Three Factors That Affect the Way Lighting Performs in Filmmaking

Have you ever wondered how certain movies create emotions, such as suspense, sorrow, and drama?  Many technicians work tirelessly to create a certain aesthetic that viewers can relate to by combining their talents and expertise on set.  They use lighting techniques, sound features, special features, acting practices, and set design tips to create the emotion they want to elicit from their viewers.  Many technicians, such as grip electric technicians and photography experts, combine their skills to use the best lighting techniques in order to create emotional appeal.  Choosing the right lights and light fixtures is one of the first steps to creating a scene.  However, not all lights perform the same.  There are three factors that affect that way lighting performs on set and how technicians choose the right ones.

Color Rendering Index

This specialized term describes the ability of a light to reveal the color of a specific object.  If you place a light on a particular object, you'll want it to accurately depict the natural color of that item.  However, sometimes lightbulbs may make objects appear slightly different in color by providing subtle or bright lights that can sometimes confuse the actual shade.  This technique can also be used to subtly alter the way that specific items appear.  A CRI of 100 is the highest possible number, and this refers to a black body in natural light.

Color Temperature

Color temperature refers to the color that a white light appears to be when it is radiated by a black body at any given temperature.  Even though this is a technical term, we can better understand this when we do simple tasks like changing a lightbulb.  When you change a lightbulb and notice that the color of the new lightbulb is slightly different than the old one, this is the color temperature at work.  This affects your ability to achieve cool and warm tones in a shot.

Bulb Strength

Lightbulbs come in all sizes, varieties, and strengths.  This versatility may be confusing when it comes time for homeowners to switch out their lightbulbs, but it is common knowledge for grip electric technicians on a film set.  LED bulbs are extremely strong, which is why you'll see them radiate at a brighter light than incandescent or fluorescent lights.  You'll choose the light bulb strength based on the outcome you are trying to achieve.

These are a few of the factors that will affect that way that a particular light performs on the set of a film.  In order to choose the right lighting technique to achieve a certain look, you'll want to trust quality and experienced grip electric and grip lighting technicians to do the work for you.  Contact us to hear about our grip electric services today.