Movies for TV - Early Television Foundation

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FUNDAMENTALS
Fig. 11-1. (A) Closing shot after dolly-out from opening to a
three-shot. (B) Two-shot closing accentuating weapon above
the settee and two main characters.
In the live studio, using two or more cameras, changing scene will
not be too difficult, but it sometimes calls for some split-second
timing. The film production can always be 100 per cent perfect.
Lighting is dealt with elsewhere, and in most cases what applies
to live studio television also applies to film production; how-
ever, there are certain things which are particularly pertinent to
filming. One of these is halation. Halation is usually described as
a ring, or series of rings of light, sometimes very diffused, around
light areas. It is not confined to film and occurs quite frequently
in the cathode-ray tube where the electron beam strikes the screen.
In fact, it might be said it happens always to a slight extent,
although usually it is not important. In film it occurs through the
light passing through the emulsion, striking the base, and being
reflected back to the emulsion again so that it makes a larger
spot of light than was the original. Probably many readers have
noticed how, on a foggy night, the light from street lamps seems
to "blossom" into a ball instead of the usual globe. That is halation
caused by the diffusing effect of the drops of water in the fog.
In filming for television, the lighting limitations of live production
do not apply. At best the lighting in a live studio is a compromise.
Since lighting can rarely be changed during televising it has to be
set up for best results in all parts of the scene. Sorely needed extra
lights cannot be inserted where they are needed because they would
(B)