Lighting for television used to be rather unique and limited to only televised events. However, now it seems that nearly every type of production is shot on video in some manner. Corporate events, concerts, house of worship and many other shows utilize I-Mag, streaming and video archiving on a regular basis. While the actual lighting of these events falls to the lighting designer, the automated lighting programmer also needs to be educated on the specific needs for the camera. When programming for televised type events, there are key processes and procedures that one must adhere to.
Television Basics
As a lighting programmer, it is extremely valuable if you have basic lighting knowledge. This is especially true when it comes to television lighting. Understanding how the camera sees light differently from the human eye is essential. For example, depending on the color temperature used to white balance the cameras, the colors of your lights may look very different on screen. The video crew also has unique tools to adjust how the image looks and these will affect the lighting on camera as well. The shader, colorist and manipulation of irises all can drastically change the look of a production.
The human eye is very forgiving and can distinguish objects with different lighting levels. However, cameras typically adjust to the brightest portions of the image, and dimmer areas (the background, for instance) can simply disappear into darkness. As a programmer, you should understand this concept and know that the LD is going to ask for swaths of light behind the primary subject. Furthermore, backlighting is essential to help separate foreground objects from the background. When building looks and lighting effects, you need to be aware of how the cameras are going to react to the lighting and what the LD is expecting.
It’s All About the Box
When programming for any televised event, the programmer must spend the majority of his/her time looking at a reference monitor. This should show the primary output going to air (or I-Mag, streaming, or tape). Nothing is more important than how the lighting looks on camera, and thus, the reference monitor becomes the primary viewing location for all programming tasks. Most television lighting programmers typically spend 90 percent of their time looking at the monitor to determine positions, intensities, colors and other programming. Otherwise, they may be creating things that will never be seen, could disrupt the primary objective, or mix to the wrong color. Programming for a televised event without a reference monitor is akin to driving your car while texting — it should not be done!
During the pre-production period, be sure to request a reference monitor and then have the video crew calibrate it as well. In addition, it helps to have a switcher that allows you to change the view from the program feed to any of the cameras as desired. During rehearsals, this can help you to see establishing shots and understand what might be seen by handled or jib placed cameras. During a show, the LD may be looking ahead and ask you to view a particular camera shot in order to make a change to the lighting before it goes live.
The Intensity Of It All
Adjusting the intensity of lighting fixtures is far more critical on television events than on concerts or other live events. Quite often during programming, rehearsals, or even the show itself, you will likely be adjusting the intensity of fixtures or groups of fixtures. It is important that you are ready to make these changes quickly and easily.
Many programmers will put the intensity of select fixtures or groups of fixtures onto faders so that adjusting is as quick as grabbing a handle and moving it as needed. Of course, care must be taken to ensure the levels of these faders has the highest precedence; otherwise subsequent cues could negate the setting of the fader. Be sure to always assign a higher priority or other precedence settings to intensity faders.
Another handy tool for working with intensities on televised events is to make use of intensity palettes/presets. By storing the common intensity values that work well into a palette/preset, you gain several benefits. First, you can quickly recall the pre-assigned value that you know looks good on camera. As with any palette/preset, be sure to label it accordingly such as “backlight” or “keylight.” Another benefit of using a palette/preset for intensities is that if you need to make a change, it can be quickly applied throughout your entire cuelist or show. The third benefit is that the intensity data in your cuelists will display the palette/preset name in place of the percentage value. This is very handy when looking at the data and determining the purpose of the fixtures in cues.
Setting the Default
Nearly every automated lighting console utilizes default values within its fixture library system. This defines the starting point of a parameter before you make any changes to it. Most consoles also allow you to edit the default values within a specific show file. This can be very handy, as the fixture will always start with these settings when you begin programming. For instance, if you know a fixture needs to always have its frost in fully, you can change this to be the default.
Television events require fixtures to be at a specified color temperature and often this requires the dialing in of specific amounts of color correction on automated fixtures. If you know that the show is requiring the fixtures to be at 3200K and your fixtures default is 6000K, then you will need to adjust your fixtures accordingly. You could just make this adjustment in the first cue and allow it to track through, or you could change the default value for the CTO parameter so that it is in at the specified value anytime you grab a fixture. You might also want to create a palette/preset for color temperature of your fixtures so that you can easily make show-wide changes at any time.
Another default you might want to change is the behavior of your “at full” functionality. Many television programmers will program their fixtures with an intensity of 80 percent so that they have headroom to increase the intensity later if needed. If you are always programming at full, then you have nowhere to go when the LD asks for the fixtures to blow out the cameras or bump up at a specified moment. Some consoles will allow you to change the value that is used when you press the “full” key. Otherwise, you can make use of a palette/preset, or just remember to type “@80” whenever you are bringing the lights to full.
Television Production
The television world is a bit different than concerts, theatre and corporate events in many ways. The vocabulary to put together the show can be confusing. Typically, they will work with a script and break it into item numbers. Shots will be discussed as well as talks of irises, F-stops, jibs, shaders and more. If you are unsure what something means, do not assume; always ask for clarification. Often, too, the LD will be in the truck or another room with the video staff, while the programmer may be in a totally different location.
Televised productions can be tremendously fun to program, but they do have their own requirements. As a programmer, be sure to always look into the monitor, as it is generally the ultimate authority as to the look of a production. Be sure to understand the basics of television lighting, cameras and production. Make use of palettes/presets and carefully control your intensities, color temperature and angles. By combining this knowledge with your programming experience, you should be able to handle a television programming gig with ease.
