDIX
Typical Lighting Order For A Small Independent Film
Equipment Order List For a Large Studio Film
Order for a 2nd Unit Night Shoot-Big Budget Film
Light Loss For Common Diffusion Types
Effect Of Diffusion on Color Temp
Lamps and Sockets
Lighting Expendables Order Form
Building Your Own Hand Squeezer
A Typical 5-Ton Truck Package
INDEX