[f] Aputure 300x

What are three key features of the Aputure 300x?

    Three key features of the Aputure 300x are , , and .

[f] Lighting Instruments

Summarize the 4 different lighting instruments that are covered. How are each of them different from each other? Why are fluorescent lights so useful? What makes the Arri L series light so unique?  What could you use it for in your films?

    Four different lighting instruments that are covered are , , , and . Each of them differ from the others as . Fluorescent lights are useful as . The Arri L series light is so unique as . I could potentially use it for .

[f] Negative Fill

What is negative fill?  What does it do to your image? What is a good place to use it? How could you start using this in your shooting?

Negative fill is . What negative fill does is . A good place to use it would be . I could start using negative fill in my shoots by .

[f] The Quality of Light

What is the difference between a hard and a soft light? What is diffusion?  What does it do? What does hard and soft light communicate to your audience?

    The difference between a hard and a soft light is . Diffusion is . The purpose of diffusion is to . Hard light communicates ... to the audience. Soft light often communicates .

[f] Shaping Light

How do you create a soft light from a hard light? How can you use flags to shape your light?  What effect does it have? What are china balls, duvetyne and blackwrap used for when lighting?

    In order to create soft light from a hard light, you can . You can use flags to shape your light by . This can have the effect of . China balls are . Duvetyne is . Blackwrap is .

[f] Using False Color

What is false color?  Why is it so important?  Explain in detail scenarios where it might be a useful tool?

    False color is . It is so important because . Some scenarios where false color might be a useful tool to use are .

[f] Shots vs. Setups

What are shots?  What are setups?  How are they different from each other? What does this matter?  What is turnaround? Why is it so important to group your shots?

    Shots are . Setups are . They a different from each other as . This matters because . A turnaround is . It is so important to group your shots because .

Basics of Lighting

What are three new interesting things you've learned in this video? What does cross-lighting mean? How can you put these into practice in your next film?

    Three new interesting things that I've learned in this video are broadside and short side, high key vs. low key, and cross-lighting. Broadside is when the light is hitting the side of the face that's facing the camera, which usually creates a flatter look, with short side being when the light is on the side further from the camera, which usually creates a look with more depth. High key lighting is the flatter more even look that's often used in sitcoms, romance, or comedies. Low key lighting is the more dramatic and high contrast lighting you often find in more dramatic films and genres, such as film noirs. Cross-lighting is when you use two lights to light two actors, which creates a sort of cross pattern with the placement of the actors and lights being the endpoints. When cross-lighting, a light source acts as both a key light for one actor and a backlight for the other. I can put these into practice in my next film by using these concept to increase the depth of my visual storytelling and appeal. I can use low-key lighting for more drama in select scenes and more high-key lighting for other scenes.

Bounce Boards

What are the different ways you can use a bounce board in a shoot?  What are the differences between a square and a round bounce board?

    The different ways that you can use a bounce board in a shoot are by holding it or by using a duckbill clamp in order to be able to put it on a C-stand. The primary use of a bounce board is to diffuse lighting, which can soften harsh shadows and more evenly wrap around the face. The differences between a square and round bounce board are the shape that the board has in the reflection of the eye. Although there isn't anything necessarily wrong about having the square reflection, it looks more natural to have a circular reflection because of the spherical shape of the eye.

Bouncing Light

What happens when you directly aim a light at your talent? What happens when you bounce your light?  What's a simple way to bounce it when shooting? How can bounce cards be used?

    When you directly aim a light at your talent, the light is hard and directional, which will create harsher and more defined shadows. When you bounce you light, the light rays are scattered more, which creates a softer look. A simple way to bounce light when shooting is by pointing a light source towards some kind of flat white object which is facing the subject. Bounce cards can be used both on its own or in tandem with additional diffusion (creating a "book light") in order to further soften the light. Having diffused light helps the light source wrap around the subject, bringing back details which would've been lost in shadows and making a less dramatic look. This can be useful as not every scene requires or calls for harsh and dramatic lighting.

The C-Stand

What are three key important details when setting up a C-stand properly? How should you store and carry C-Stands?

    Three key details when setting up a C-stand are the orientation of the legs, the knuckles should be on right side, and always bagging your stands. When setting up the stand, it is important that you have the tallest leg of the stand directly under the weight, that way it won't be able to tip over. You should always keep the knuckles on the right side when you stand behind the C-stand so that, if it is loose, the knuckle will self tighten as the weight tries to fall. It is super important to always sand bag your C-stands in order to prevent the stand from toppling over. The sandbag should always be on the tallest leg for it to not touch the floor. You should store C-stands by soldiering them, which means putting the big leg over the medium leg so that they remain stable and modular. You should carry C-stand by constantly calling out "points" in order to prevent someone from getting hit by the stands.

Setting up a Light

What are three key important details when setting up a light properly? What are the proper terms when instructing someone to change where the light is pointing?

    Three key important details when setting up a light properly all have to do with safety: bagging your stands, using callouts, and properly running your cables. It is important to use sandbags on all of your lights so that they don't fall, especially so that they don't injure someone. Using callouts such as "striking' is important as it warns people that a light is about to turn on so that you don't blind them. Running your cables correctly in important to minimize tripping hazards on set, which can prevent damages and injuries. The proper terms when instructing someone to change where the light is pointing are tilting, panning, and sticking. Tilting is when you rotate the light along the vertical axis, panning is when you rotate along the horizontal axis, and sticking is when you move it up or down vertically.

The Direction of Lighting

What do you notice about front lighting? Top lighting?  Side lighting? What does the angle of your light have to do with your character and story? How can you incorporate this in your film noir?

    I notice that front lighting causes little to no shadows to appear on the face, creating a flatter look. Bringing the light source higher still maintains a flatter look, with the introduction of a few shadows. This is usually known as "Beauty Lighting" as it highlights the cheekbones and the shadows hide the chin and define the jaw. For top lighting, it has dramatic shadows that cover almost the entire face. This creates an unsettling feeling primarily because the eyes are cast in darkness. Under lighting reverses the light in shadow and creates an unnatural look. When it comes to side lighting, the most commonly accepted angle is a 45° angle, which is still frontal, but casts shadows onto half the face. It also allows light to shine onto the cheekbone, which creates the "Rembrandt Lighting" effect. True side lighting fully casts half the face in shadow, which creates a split down the middle of the face. Going further, the light becomes an edge light, only illuminating the edge of the face, keeping most, if not all of the subject in shadow. The angle of your light can affect the character and story as the amount of shadow on the face and the shape of these shadows can create different impacts on the audience. I can incorporate this into my film noir by utilizing these different effects to deepen the storytelling, such as lighting only half of a character's face in order to show a split, or by changing the height of the light in order to make the face look unsettling and off.

Lighting the Human Face

Stunning Photos Reveal How Lighting Can Vastly Change Our Perception of the Human Face

What do you notice about how the angle of lighting affects the human face? What does the lighting do the ladies face at those angles? How could you start using lighting angles intentionally in your future productions?

    Some of the effects that the angle of light has on the face are a drastic change in mood and depth between the images. The first images are considerably brighter and appear flatter, with no shadows on the faces, whereas the second images cast the face heavily in shadow. The darker image conveys a more somber or eerie mood compared to the brighter ones. When I pause the video at 0:23, the lighting causes her face to be lit from underneath, creating a more unnatural look as the shadows are being cast upwards. I could start using these lighting angles intentionally in my future films by considering the effects that these different looks have on the audience and scene.

Using Flags to Control Shadow and Light

What are flags used for on set? What are three key things you learned in the video that you can put to use when lighting?

    On set, flags are used for cutting, or blocking out, light. Three key things that I learned in the video which I can put to use when lighting are using flags as a topper, bottomer, or sider. The topper is used to cover the top of the light, keeping the subject lit but eliminating spill on the background. A bottomer is the same, just blocking the bottom, and it can be used to block the subject from the background. A sider is the same just on the horizontal plane so that you can remove spill. Some other terms used are the "Meat Axe" flag, which is a 30" by 36" flag, a floppy, which is a flag that has velcro which unfolds addition fabric, increasing the length, and cutters, which are 2' by 6' and also tend to have the same flap that unfolds as floppies.