Production Skills #2 - AVC & 3 Point Lighting

In this weeks session we focused on the AVC digital cameras in the morning, and in the afternoon we focused a little more on three point lighting. Following on from last weeks session on lighting. The morning lesson revolved around us being given a technical demonstration from Lee, where we took notes on the features of the AVC camera. We were already kind of familiar, including myself with this camera model as we had used the Mini-DV and VHS tapes for a month previous to this. The cameras are extremely similar aside from a few technical aspects which of course make this one digital opposed to tape. This camera for example requires an sd card. We are all reminded that we must have our own for our own work, and that if any footage is left on the camera from that person the card will be formatted and that will all be discarded. We also went over the basics of interlaced and progressive video content, and the differences between the two. With this camera in particular we were told to stick to PH 1080/50i. 

Below is an image taken in class of Lee giving us a demonstration of the cameras features, which was set up on a tripod in the middle of the class. These kind of demonstrations are extremely effective and very informative, that is if you decide to pay attention first thing in the morning. 

In the afternoon we picked up where we left off from last week with three point lighting. This week we were put into groups and allowed to go off and experiment ourselves with the lighting and create our own visual techniques. 

Before we did this we were given a crucial lesson on the scientific aspects of lighting use. This covered the basic science and mathematics, which are used to determine the risks and safety factors when using the lighting equipment. I learned that in the UK the standard wattage is 240. In other European countries such as France and Italy it is slightly lower at 230. The average plug socket can hold up to 13 amps. This is where the maths come into it. Because a plug can hold 13 amps this means that the average wattage (240) must be divided by how much the plug can take. 

So, in basic mathematical terms. 240 x 13 = 3120. An average plug can hold 3120, anything above or near that amount is considered very dangerous. 

This becomes important to us as filmmakers, because we have to be aware of how much lighting equipment we can rig up or put into a plug without it becoming a hazard. The blondies (key lights) that we use are 2000 watts, and the portable red-heads are 800 watts. This means that if a plug can hold up to 3120, only one blondie can be used, or two redheads simultaneously. We were reminded that it is important to stay away from totalling up your wattage to anything near 3000 or over, even though the plug may be able to hold it. This just reduces the risks or any chance of the lights exploding etc. If a plug can hold 3000 for example, it would be safe to use two redheads totalling 1600 keeping the wattage at half of what the plug can handle. Using three or more may become dangerous. 

If it is not possible to use a required amount of lighting equipment within one singular plug, a generator can hold up to 32 amps, opposed to the 13 in a plug. This means that generators can be very effective on night shoots or sets where more lighting equipment is needed. Again, doing the simple mathematics, 240 x 32 - 7360. This means that a generator can now hold more than double what a plug can, allowing for use of more blondies or redheads without risk of combustion or overheating cables. 

Below is a panoramic image I took on my phone of the three point lighting set we created in one of the IT rooms. We positioned the key light nearest the door and directly upon the subject. We used one filler light also aimed directly at the wall behind the subject, and one to their side to illuminate their face and body with the lens gel. First, we filmed some dialogue with a singular character with all three lights on at the same time. This created some bright and harsh lighting, which forced us to take some care with the iris controls within the camera to find the right exposure levels. 

After this, we tried using only the filler light with a lens gel. This had the opposite effect to the key light which created some very high key lighting. The combination of the filler light with the lens gel had a very sinister effect, mainly through our use of the red lens gel. The red is very powerful and is cast heavily upon everything in the shot, including our character and these two props from Star Wars, in the image below. The filler light also created some highly visible shadows, which can be used to create an outstanding effect if you are aiming for something dark and intimidating.