Set Lighting Technician's Handbook : Film Lighting Equipment, Practice, and Electrical Distribution

by Box

• ISBN13: 9780240804958
• ISBN10: 0240804953
• Edition: 3rd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2003-03-17
• Publisher: Elsevier Science

Summary

Comprehensive. Detailed. Practical. Set Lighting Technician's Handbook, Third Edition is a friendly, hands-on manual covering the day-to-day practices, equipment, and tricks of the trade essential to anyone doing motion picture lighting. This handbook offers a wealth of practical technical information, useful techniques, as well as aesthetic discussions. The Set Lighting Technician's Handbook focuses on what is important when working on-set: trouble-shooting, teamwork, set protocol, and safety. It describes tricks and techniques for operating a vast array of lighting equipment including xenons, camera synchronous strobes, black lights, underwater units, lighting effects units, and many others. Since its first edition, this handy on-set reference continues to be widely adopted as a training and reference manual by union training programs as well as top university film production programs. New in the third edition is an expanded resource section, new illustrations and tables, and coverage of new lighting products and techniques for how to use them. Expanded resources section: websites, unions, chat groups, bulletin boards, etc, plus new illustrations and tables More advanced, concise, and comprehensive than ever Coverage of new lighting products and techniques to help you use them

Author Biography

Harry C. Box is a Hollywood-based gaffer and director of photography

Table of Contents

List of Tables	xv
List of Appendices	xvii
Preface	xxi
Set Basics: Your First Barbecue	1	(14)
Job Descriptions of the Lighting Crew	1	(6)
Director of Photography	1	(1)
Gaffer	2	(1)
Best Boy Electric	3	(1)
Electricians	4	(1)
Rigging Crew	5	(1)
The Fixtures Guy	5	(1)
Generator Operator	5	(1)
Grip Department	6	(1)
The Company	7	(5)
Production Staff	7	(1)
The Director's Team	8	(1)
Camera Department	9	(1)
Sound Department	9	(1)
Locations	10	(1)
Transportation	10	(1)
Art Department	11	(1)
Civilians	11	(1)
Block, Light, Rehearse, Tweak, Shoot	12	(3)
Preproduction Planning: Lighting Package, Expendables, and Personal Tools	15	(24)
Preproduction Planning	15	(2)
Scouting Locations	16	(1)
Production Meetings	17	(1)
Equipment Package	17	(5)
Loading the Production Van	21	(1)
Expendable Supplies	22	(6)
Gels and Diffusion	23	(1)
Electrical Expendables	24	(4)
Tools and Personal Gear	28	(5)
Tool Belt	28	(3)
Meters	31	(1)
Other Hand Tools	31	(1)
Personal Gear	32	(1)
Grip Equipment	33	(6)
Shiny Boards	33	(1)
Overhead Sets	33	(1)
Carts	34	(2)
Mounting Hardware	36	(1)
Dollies	36	(1)
Other Grip Equipment	37	(1)
Grip Expendables	37	(2)
Light Fixtures---The Basic Tungsten Arsenal	39	(30)
Tungsten Light	39	(1)
Tungsten Color Balance	39	(1)
The Tungsten Bulb	40	(1)
Fresnels	40	(11)
Fresnel Beam	42	(4)
Creative Uses of Flood and Spot	46	(1)
The Globe and Its Installation	46	(1)
Fresnel Accessories	47	(4)
Soft Lights	51	(2)
Open-Face Lights	53	(2)
Prime Fixtures	54	(1)
Broads and Nook Lights	54	(1)
Light Kits	54	(1)
PAR Lights	55	(4)
PAR Lamps	55	(2)
PAR Fixtures	57	(2)
Ellipsoidal Reflector Spotlights (Lekos)	59	(4)
Bulb Adjustment and Installations	60	(3)
Area Lights and Backing Lights	63	(2)
Chicken Coops and Space Lights	63	(1)
Scoop Lights and Sky Pans	64	(1)
Cyc Strips, Ground Rows, and Borders	64	(1)
Small Fixtures	65	(4)
Screw-Base Fixtures	65	(1)
Stick-up Kits	66	(1)
Dedolights	67	(2)
Light Fixtures---The Basic HMI Arsenal	69	(28)
HMI Fixtures	69	(7)
HMI Fresnels	70	(1)
HMI PARs	71	(1)
HMI ``Open-Face'' Lights	72	(1)
HMI Soft Lights	73	(1)
Small HMI Fixtures---Sun Guns and Modular Multiuse Fixtures	73	(3)
HMI Operation	76	(6)
Setting Up	76	(1)
Striking	77	(1)
Troubleshooting	78	(4)
HMI ``Flicker'' and Flicker-Free Ballasts	82	(9)
Standard Magnetic Ballasts	82	(1)
Square-Wave Electronic Ballasts	82	(3)
Power Factor Correction Circuits	85	(2)
DMX-Controlled Ballasts	87	(1)
Troubleshooting	87	(3)
DCI Lamps and Ballasts	90	(1)
Three-Head, Three-Phase Solution	90	(1)
HMI-Type Lamps	91	(6)
Relamping HMI Heads	93	(1)
HMI Lamp Characteristics and Hazards	94	(3)
Fluorescent Lights	97	(14)
History of Fluorescent Lights	97	(1)
Kino Flo	97	(11)
Kino Flo 120-V Systems	98	(5)
12-V DC Kits: 12-V Single, Mini Flo, and Micro Flo	103	(2)
Using Kino Flo Fixtures	105	(1)
Troubleshooting	106	(2)
Building a Film-Friendly Fluorescent System from Commercially Available Parts	108	(3)
High-Frequency Ballasts	108	(1)
Color-Correct Fluorescent Tubes	108	(1)
Some Additional Notes about Fluorescent Lights	108	(3)
Stands and Rigging	111	(20)
Stands	111	(12)
Baby Stands	111	(2)
Junior Stands	113	(3)
Offsets, Side Arms, Extensions, and Right Angles	116	(1)
Using Stands	117	(1)
Crank-up and Motorized Stands	117	(2)
Grip Stands	119	(3)
Booms	122	(1)
Stand Maintenance	123	(1)
Rigging Hardware	123	(8)
Baby and Junior Nail-on Plates	123	(1)
Set Wall Mounts	124	(1)
Clamps	124	(3)
Grids and Green Beds	127	(1)
Location Rigging Hardware	128	(3)
Lighting Objectives and Methods	131	(32)
Lighting Objectives	131	(3)
Visibility (or Selective Visibility)	131	(1)
Naturalism	132	(1)
Composition	132	(2)
Time Constraints	134	(1)
Light Level, Exposure, Contrast, and Metering	134	(11)
Foot-Candles	134	(1)
F-Stops	135	(2)
Taking Readings with an Incident Light Meter	137	(1)
Contrast, Latitude, and the Zone System	138	(4)
Spot Meters	142	(2)
Light Level	144	(1)
The Genesis of Lighting Ideas	145	(1)
The Process of Creating Natural Lighting	146	(10)
Motivating Light Sources	147	(1)
Establishing the Key Light	148	(6)
Backlights, Kickers, and Hair Lights	154	(1)
Fill	155	(1)
Set Light	156	(1)
Lighting the Scene	156	(7)
Living Room Scene	156	(3)
Exterior Night Scene	159	(4)
Manipulating Light: Tools, Techniques, and the Behavior of Light	163	(36)
Color	163	(12)
Color Correction	163	(1)
Kelvin Color-Temperature Scale	164	(1)
Using MIRED Units to Calculate Color Shifts	165	(2)
Color-Temperature Meter	167	(2)
Color-Correction Gels	169	(4)
Coloring Light	173	(2)
Brightness	175	(5)
Methods of Control	175	(2)
Falloff---Your Friend, the Inverse Square Law	177	(1)
Dimmers	178	(2)
Shape, Pattern, and Form	180	(15)
Making Cuts and Patterns	181	(3)
Soft Light	184	(2)
Diffusion	186	(2)
Other Ways of Making Soft Light	188	(7)
Movement	195	(4)
Flicker Effects: Television Screen, Flame, and Fire	195	(2)
Moving Lights	197	(2)
Electrician's Set Protocol and Aerial Lifts	199	(48)
Set Protocol	199	(12)
Staging Area	199	(1)
Lighting the Set	200	(7)
Stingers and Cabling	207	(4)
Small Bulbs, Practicals, Wiring, and Switches	211	(6)
Types of Bulbs	211	(2)
Controlling Practicals	213	(1)
Light Cues	213	(1)
Wiring Small Fixtures	214	(3)
Safety	217	(3)
Ladders	217	(1)
Parallels	218	(1)
Working Aloft	218	(1)
Protecting Floors	218	(1)
Sprinkler Systems	219	(1)
Smoke, Fire, and Other Bad Smells	219	(1)
Lamp Repair	220	(1)
The Wrap	220	(1)
Coiling Feeder Cable	221	(1)
Inventory	221	(1)
Aerial Lifts and High Platforms for Lighting	221	(22)
Getting the Right Machine for the Job	223	(4)
Straight Mast Boom Lifts (Condors)	227	(11)
Rigging Lights and Cable	238	(4)
Condor Duty	242	(1)
Shooting in the Rain	243	(2)
Cabling and Distribution	243	(1)
Rain Tents	243	(1)
Lighting Rain	243	(2)
Shooting on Moving Vehicles	245	(2)
Specialty Lighting	247	(50)
Big Guns	247	(12)
Set Lighting	248	(3)
Carbon Arc Lights	251	(8)
Moonlight Rigs	259	(6)
Lighting Balloons	259	(3)
Soft Box	262	(1)
Fisher Lights	262	(1)
Truck-Mounted Tower Lights (Musco)	262	(3)
Effects Lights	265	(6)
Xenon Lights	265	(2)
Beam Projectors	267	(1)
Automated Lights	268	(1)
Black Lights	269	(1)
Fiber Optics	270	(1)
Neon	271	(1)
Follow Spots	271	(2)
Operating a Follow Spot	272	(1)
Lighting Effects	273	(4)
Lightning Strikes!	273	(2)
Control Units	275	(1)
Power Requirements	275	(2)
Thundervoltz Battery Packs	277	(1)
Generators	277	(1)
Lighting Matte Photography	277	(4)
Pure Screen Color Density	278	(1)
Lighting the Foreground	278	(3)
Lighting Automobiles	281	(1)
Underwater Lighting	282	(9)
Scuba Training and Certification	282	(1)
The Old Drop-a-Bulb-in-the-Pool Method	283	(1)
Modern Underwater Fixtures	283	(4)
Lighting Underwater	287	(2)
Electricity and Water	289	(2)
High-Speed Photography and Camera-Synchronous Strobe Lighting	291	(6)
Unilux H3000 System	291	(3)
Sync Delay Box	294	(1)
Split Sync	295	(1)
Special Effects Generator	295	(1)
Notes	296	(1)
Electricity	297	(56)
The Fundamentals of Electricity and Electrical Equations	297	(7)
Amperes (Current)	297	(1)
Volts (Electromotive Force)	298	(1)
Watts (Power)	298	(1)
The Power Equation	299	(2)
Resistance and Ohm's Law	301	(3)
Parallel and Series Circuits	304	(4)
How Not to Use Electrical Equations---Beavis the Electrician	308	(2)
Circuits, Circuit Protection, and Cable	310	(6)
Short Circuit and Overcurrent Protection	311	(1)
The Current-Carrying Capacity of Cable	312	(2)
Types of Feeder Cable	314	(2)
Types of Distribution Circuits	316	(12)
Direct Current and Alternating Current	316	(3)
Direct Current: Three-Wire Edison System	319	(1)
Alternating Current: Single-Phase Three-Wire System	320	(2)
Three-Phase, Four-Wire Systems	322	(5)
Electrical Systems in Other Parts of the World	327	(1)
Grounding	328	(2)
System Grounding	328	(1)
Equipment Grounding	328	(2)
Line Loss	330	(7)
Effects of Line Loss and Low Voltage	331	(1)
Other Causes of Line Loss	331	(1)
Line Loss Calculations	332	(4)
Using U.K. Voltage Drop Tables	336	(1)
Power Problems from Electronic Loads	337	(4)
Power Factor	338	(3)
Excessive Current on the Neutral Wire	341	(1)
Meters for Measuring Electricity	341	(5)
Circuit Testers	343	(1)
Measuring Voltage	343	(1)
Measuring Frequency (Hertz Rate)	344	(1)
Measuring Amperage	344	(1)
Testing Continuity and Testing for Shorts	344	(1)
Wattmeter or Power Meter	345	(1)
Electrical Shock and Muscle Freeze	346	(2)
Electrical, Building, and Fire Codes	348	(5)
The National Electrical Code	348	(4)
Fire and Building Codes	352	(1)
OSHA and the Industry-Wide Labor-Management Safety Committee	352	(1)
Distribution Equipment, Rigging, and Dimmers	353	(58)
DC Three-Wire System	354	(7)
DC Cans	354	(1)
Sister Lugs	354	(1)
Spider Boxes	355	(1)
Remote Switchboards	355	(2)
Mole Pin Connectors	357	(1)
DC Paddle-and-Stage Box System	358	(2)
Plate Dimmers	360	(1)
AC Systems	361	(23)
Main Feeder Run	361	(3)
AC-Power Distribution Boxes	364	(1)
Bates Three-Pin Connectors	365	(7)
Edison Boxes	372	(1)
Socapex Connectors and Cable	373	(4)
Adapters	377	(2)
Meltric and Abbott System	379	(1)
European Distribution Systems	380	(4)
Rigging	384	(16)
Distribution Strategy	385	(1)
Set Power---the ``Ring of Fire''	385	(1)
Planning the Rig	386	(5)
Rigging the Set	391	(9)
Electronic Dimmer Systems	400	(11)
How an SCR Dimmer Works	400	(2)
Control Signals	402	(1)
Control Consoles	402	(1)
Definitions	403	(1)
Strand CD 80 Pack	404	(4)
Troubleshooting	408	(3)
Power Sources	411	(22)
Generators	411	(14)
Putt--Putts (Portable Honda Generators)	411	(1)
Full-Size Generators	412	(2)
Generator Placement	414	(1)
Generator Operation	415	(2)
Grounding Generators	417	(2)
Selecting a Generator	419	(1)
Electrical Configurations	420	(1)
Basic Troubleshooting	420	(1)
Troubleshooting---Mechanical	421	(2)
Troubleshooting---Electrical Problems	423	(2)
Wet Cell Battery Packs and Inverters	425	(1)
Inverter Systems	425	(1)
Battery Packs (120-V DC)	425	(1)
Power on Location	426	(7)
Line Drops	426	(1)
Tie-ins	427	(5)
Using Available Power	432	(1)
The Work World	433	(4)
The Unions	433	(4)
Hollywood: Local 728	433	(2)
Basic Agreement	435	(2)
Appendices	437	(88)
Glossary	525	(18)
Bibliography	543	(2)
Index	545