Term
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Definition
| Available light that already exists in the scene |
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Term
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Definition
| Also called AC. In the USA, this is a current that is regulated to reverse its direction 60 times a second. Each reversal is called a cycle |
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Term
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Definition
| A standard numbering system that rates the thickness of a wire by measuring its diameter |
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Definition
Basic unit of measure for electrical current or the actual flow of electric current through an instrument or appliance; load rating of a breaker or circuit.
Amps=Watts/Volts |
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Definition
1.) Camera viewpoint, including positio, framing, type of lens and what it 'sees'
2.) Position of a light to a subject, in relationship to the camera/subject axis |
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Definition
| The lens opening which adjusts the amount of light that reaches the video imaging device or film emulsion |
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Term
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Definition
| The ration of width to height of a motion picture or TV screen. |
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Definition
| Light placed behind a subject, producing highlights on hair and shoulders, separates the foreground subject from the background visually |
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Term
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Definition
| A one thousand (1000) watt lighting unit witha fresnel lens |
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Term
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Definition
| Adjustable metal flags attached to lighting instrument to confine the spread of the light beam emitted from that lighting instrument |
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Term
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Definition
| Uniform, diffuse illumination sufficient for a television picture at a specific aperture. Usually supplemented by other modeling and accent lighting. Represented by earlier, traditional 'flat' lighting necessary in the early years of broadcast television. Seldom applied today. |
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Term
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Definition
| A white styrofoam board used for bouncing or reflecting light |
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Term
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Definition
| Spread pattern of light from instrument, expressed as an angle or diameter at a certain distance from the lighting instrument |
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Term
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Definition
| Positioning and movement of subjects in relation to camera position and movement |
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Term
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Definition
| A two thousand watt (2000), open faced lighting unit |
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Term
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Definition
1.) An arm or fish pole device for suspending a microphone over a set or acting area
2.) A crane-like camera support allowing extremely high-agnle shots.
3.) A vertical camera move when attached to the crane. |
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Term
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Definition
| Generally a large, shadowless light source produced when a light is reflected onto a large surface, ie: foam core, walls, ceiling |
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Term
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Definition
| Subjective value of light intensity. When expressed in foot-candles (lumens per square foot) it is a repeatable quantity of light |
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Term
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Definition
| A large scrim or net used to soften light on the subject, traditionally in a holder or frame with a single mounting point. |
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Term
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Definition
| Line drawn between the camera and the subject |
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Term
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Definition
| A metric unit of luminous intensity, measured in square centimeters. Also knows as 'candle' or 'standard candle' (see foot candle) |
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Term
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Definition
| Quality of a light source. ie: Far away point source are hard; near and large sources are often soft |
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Term
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Definition
| In color television, a method of inserting one image over another using two cameras. The backing of one scene can be electronically matted or 'cut away' and replaced by a second signal. Commonly seen in nightly newscasts |
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Term
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Definition
| Rated at particular amperage, this device automatically interrupts the flow of an electrical current if the current drawn exceeds the breaker's rating |
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Term
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Definition
| A set of feeder cables that have alligator clips attached to one end. Used to attach cable(s) to the power main or electrical service panel during a process know as tie-in |
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Term
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Definition
| The electronic limiting of video peak signals at a pint where further increase in exposure provides no further increase in video level. Produces a texture-less (blown out) white area (zone 10) |
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Term
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Definition
| Psychological effect in which the human mind fabricates presence of a whole object from seeing just a part of the object |
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Term
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Definition
| In lighting terms, refers to matching the color temperatures of various light sources in a scene through the use of colored gels placed on the individual lighting units. In camera terms, color correction filters are placed on the camera lens. This balances the color temperatures, and allows the film or digital chip to render colors more naturally |
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Term
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Definition
| Relative color balance, expressed in Kelvin degrees (see Kelvin) Measures relative color of varied light sources. Red or 'warm' light has a low color temperature whereas blue or 'cool' light has a high color temperature on the Kelvin scale. |
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Term
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Definition
| The range between light and dark areas of an image |
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Term
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Definition
| Difference between the maximum and minimum illumination the subject. Expressed as a ratio ie: 2:1, 3:1, 10:1 etc |
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Term
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Definition
| Room or enclosure where all elements of a TV production are controlled and usually include video, audio, and graphics. |
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Term
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Definition
| Shortened form of cukaloris (see Cukaloris) |
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Term
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Definition
| Framing of the camera to eliminate parts of the subject or scene |
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Term
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Definition
| Card or metal plate with cutout designs, used to produce patterned shadows when place in the light beam |
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Term
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Definition
| The flow or rate of flow of electrical force in a conductor. It is measured in amperes |
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Term
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Definition
| A large plain background surface wich wraps around the stage walls, used to suggest infinite depth. When blended at the wall and floor intersection, it is known as horizonless 'sweep'. aka Cyc |
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Term
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Definition
| Area of acceptable focus increases with wider angle lenses and smaller F-Stops. Also affected by subject-to-camera distance |
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Term
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Definition
1.) Amount of visual information about the surface of an object
2.) Video camera enhancement setting |
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Term
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Definition
| A long stick or pole used to help open or close a barn door when out of arms reach |
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Term
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Definition
| Material placed in front of light source to change character or light. Can soften light, make a wider beam, and/or reduce light intensity |
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Term
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Definition
| Electronic or mechanical device to decrease a light's intensity by limiting electrical power to the lamp; usually via remote control |
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Term
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Definition
| Also called DC. This current does not reverse its directions (as does AC) and is identified by its single directional flow. Generators, dry cell batteries, and wet cell batteries can produce DC power. |
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Term
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Definition
| a small circular flag used to shad small areas or highlights |
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Term
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Definition
| A two prong or three prong electrical outlet found in most houses also used in conjunction with electrical distribution hardware (see Paddle to 4-way Edison) |
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Term
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Definition
| The ratio of power used to light output produced. Power which does not produce light is wasted as heat |
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Term
| Electrical Distribution Hardware |
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Definition
| Various components needed to channel electrical power at your location |
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Term
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Definition
| This unit is connected directly to the service head and records the amount of electricity consumed |
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Term
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Definition
| This condition results when the current drew (amperage) through a circuit exceeds the rating of that circuit. This is what happens when you 'blow a breaker' |
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Term
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Definition
| Electronic processing of the video signal to produce great image definition at sharp transitions between lighter and darker areas |
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Term
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Definition
| light mounted close to lens producing highlights on eyes and teeth of subject without changing overall exposure. aka 'o.b.' or an On Board Light |
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Term
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Definition
| Heavy gauge wiring used to transmit electricity from the power source (power main or main service panel) to the location service panel |
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Term
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Definition
| Illumination to reduce contrast ratio or shadows created by the key and backlights |
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Term
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Definition
| A five thousand (5000) watt lighting unit with a fresnel lens, aka: Senior |
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Term
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Definition
| Cardboard or stretched cloth placed in front of light source to shape the light by shading selected areas; also used to shield camera lens from light flares. |
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Term
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Definition
| Reflection produced in the lens from a light source shining directly onto the lens elements. This washes out the picture or raises black level, and produces off-color discs and streaks in picture. |
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Term
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Definition
| Widest beam spread available from a focusable lighting instrument. Also an instrument that produces a wide beam spread pattern |
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Term
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Definition
| Artist's white mounting board, used as a bounce surface, cookie, or flag |
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Term
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Definition
| A unit of light (direct illumination) measured at a surface. The quantity of light falling on a a one square foot surface at a distance of one foot from a candle. In photometric terms, one 'candle' (candela) is defined as the luminous intensity of 1/60th cm2 of a blackbody radiator operating at the temperature of solidification of platinum |
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Term
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Definition
| Part of the electrical distribution system no longer in use. It consists of three wires (2 hot, 1 neutral) feeding two separate color-coded sides. Both sides of the box consist of two square 'holes' (or receptacles). Each hole accepts one paddle connector and is rated at 50 AMPS. Each side of the box is rated at a maximum of 100 AMPS |
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Term
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Definition
| Small flag attached to camera with a flexible arm positioned to prevent unwanted light or flares from striking lens. Variation is 'eyebrow', which attaches directly without use of flexible arm. |
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Term
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Definition
| A 'stepped' or 'ringed' lens which produces a focussed beam similar to a planoconvex lens; but with less bulk and weight. |
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Term
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Definition
| A diffusion gel which widens and softens the light beam, also reducing intensity |
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Term
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Definition
| The numbers on the lens ring to indicate the aperture setting. As numbers increase, each setting allows one half less light through the lens |
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Term
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Definition
| A spring clap used to attach additional diffusion, nets, show card, etc. to any object, c-stand or light stand that can support the weight and clamping effect. Often used as a quick fix clap when making additional shaping adjustments to the light. Can be used for clamping two items together. |
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Term
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Definition
| Amplification of video signal to produce acceptable levels in low light situations. Produces poorer signal-to-noise ratio, displayed as noisier picture (particularly in darker areas). Expressed incrementally as 9dB or 18dB boost. Gain increase of 6dB is equivalent to 1 F-Stop |
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Term
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Definition
| A spring clamp with a series of rubberized teeth for holding onto objects differing from the 'gaffer grip' which has only a bare steel surface. |
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Term
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Definition
| Literally a go-between. An opaque object that goes between a light source and a subject, such as a flag, dot or cookie |
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Term
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Definition
| A chart with white to gray to black chips, in logarithmic gradations, used for assisting when color timing film, color and gamma corrections and for video camera white balance and levels adjustment. |
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Term
| Ground Fault Interrupter (GFI) |
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Definition
| Device which instantaneously cuts the flow of current when a short circuit develops. Used in areas near water to avoid electrocution hazards. |
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Term
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Definition
| Lighting style or effect which, applied to a scene, is intended to produce a picture having gradations falling primarily between gray and white. Dark grays and blacks are present, but in very limited areas |
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Term
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Definition
| An efficient 'Halide Medium arc Iodine' lamp which produces light of a bluish color temperature similar to daylight (approx. 5600 degrees Kelvin) |
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Term
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Definition
| Light falling directly on the scene. Measured at the subject with the light meter facing toward the light source. |
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Term
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Definition
| The capability for illumination by a light source is inversely proportional to the square of its distance from the subject. Double the distance between a lamp and an object, it receives four times less light. |
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Term
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Definition
| A two thousand (2000) watt lighting unit with a fresnel lens |
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Term
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Definition
| A scale of temperature units used to describe relative color balance. Derived from the temperature of a blackbody source heated to a pint where it emits, rather then reflects, light. The Kelvin temperature scale begins at absolute zero (-273o C) and technically only applies to those light instruments using a resistance filament lamp, as opposed to discharge-type lamps such as fluorescent, mercury-vapor, and arc lamps. |
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Term
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Definition
| Principle source of light on the subject |
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Term
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Definition
| A back and side light used to produce a rim light which separates the subject from the background and accents the shape of the upper body |
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Term
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Definition
| Used to measure incident or reflected light; color temp meter can analyze the color temperature of a source |
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Term
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Definition
| The object that produces the light on the subject such as the sun, a lamp, or a reflecting surface like a bounce card |
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Term
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Definition
| A diffusion material, a half-density version of tough spun |
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Term
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Definition
| A diffusion material, a half-density version of a full grid aka 3032 |
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Term
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Definition
| Also called the location breaker box. Part of the electrical distribution system. located after the flip-on and feeder cable, near the shooting site. Power distribution emanates from here. It has a fused on/off switch, rated at capacity no higher then that of the actual power main on location. |
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Term
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Definition
| Low contrast filter which raises overall shadow levels without diffusing or flaring highlights |
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Term
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Definition
| Unit for measuring the rate of flow of light per unit of time; technically 'luminous flux' |
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Term
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Definition
| Scientific or photometric term for quantity or 'brightness' |
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Term
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Definition
| Electronic inserting or 'cutting in' of one picture element into another; not a blending or super-imposition |
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Term
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Definition
| Wavy or vibrating effect caused when naturally occurring lines in the scene converge nearly parallel with the scan lines of the TV picture |
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Term
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Definition
| Device used to quickly detect the presence of electricity in a wire, connection, or electrical outlet. |
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Term
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Definition
| Open weave cloth on a frame used to reduce light intensity on a specific area without affecting the color or character of the light |
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Term
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Definition
| The Neutral offers zero voltage, thus has an electrical potential of zero. Electricity will flow through a circuit if there is resistance and if there is a difference of potential within the circuit. The Neutral is used in a 120 volt system to provide a potential difference in order to promote the flow of electricity |
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Term
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Definition
| Gray gel or filter for camera or lamp which reduces the light intensity without affecting the color or character of the light source |
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Term
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Definition
| Basic unit of measure for electrical resistance |
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Term
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Definition
| One thousand (1000) watt lighting instrument aka Baby |
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Term
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Definition
| A square heavy-duty connector used to distribute power on location. It can be found on the end of a 'Paddle to Edison' unit and is used as a heavy-duty connector for the larger lighting fixtures. It will carry up to 100 AMPS. |
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Term
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Definition
| Camera move in which the lens swings left or right across the horizon |
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Term
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Definition
| A term used whenever a connection needs to be made, except if an electrical tie-in is used to hook directly in the power source. |
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Term
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Definition
| Can eliminate reflections from shiny surfaces, water, glass, etc., can reduce haze and increase color saturation by redirecting the reflected light rays. |
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Term
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Definition
| Defined by a unit called the volt. It is the amount of electrical charge. 120 Colts are commonly used in the USA |
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Term
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Definition
| Defined as watts. Lighting units are rated by wattage, which is associated with the amount of illumination produced. |
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Term
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Definition
| The main switch for all electricity entering a location |
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Term
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Definition
| Normal everyday light source seen in a shot ie: lamp, sconce. May be rigged with higher wattage, correct color temperature bulb |
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Term
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Definition
| Advanced planning to determine all the needs and requirements of a production, foreseeing possible problems and solutions to insure a smooth shoot. |
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Term
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Definition
| Pre-planning the look and style of the image before the camera comes out of the case |
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Term
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Definition
1.) When a light source is very close to the subject, slight movemens toward or away from the source will produce drastic changes in illumination levels, due to the Inverse Square Rule
2.) Audio term used to describe the 'Bass Boost' effect that occurs when certain mics are used too close to the talent or narrator |
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Term
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Definition
| Also 'tungsten-halogen' or 'quarz-iodine'. Specially constructed lamp designed to burn at a constant 3200 degrees Kelvin. Used in most all television and film productions. |
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Term
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Definition
| A one thousand (1000) watt open faced lighting unit. In areas outside of NY or LA, the 'redhead' reference wattage differs and can vary from 650w to 800w to 1000w |
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Term
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Definition
| Light which is not absorbed by an object but bounces off. The light used to record a video or film image, measured by aiming the light meter toward the subject from the camera position |
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Term
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Definition
| Rope or chain used as a backup attachment for a lighting instrument in case the first method of attachment fails |
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Term
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Definition
| Wire or cloth mesh placed in front of instrument to reduce intensity without changing the color or character of the light |
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Term
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Definition
1.) A five thousand (5000) watt lighting unit witha fresnel lens.
2.) An older person |
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Term
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Definition
| Usually made up of four components: the service head, the electrical meter, the power main and the service panel. |
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Term
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Definition
| The connection between the power source (power company) and the location |
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Term
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Definition
| Artist's matte board with a flat black and flat white surface used to bounce light, to flag lights, or as a cookie to modify the shape of the light. |
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Term
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Definition
| Image outline of an object, seen as dark shadow outlined against a light background |
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Term
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Definition
| Diffusion material mounted frames used to soften light and lower intensity on a specific area |
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Term
| Single Phase/Three Wire System |
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Definition
| Three wires leading into the electrical service entrance, two 'hot' wires, usually color-coded black to red and a white neutral wire. By attaching a 'VOMeter' to the red and black leads, the reading should be from 220 to 240 volts. Attach to the red and white or black and white, the reading should b e120 volts |
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Term
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Definition
| A heavy-duty connector used on feeder cables. It's a rigid metal post surrounded by insulation. (Three/Two Banded Pin Cable) |
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Term
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Definition
| Cylindrical lamp attachement used to funnel the light beam, providing a more concentrated circle of illumination |
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Term
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Definition
| Description of a hard, mirror-like reflection on glasses, chrome, shellacked set-pieces, etc. Also referred to as a 'kick' |
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Term
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Definition
| Unwanted, stray light which has not been eliminated by control devices such as flags, barn doors, and instrument casings |
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Term
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Definition
1.) Narrowest beam spread position on a focusable instrument.
2.) High-intensity beam of light, or the instrument which produces such a beam. |
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Term
| Three Phase/Four Wire System |
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Definition
| Four wires enter the service head. Three are 'hot' and colored black, red or blue (never white or green). The fourth wire is colored white and attached to a neutral bus bar. Probes from a 'VOM' touching any two of the three hot wires should read between 210 and 240 volts. Probes touching any hot lead and neutral simultaneously should cause the 'VOM' to read 120 volts. |
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Term
| Three/Two Banded Pin Cable |
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Definition
| Three AWG #2 cables banded together in 25' or 50' lengths with pin connectors on one end and matching female sockets on the other. Used as heavy duty feeder cable, it is color-coded red and blue for 'hot' leads and white for the ground. Each 'hot' conductor is rated to carry a continuous load of 115 AMPS. |
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Term
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Definition
| The effective distance between a light source and the area being lit |
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Term
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Definition
| Sharing the location's available power by 'clipping-on' at the power main or service panel. Illegal in most states without proper permits. |
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Term
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Definition
| Camera move in which the lens swings up or down |
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Term
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Definition
| A diffusion material which reduces the intensity and slightly softens character of the light source |
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Term
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Definition
Camera movement where the entire camera is rolled along an axis, relative to the direction the lens is pointing
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Term
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Definition
| Light bulb with a tungsten filament, and quartz glass envelope filled with halogen gas. Keeps a constant color temperature through extended use. Studio and location lighting instruments use these 'quartz' bulbs |
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Term
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Definition
1.) See 'diddle stick'
2.) one who tweaks |
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Term
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Definition
| A six hundred and fifty (650) watt lighting unit with a fresnel lens |
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Term
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Definition
| Two thousand (2000) watt lighting instrument. aka a Junior |
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Term
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Definition
| Special oscilloscope used to monitor color hue and saturation in television signals |
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Term
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Definition
| Fall-off or darkening of image brightness around the edges, due to optical or mechanical interference. |
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Term
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Definition
| The unit defining electrical potential |
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Term
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Definition
| Basic unit of measure for electric pressure. In the US, standard household voltage is approximately 115 volts |
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Term
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Definition
| As distance from the clip-on is extended or as the load factor on the cable increases, the voltage at the lamp heads drop. As voltage drops, so does intensity of the light and color temperature. Feeder cable runs should be as short as possible, cables should be of adequate gauge to minimize loss |
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Term
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Definition
| (Coltage/Ohm/Milliamp Meter) Device capable of measureing AC and DC voltages, resistance in Ohms, and Milliams |
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Term
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Definition
| Unit of measure for electrical power consumption. Watts = Volts * Amps |
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Term
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Definition
| Special oscilloscope used to display the video signal and to evaluate video 'exposure' levels |
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Term
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Definition
| Variable focal length lens, capable of bridging the apparent distance between camera and subject with one continuos move, while camera remains stationary. |
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