Los Angeles and several other cities are moving away from sodium lights in favor of low cost, and energy efficient LED lighting. An article on Gizmodo from Geoff Manaugh about this was posted in early February, and I’ve been chewing on it in my head for a little while, and here are my thoughts related to the changing lightscape.
Originally I went to film school for a better understanding of screenwriting, and while at the school I found that like Brick Tamland, I love lamp. The act of manipulating the scenery, the mood, the character, and the depth of a scene through the use of lighting drove me to spend hours studying the way lighting plays within the framing of a shot. Even now I spend time when watching a movie or TV show analyzing the lighting set ups that are being used to light the scene, though I don’t keep a journal of shots like I used to.
I mentioned it in class briefly the other night, but I feel the need to reiterate it. As with all of the things that we aim to learn observation is incredibly beneficial, and can help you produce some amazing works. Next time you are out in the evening, take time to look at the role lighting plays in your surroundings. Observe the differences in LED, fluorescent, halogen, tungsten and neon. Try to learn their color temperatures, and see how those colors blend and change, and look at the shadows that the lights throw.
Take a moment to observe the lights outside and inside of people’s homes. Notice the differences from one house to the next. Notice how the different colors of lights affect the overall appearance of the house. What lights do you prefer when you observe them, and does/will knowing the types of lights you like affect your work or the way you will light a scene?
It is only with the absence of light that we can truly appreciate how lighting has shaped our perceptions of the places we live.
New York City Blackout – Vincent Laforet
Nice, Jerry. A timely post, especially after watching Grant Kaye’s timelapse reel the other night. It’s getting to be more difficult to find those “dark sky” locations to get great star scenes, for example.
Lighting is so interesting and yet so intimidating! I feel like we could easily have an entire class on lighting alone. I think that’s a good idea though, to note examples from media we watch throughout the day.
Lighting is really complex. The way core classes broke down in film school was:
1: Year Basic Camera and Production
1: Year Advanced Camera and Lighting
So add that to the multiple practical productions you are to work on throughout your studies and you still have a ton to learn about lighting!
For the stuff that we are all working on now, basic lighting set ups (2 or 3 lamp) for interviews is perfect, but I do highly recommend taking the time to really learn more about lighting as good lighting can take your productions to the next level, and add a layer of sophistication that your work can benefit from.