Cinematography-Theory-And-Practice

Figure 8.28. (above) A Mini Musco inuse at the Universal Studios backlot.Figure 8.29. (right) A self-containedcrane rig on Wall Street. (Photo byMichael Gallart.)Balloon LightsBalloon lights provide a powerful and flexible new tool for nightexteriors (Figures 8.1 and 8.26). They can be either HMI or tungstensources. They generate a soft, general fill light for large areas.Perhaps their greatest advantage is that they are much easier to hidethan a crane or scaffolding. They are also faster to set up and tomove. The disadvantage is that they can be very time consumingand expensive to gel. Wind is a factor when flying balloon lights.The smaller the balloon, the lower the acceptable wind speeds. Agood reference is to observe flags: if they’re flapping straight out, it’stoo windy. This introduces an element of uncertainty into their use.Larger balloon lights usually come with an operator.Handheld UnitsPortable handheld, battery-operated units are generally called sunguns.There are two basic types: tungsten and HMI. Tungsten sungunsare either 12 volt or 30 volt and powered from battery belts.Some are designed as sunguns, but some are 120 volt lights convertedby changing the bulb and power cable. Typically, a tungstensungun will run for about fifteen minutes. Sunguns with HMI bulbsare daylight balance and more efficient in output than tungsten units.DAY EXTERIORSDay exteriors can be approached in three ways: filling with largedaylight balance units such as a Brute Arc or HMI, bouncing theexisting light with reflectors, or covering the scene with a large silkto control the contrast. Sometimes it is some combination of severalof these techniques (Figure 8.30.)Controlling Light with Grip EquipmentOnce you have a light working, you have to control it. As soon asyou get beyond what can be done with the barn doors, it becomesthe province of the grip department. Grip equipment is wide andvaried, but in relation to lighting control it falls into three basic categories:reduction, shadow casting, and diffusion.Reducing the amount of light without altering the quality is donewith nets, which are frames covered with a netting material; thepurpose is the same as a metal scrim on a light: it reduces intensitywithout changing the color or hard/soft quality of the light. Just aslighting sources145