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The role of a camera light is a delicate
and difficult one. It is delicate because when in operation,
the quality of the final product reflects directly on
your reputation as well as the longevity of your career.
The camera light's role becomes difficult when one doesn't
fully understand its purpose, for example, in a controlled
environment such as a movie studio, a camera light is
often used for very specific reasons. The main reason
is to capture the star's facial expressions, minimizing
facial shadows under the chin and eyes and to reflect
a "sparkle" in the eyes, making the actor or
actress look alert and animated as the camera rolls in
or away.
That particular light is very "soft"
or diffused, and it is always controlled by a dimming
system so as to increase or decrease its intensity as
the camera moves, to keep a consistent brightness level
on the subject. The light is always positioned 6-12 inches
above the camera lens to avoid red-eye syndrome. Red-eye
is a problem news broadcasters particularly need to avoid,
because in their effort to be compact and self-contained,
they usually mount the camera light too close to the camera
lens.
I remember a story I was once told several
years ago during the filming of the movie, Fatso, with
Dom DeLuise on the 20th Century lot. The cinematographer
(DP) was Brianna Murphy (the first woman to be accepted
into the prestigious Hollywood club of the American Society
of Cinematographers). Our lights were being used to film
the movie, and one day on the set, I asked Bri how she
got started in the film business. After a stare and a
smile, she said "I got stated as a news reporter.
I traveled everywhere, and I was known as 'the reporter
with lights'. I was the only one at the time that carried
every light available, and my goal was to make my interviews
look as good as the anchor people back at the network."
Her efforts have certainly paid off. And
now more than ever, a video camera light must do everything.
Because when the action happens you'll have only one take.
George N. Panagiotou
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