Easy Lighting question at DVinfo.net

Mike Phan · November 7th, 2006, 01:19 AM

Hey guys, I'm sure this questions is probably an easy one for you guys. I want to know the difference between spot,flood and fill lighting. What I'm trying to do is to have a light possibly mountable on the camera (shoe) that is able to light up the area w/o over exposing the subject in my video. Any suggestions? Thank you all in advance.

Mike

Matt Irwin · November 7th, 2006, 02:28 AM

Spot and flood have to do with the spread and intensity on focusing lights (Fresnel and open-face) and sealed beam globes (PARs).
Full Spot gives you a narrow spread of light with a very bright hot spot.
Full flood gives a broad, even spread.

Fill light is used to fill in the shadows created by the brighter key light. It can be hard or soft (soft is more common) and can come in the form of a bounce/reflector or another light. So, if I were to light one side of a face to create a "split" - half the face lit and half totally under - I might add some soft fill light on the other side or from the front if I want to see detail on the dark side of the face.

As for the on-cam light, what kind of shooting do you do?
You can get a 24/30v HMI or tungsten (hard light which can be diffused) or a LitePanels LED unit (softer, kelvin-free dim).

November 7th, 2006, 01:19 AM	#1
Mike Phan Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Elk Grove, CA Posts: 93	Easy Lighting question Hey guys, I'm sure this questions is probably an easy one for you guys. I want to know the difference between spot,flood and fill lighting. What I'm trying to do is to have a light possibly mountable on the camera (shoe) that is able to light up the area w/o over exposing the subject in my video. Any suggestions? Thank you all in advance. Mike __________________ PowerMac G5 Dual 2.5 2.5GB RAM/500GB/9800 256 Radeon/DeckLink Pro FCP HD/AE 6.5/DVD Studio Pro/Motion Canon XL2/Glidecam 4000/SteadyStick Sony PVM-1350 Monitor

November 7th, 2006, 02:28 AM	#2
Matt Irwin Major Player Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 327	Spot and flood have to do with the spread and intensity on focusing lights (Fresnel and open-face) and sealed beam globes (PARs). Full Spot gives you a narrow spread of light with a very bright hot spot. Full flood gives a broad, even spread. Fill light is used to fill in the shadows created by the brighter key light. It can be hard or soft (soft is more common) and can come in the form of a bounce/reflector or another light. So, if I were to light one side of a face to create a "split" - half the face lit and half totally under - I might add some soft fill light on the other side or from the front if I want to see detail on the dark side of the face. As for the on-cam light, what kind of shooting do you do? You can get a 24/30v HMI or tungsten (hard light which can be diffused) or a LitePanels LED unit (softer, kelvin-free dim). __________________ Matt Irwin DP / matt.irwincine.com