LIGHTING and the Early Days of FILM

Ed Muybridge used photographs to experiment with “moving pictures”. He would use a device that would spin the images and they would blend together similar to frames being projected onto the screen at the movie theater.

Moving images: It all started with a bet!

Leland Stanford, a horse owner made a wager that all four of a trotting horses’ hooves could

not possibly be off the ground at the same time. So he hired Ed Muybridge to

photograph a horse trotting using 12 different cameras and they studied each frame in 1872. They discovered that at some point , all four

feet are off of the ground, when trotting. This was the beginning of motion picture history

Muybridge’s horse in motion

Edison: He did more than invent the light bulb!

In the early days, Thomas Edison developed a camera that weighed over 500 pounds! It

was called a Kinetoscope and required electricity to operate. It was carried on

train tracks: the action came to the camera!

Thomas Edison’s kinetoscope

Lumiere brothers invented the cinematographe!

• It could be carried easily and used a hand crank to operate it so no electricity required. This led to the first “reality” films. They would travel to different cities, shoot film in the day and then show the film that night: called them “actualities”. The public was fascinated and thrilled to see themselves on screen with these “moving pictures”. No sounds were recorded on the films so they had an organ playing live music in the theatre.

The cinematographe

The beginning of

HOME MOVIES!

The invention of moving pictures, (film) started with a bet but who invented television?

Philo T Farnsworth: A farmer , who thought of the idea of broadcasting a video signal while farming in the fields when he was only 14 years old!

Why is he missing from our history books?

He was a naïve young man and was so excited about his invention that he shared his ideas with executives from RCA ,(already a corporate giant in the radio world). Unfortunately, Philo T . Farnsworth did not patent his original idea for his television .RCA actually stole his ideas for this technology and passed it off as their own invention. In some history books, RCA is credited with inventing television .Eventually, after years of litigation in the courts, Philo T . Farnsworth won the lawsuit and received credit for the patent but by then most people had already bought their television from RCA and Philo had very little money to produce his own brand of television.

1934, Philo T. Farnsworth and the first television prototype

Checking in:

So who invented television?

The cinematographer

• Also known as the director of photography (DP) is responsible for arranging and controlling the lighting of a film and the quality of the photography.

Checking in…

• Can you think of a director whose films have a certain “look” or “lighting scheme” which is dominate throughout all of their films?

Tim Burton

BeetlejuiceEdward ScizzorhandsNightmare before ChristmasSweeney ToddOthers?

Quentin Tarentino : Director

Different styles of lighting: the lighting is geared to the theme and mood

of a film as well as it’s genre.High Key: comedy and musicals use bright even illumination and few shadows.

High Contrast: tragedies use this type of light with harsh shafts of lights and darks

Low Key: mysteries and thrillers use this type of lighting with diffused shadows

FILM NOIRE (black cinema)

• A style of film that was defined by its lighting scheme, or lack of it. Very prominent in the early 40’s and 50’s. Noir is a world of night and shadows with dark streets and smoke swirling in dimly lit lounges. The characters were often in situations where they felt trapped, disappointed, or pessimistic . “Sunset Boulevard” was a famous movie and it was about an actress who is aging and losing her popularity among fans .

Sunset Boulevard

“ Alright Mr. Demille, I’m ready for my close up”1950

Color

• Color in film didn’t become popular until the 1940’s. In early films, they hand painted each frame of the film. For example, in “Birth of a Nation” the film was colored red when it shows the burning of Atlanta during the civil war and it was colored blue for night scenes.

• Although the “ Birth of a nation” was a cinematic wonder filled with excellent photography it was a very controversial and racist film that told a story of the civil war and the rise of the KKK. ( Ku Klux Klan)

“Birth of a Nation”

Wizard of OZ

The Wizard of Oz is an excellent example of the use of color in films. When Dorothy is in Kansas, the film is black and white (monochrome) and then when she arrives in OZ , the beautiful colors are revealed.

Lighting grids

• Used in professional setting, lights are hung by a C clamp, must use safety chain, and wear gloves because the lamps are HOT!!!!

Three point lighting

• Whether you are using film or video cameras, the industry standard is “three point lighting”

• The key light: the main source of illumination and used to define facial features

• The fill light: fills in shadows caused by the Key Light

• The back light: provides depth to the scene and separates the subject from the background

Three point lighting diagram

KELVIN

Kelvin temperature is a measurement of the temperature at which the filament in the light burns, the higher the temperature, the brighter the light and thus the brighter the color.3200 degrees KELVIN is the standard for accurate color reproduction of flesh tone.

Color temperature in KELVIN SCALE:

3200 for flesh tones

Background lights:

• Don’t confuse with a Back light: which is hung above the talent’s head and provides lighting for their face and head.

• Background lights: illuminate the scenery or the curtains on the set.

Fresnel Lights

• Fresnel Lights: very common in tv, theatre and film lighting. They are recognized by their concentric circles on the lens. It can be focused as a “spot “ light or a “flood “ light. It it is named after its inventor (Augustin –Jean Fresnel) which invented these lights for light houses in the early 1800s .

Scoop Lights

• Often used for general lighting. • Creates a soft pool of light• Bare bulb• Sometimes used for rehearsals

Some other lighting terms:

• Barn doors: adjust the light

Gels :change the color of the light

Scrim : diffuses the light so it is not as harsh and direct

Portable lights:

• You can mount them on top of your camera if you have an “accessory shoe”.

• You can bring lights , stands , etc. to a shoot and set up lights

• You can use a white card to bounce lighting ( if you have some one to hold the card or a stand to mount the card onto)

Tips to use at home:

• Take the lamp shade off for even lighting• Turn on all of the lights • You can bounce lights off white ceilings• Use shop lights for added light• If outside, avoid shooting at high noon• Best time to shoot outside : one hour after

sunrise or one hour before sunset

Summary :

All cameras need light to reproduce an image.The more expensive cameras will allow you to adjust the aperture (lens opening) or iris to determine how much light you allow into the lens.Lighting sets you apart from the amateur photographer. Professionals almost always bring some type of portable lighting on a shoot.