Television production consists of two elements: audio and video.

I. Light

• Without light, there would be no vision, no video. Good lighting can enhance a video.

II. Types of light: incident and reflected

• Incident: light that comes directly from a source such as the sun, a lightbulb or a candle
• Reflected light: light that has been reflected from and, as a result, altered by the surface of a material substance. Transmits information regarding the environment. Reflective surfaces appear hard. Light absorbing surfaces appear softer (cloth). Texture

III. Lighting for a video: creative (artistic) and general illumination (technical needs)

IV. Base light

• general illumination of an area sum total of general and specialized lighting used

V. Contrast ratio

• the amount of contrast between the darkest and lightest element.
• the video camera CCD chip or tube picks up brightness. the automatic gain control adjusts the brightness by reacting to the introduction of a very bright area by decreasing the intensity in the rest of the picture. The darker areas become muddy and details are obscured. The human eye can accept a contrast ration of 100:1. (the brightest object can be 100 times brighter than the darkest object) a camera is better suited to 30:1. Light on the faces example.

VI. Light is measured in footcandles. Light is measured with a light meter.

VII. Color temperature: Measured on Kelvin (K) scale of degrees. measures the frequency of the light wave. redder=lower, bluer=higher.

VIII. Lighting effects:

• flat lighting: a light source is placed next to the camera. gives a uniform quality because it fills the hollows and curves
• lighting can add perspective, shape and texture.
• it is the manipulation of shadows, not bright spots that adds form and texture
• off-camera lighting -- flickering campfires, fireplace, sirens, etc
• mood
• high-key lighting gives an intense overall illumination with a fully lit background -- sitcoms, game shows, establishes a light hearted mood
• low-key lighting (tragedy and fear) -- selective illumination that highlights only necessary elements. Sinister lighting (lighting from a low angle)
• follow spot
• limbo lighting
• cameo lighting (the performer is lit, the background is dark)
• silhouette (background is light, performers are dark)
• Lighting instruments:
• spotlight (controlled beam)
• floodlight (diffused beam)

IX. Lighting technique:

• Three point lighting : key light, fill light, back light (borrowed from motion picture industry)
• key light -- uses a spot, provides the majority of the light that is reflected into the camera lens. should be placed off to the side of the subject, at an angle of 35-40 degrees.
• fill light -- fill in the dark side of the face or object. should come in from an angle on the opposite side as the key
• back Light -- comes from behind and above -- accentuates the tops of objects and people -- separates the performer from the background
• auxilliary sources -- kicker or background light
• basic ratio of lighting: back light strongest, then the key then the fill

X. Cameras and lenses

• the shorter the lens:
• the wider the angle
• the more in the picture
• the smaller the subject (less detail)
• the longer the lens
• the narrower the angle
• the less in the picture
• the bigger the subject
• telephoto, wide angle
• lens length:
• 10mm extreme wide angle
• 25mm wide angle
• 40mm normal
• 100mm extreme narrow angle
• 200mm telephoto

XI. depth of field

XII. long shot, medium shot, close up

XIII. parts of a camera (see diagram, camera, 130)

XIV. tilts, pans, etc. (131)

XV. dollying (closer, farther)

XVI. trucking (left or right (lateral))

XVII. arcing (see 135)

XVIII. craning or booming (up or down)

XIX. objective and subjective perspectives

• objective -- the camera is standing back, taking an objective look at what is going on.  No one is addressing the camera directly, the camera is only observing the action.
• subjective -- camera becomes a participant in the drama.

XX. reportorial (presentational)

• viewpoint used when a reporter or presenter is speaking directly to the camera (the audience).

XXI. framing -- what is in the shot (full shot, thigh shot, chest shot, single, two-shot or three-shot)

XXII. headroom -- space between the top of a subject's head and the top of the frame

XXIII. lead room -- talk space (extra space in the direction someone is talking or heading)

XXIV. depth composition

XXV. angle of elevation

XXVI. assymmetrical balance -- seesaw (light end, heavier, middle) rule of thirds

XXVII. set design -- should take into consideration informational and emotional aspects, balance and mass, dominant lines, tone and color.

XXVIII. Special effects:

• cut -- instantaneous change of picture to the next scene
• dissolve -- gradual transition betwen pictures
• fade-ins (or outs) one to two second black to first scene
• superimpositions -- blend two images together and hodl them in combination for a specific period of time (a dissolve halted at midpoint)
• wipe transitions -- letting the viewer see both pictures as a separation line moves throught he screen (should be used with discretion)
• split screen, corner inserts, quad splits, spot lights

XXIX. Video Recording

• CCD chip functions as an image sensor. As the lens focuses the incoming light from the subject onto the CCD image sensor, each one of the pixels is individually energized in direct relationship to the amount of light hitting the pixel.
• nonlinear editing -- is seen by many as a system that provides the operator with a number of advantages in solving the problems of increasingly complex video productions. (don't have to work in a linear fashion) It takes the advantage of the compression process to store multiple hours of footage into interconnected storage units.  All video material is instantly accessible for the viewing of dissolves, wipes, fades, and freeze frames while the edit decisions are being made.
• first available in the early 70s