Jason Robinson took time out from his busy schedule to give us some pointers on the basics of TV lighting. Jason is the LD for WWF, which keeps him busy every week of the year. He has also done HBO boxing, numerous ‘Bill Graham Presents’Ice Shows, and one of the Woodstock 1999 stages. This article is meant to give the basics of lighting for TV. It will give you enough insight to be able to understand basics of lighting for TV.

The most important thing above all else is Balance. There are a couple of factors involved: One is intensity, the other is color balance.

Color balance is probably one of the most important factors for unifying the look and feel of a show. The standard has always been 3200-Kelvin degrees and 5600K. Most incandescent sources ( par cans ) are 3200K and moving light technology is generally 5600, just like spotlights. 3200K is the more popular as it gives the overall look a ‘warm and healthy’ feel.  Neither of the sources is necessarily wrong but as a general balance it’s preferable to use either one or the other. That’s not to say that you couldn’t use both, it’s merely a preference choice. You can use gels to correct the color temperature. The most basic are CT Orange and CT Blue. Quite simply, the orange drops the temperature from 5600K to 3200K and the blue works in the opposite direction. You get different levels: eighth, quarter, half, & full.

Intensity in TV doesn’t always work the same way as a live show. Cameras today are more sensitive than they have ever been. The old cameras required 125 foot candles, but today you can get away with 50 to 80 foot candles. If someone seems to be too bright on the video, avoid dimming the fixture. The simple reason is that you are also affecting the color temperature, which can make the talent look very orange. Confirm how many sources are coming from one direction. 2 sources with 50 foot candles do actually add up 100 fc. The less intensity you have overall, the more the camera can see into the dark.

The biggest mistake people make is to think that the main talent has to be brighter than the rest. So they grab a spotlight and use it only on the talent. Un-balanced or corrected the spot light can be 5 to 6 times brighter than all other sources. You can take the intensity down on a spotlight by diffusing the light a little or dowsing the spot itself. If you can get your hands on half CTO, quarter CTO, & quarter minus green you can deal with 75% of the spotlights out there.

If you are shooting outside, light the darkness. The sun will always beat your lights. Color correct to 5600K if you are using incandescents.

Try to get a monitor by your station with a router (a box that allows you to switch between cameras).  Once they have white balanced (a process where they focus the camera on a white surface to get a true color balance ) the cameras, you can see how your color temperature and intensity will look. When you are dealing with image magnification on a local or touring basis, ensure that the video crew does a white balance. Not only will the paying punters on the lawn seats appreciate the show a lot more, but you will also be in safer hands if the boss asks the video guys to record the show.

One person you want to ensure you get to know on the camera crew is the engineer. He’s the one who balances and sets the iris on the cameras. If you have an unbalanced show, especially on the intensity side, he/she will be the one who can save you. He/she can ride the iris. The iris controls the amount of light the camera will see. If you have a balanced show, it will be a lot easier for the engineer. The LD will be the first scapegoat for the engineer if things don’t look right.

Angles are an important aspect in your balance. The easiest way is to do a straight front and backlight. This can cause some shadow issues especially if you are dealing with multiple cameras.  A solution is 2 sources on 45 degree angles from the front.

Avoiding the dilemma of shadows can be challenging. If you’re doing a country act you stand a chance of getting cowboy hats in the way.  If you can get some MR-16 strip lights in for footlights then you are loving life.  You may need some color correction to balance the color temperature.  Watch your intensity as well.

Be prepared to make changes to your show. You have to ask yourself what is more important, the video or the live audience? Many times the video crew will bring in a TV LD.  Egos can clash as the touring LD will feel like his feet are being stepped on. Let the TV LD do his thing since his main interest is to make your show look good on TV.

Another thing to consider is where the cameras will be placed so you can avoid lights shooting straight into them ( Flare ). You may have to refocus or kill a light that is doing this. If the director asks for more light, he may mean that the main talent is too bright. Again, this refers to balance of the overall stage.

For further reading, Jason suggests the following. If you want to go all out you can buy a color temperature meter and intensity meter.

We hope these little tidbits have helped you.

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