Lighting Techniques - Artistic vs. Technical:
Available light (the natural, un-augmented light found at a location) often provides both a technically acceptable video image while also conveying the artistically correct mood. But not always can we depend on Mother Nature alone.
To light a set can be attributed basically to two reasons, viz. technical and artistic. The technical considerations factor in the minimum level of lighting required for a camera and is referred to as the Base Light. In absence of base light, the portions of the picture especially the darker areas could be filled with video noise, which appears as “grain”. The artistic reason can scale to innumerous needs ranging from highlighting an important area in a shot to simulating ambient light and creating depth in a shot.
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Fig.1: Broadcast Lighting (Pro TV-Romania's leading TV station) Photo courtesy: ARRI Website: www.arri.de/ |
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In Shot - 1, we can see that due to inadequate base light has resulted in a grainy picture. | ||
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In Shot - 2, the adequate level of base light has result a finer picture. | ||
Fig.2: Baselight and without Base Light. |