AS LIVE - Lighting Research

 I'm making a start on Lighting, by doing plenty of research and getting to know the ins and outs of lighting a studio, especially for music. Below are notes and pictures of what I want to achieve.

Notes:

1. Light for the camera, not your eye. Your eye can handle a huge range of detail in contrasting light. Standard definition NTSC video can reproduce a contrast ratio of about 10:1. That means if you hope to have any detail in the shadow side of a person, you'll need more light on it than you probably suspect at first glance.

2. When lighting a person set a key light, at about a 45 degree angle up and to one side of the nose. Use a fill light to minimize the shadows caused by the key. Back lights are used to separate subject from the background, adding three dimensionality to a shot.

3. A focused source like a fresnel produces a hard light. Aim it first with the carriage pulled back in the housing then flood it to create the desired effect by sliding the carriage closer to the lens. Lamps like broads or soft lights are more diffused and are used as fill lights. Lekos are hard spots that can project a pattern called a cookie or cucalorus on a background.

I really like this video on Jools Holland, as it sums up the back lighting I want for the acoustic stage, (where is shines on the singer form behind), as well as the uplit floor lighting that will reflect on our transparent hanging material. I also like the small lights the have placed on the stage, to add another dimension. I like the use of blue and white. 

 
This video of Labrinth, is not the style of music or pace that will be on Unsigned Live. However when I saw this on Johnathon Ross the other day, I really enjoyed it, and wanted to use some of the elements. I really like the use of spotlights behind the ensemble (We could use our studio kits for this) as well as the spolights on the floor. I'm not sure if we can get these from the studio themselves, but even if they are ones that are fixed, four or five at the front of the stage would give a great effect! I also like the shot used right at the end, where the camera is slightly above Labrinth, and he comes into shot on a MCU, it really brings the audience in on the action, and would like to try this with one of our cameras! 

This performance of Ellie Golding, is very similar to the look myself and Lauren are trying to achieve. We want to have the smoke machine, the twinkly lights at the back are being made by our set designers, I like the use of them on the floor, and the colors are exactly what I wants, Orange, Blue, Purple, Turquoise. It creates such a nice mood and atmosphere, and I will be studying it to try and get the ideas and lights that we need! 

 


This Coldplay performance is just insane! The lighting is the best I have EVER seen for live music. We would never be able to get anything close to this, but I couldn't help showing everyone and it is a source of inspiration. 

Here are a few performances from Orange and T4's unsigned act. I have chosen these ones in terms of the closeness to our set and lighting designs. The first video is very similar to our set, quite simple, with "Balls" hanging down. We will have transparent curtains and more lighting and colors, but it gives you and idea: 

This video also shows how the space they have, which is quite similar to ours, and how well they use it!