Lighting designers and set designers “see” their worlds very differently than normal, everyday people. They are translators of sorts: They translate 3D ideas into 2D imagery that in the end goes undetected through viewer sensors. Their efforts are, especially if they do an excellent job, unnoticed, unappreciated and invisible to the viewers they design for. The purpose of Blog 1 is to discuss why and how this is so and what strategies the lighting and set designers of your show employ in their translation process. Discuss examples of effective lighting and set design in a show of your choice. And don’t just say it’s good! Explain what exactly it is that makes it “good” and how techniques it uses might be applied to your own works.
Blogging Instructions: To comment on the blog, go to the bottom of the bottom of the post and click where it says “X Comments>>.” Enter your name and your syr.edu email address. Entering your email address ensures the WordPress server that you are a person and not a spammer, and it will allow us to keep track of who has and has not commented.You have two options when you comment. You can either directly address the question of the week, or react/respond/interact with another student’s entry or entries. You can interact with words, pictures, videos or anything that adds to the conversation. There is great value in either approach, but the more of the latter, the more the discussion will become “our own.”
READING MATERIALS THAT MIGHT HELP YOU ON THIS TOPIC:All below are at the reserve desk under TRF-452/652
- Light Science, by Thomas D. Rossing & Christopher J. Chiaverina, introducing the science and phenomena of light.
- Lighting for TV and Film, by Gerald Millerson, a broad coverage of the dynamics of lighting design.
- Lighting for Video, by Gerald Millerson, basic coverage of effective video lighting.
- Production Design for Television, by Terry Byrne, covering the culture and dynamics of television design.
OTHER THINGS THAT MIGHT HELP YOU ON THIS TOPIC:
- Paying close attention to lectures on lighting and design.
- Carefully and critically analyzing a television show beyond its surface.
- Check Semester Schedule for due date.
- Looking at these photos, examples of professional set design from CSI: New York and Cane:
January 17, 2008 at 1:29 am
Those photos are just thumbnails… click for bigger ones.
January 22, 2008 at 4:18 pm
The lighting designers of NBC’s “The Office” have their work cut out for them week after week. In “The Office’s” Dunder Mifflin setting, it is clear that the vision is to explore and exploit every negative aspect of working in an office building. One of the main contributors to that is fluorescent harsh lighting. With that, many scenes in the show are significantly brighter than, for example, an episode of “Friends.” The designers couldn’t use actual florescent lights because it would mess with the colors in the scene. While the main setting of the show is the office building, several scenes are also shot in the warehouse adjacent to the main building. The light designers keep the fluorescent lighting in mind in this much bigger space. How they do it? No idea, but the lighting used in “The Office” really helps the illusion of being stuck in Dunder Mifflin for hours on end. A wonderful job is done consistently to create the purposefully bright and at times harsh lighting.
January 22, 2008 at 8:24 pm
I was trying to watch and analyze T.V. shows for good lighting and I found it to be a really difficult task. I was trying to look for something that the lighting designer has made every possible effort to hide. To make it look ‘NATURAL’. The only time I said something like “really cool lighting” was when something special was used. For example in a repeat episode of Law and Order: Criminal Intent that i saw last night, the one time i said “wow” was during a scene where fire was used and the glow of the fire illuminates the faces of the actors. I don’t know how they did this, whether it was just the actual fire or some sort of artificial lighting but i wish i could do it. It’s much easier to identify bad and obvious lighting than good and natural looking light.
We as audiences fail to compliment the lighting designers on the majority of their work and do not appreciate the number of challenges they face when lighting a set. Bad lighting can be responsible for ruining a whole show! Having worked on lights I have come to appreciate the number of challenges that are faced by the lighting designers. Even the simple daytime shot that we had to light on Friday seemed tough. There were shadows! And to eliminate the shadows we put on some more lights. (I had not read the material on lights as yet, I am not to blame for this decision!) Although there are times when shadows look ugly, the art of lighting is often known as the art of creating shadows. If everything was lit the same and there were no shadows in the scene everything would look flat, 2 dimensional with no sense of depth. Light not only creates depth but also affects the mood of the show and helps focus the attention of the audience. Shadows also help create the illusion of a fourth wall.
While good lighting can do so much, bad lighting can ruin an entire set. Imagine an intricate set with furniture pieces with a lot of carving and walls and carpets of beautiful textures. And then imagine a lot of soft light that washes over the entire set. All the details would be lost and textures on the walls would look weird.
Since lighting depends on camera and talent placement, location, set, mood and nature of the show, lighting designers have to work closely with the director of the show, the set designer and to some extent even the talent. This helps make sure the show is one entity and operates seamlessly. As a result planning before the shoot is an extremely important function.
I never knew lighting could play such a communicative role in a show. Hopefully now I am better equipped to handle lighting issues.
January 22, 2008 at 11:04 pm
I just purchased season one of 30Rock and this show presents an interesting situation for set design and lighting. For those of you not familiar, as doubtful as that is, 30Rock is a show about a sketch comedy show. There are two universes at work here. The universe of the show on the show, The Girlie Show, which exists within the universe of the show itself, 30Rock. To create the illusion of 30Rock being the reality in which another show exists is a great tribute to the set designers. I don’t know if they actually shoot at 30 Rockerfeller Plaza, in the halls and various dressing rooms, or if they create that illusion on set as well, but whatever they do, they do it well.
In terms of lighting, they use light very effectively to show the difference between being on set for “The Girlie Show” and being offset and behind the scenes watching The Girlie Show. They recreate the fluorescent lights of the hallways and writer’s room effectively and contrast that by the bright natural light of Jack’s (Alec Baldwin) office. My opinion of the show will be vastly different when I know if they reproduce their sets or use the actual hallways and offices, but either way, they really make you believe you are in the reality of 30Rock, which creates a show of its own, The Girlie Show.
January 23, 2008 at 12:11 am
Despite the fact that good lighting is supposed to go unnoticed by the average viewer, there is one aspect that often stands out to me. The “feel” of the show, if you will, is always quite evident. From the first shot, you can often already tell whether it’s a comedy or drama, sitcom or action-oriented program. In other words, a freeze frame from the show 30Rock and one from Heroes would look extremely different. And much of this has to do with how it is lit.
I’ve found that the images in comedies and sitcoms are much more crisp and bright than in dramas. While much of this can be done in post, lighting plays a big part, as well. Dramas may use diffusion filters in order to soften the image. They may also utilize shadows, especially on the characters’ faces, in order to bring about a more dramatic tone.
Now another factor that may affect the “feel” of the show is the colors being brought out in the image. During my criminal investigation/forensic science phase of TV viewing (I know we all went through one), CSI became one of my staples. And even to my untrained eye, I rather quickly picked up on the different color schemes used in the various versions of the show. In the original, there is a rather prominent green tint, while in CSI:Miami there is a red tint, and in CSI: NY a blue one. While, again, much of this can be done in editing, the lighting figures into the equation, as well. And overall, the Miami show is much brighter than the NY one, which fit with the locations where they are allegedly set (sunny, humid Miami vs. cold, dreary NY). Another reason the directors may have chosen to go with these particular colors is because they happen to be the three primary colors that make up light.
January 23, 2008 at 12:13 am
Whenever I watch something on television, I imagine where the cameras are or what the sheet of script looks like. The last thing on my mind is the lighting…Which is, I suppose, a compliment to lighting designers. The exercise we did in studio last week gave me a newfound appreciation for anyone who is capable of making a set look “natural.” It’s hard enough to light a scene naturally, making sure the light is evenly distributed and not hitting one area and washing it out. The task of manipulating light to emulate a computer screen glow or sun rays coming through a window is kind of unfathomable in my eyes, which probably indicates that I will never do lighting.
The show I chose to watch was It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia. What I noticed right from the beginning is how they use lighting as a means of irony in the opening credits. All the shots in the opening credits are night scenes of Philadelphia, which is in direct opposition to the title of the show. I see the irony of the lighting as a way to let the show say “just kidding…it’s pretty awful here.” And that’s apparent from watching the show, which is about four idiotic deadbeats who work in a pub. Does that really have anything to do with lighting? I’m not sure, but I felt inclined to share my epiphany with you all.
The main set in this show is Paddy’s Pub, where all the characters work and scheme. Since it’s a bar, there are low hanging lights and neon signs advertising beer on the walls. In one scene, I could see the blue glow of a neon sign spilling onto the end of the bar. I can only assume that the beer sign is the actual source of light, which means the lighting designers had to take that into account and not drown it out with overhead lights. Another thing to note is that the entrance to the pub has a green glow coming through the window. This plays into how lighting designers have to consider the surrounding atmosphere of the set. The light spilling through the frosted glass panels appears to come from a light source outside of the bar. The glowing green light must come from the Paddy’s Pub sign, letting the audience buy into the mindset that we really are inside of a bar.
In the episode that I watched, one of the scenes took place in a restaurant. There were little lamps on each table. I have never understood how scenes with lit centerpieces work. I feel like a light source right in the middle of the scene would ruin the image. However, the lighting designers found some way to balance the lighting, and ultimately achieved the “natural” look that often goes unnoticed. Overall, it goes without saying, lighting designers have done a good job when you’re not paying attention to the lighting.
January 23, 2008 at 12:36 am
I was going to write about the gritty, realistic lighting design used in one of my fave shows, Firefly, when it occurred to me that the lighting design isn’t that gritty or realistic. The actors look too pretty, even when fighting or bantering in darkened ship’s corners.
Lighting Battlestar Galactica, (yes, another space show) however, has a more realistic feel to it. The characters are rarely lit for aesthetic purposes. Yet, the story is effectively told. Increasingly, TV drama seems to be accepting this documentary aesthetic, where the constitution of the story is the focus.
In one BG scene, you may witness Adama leaning on a well-lit console, eyes in shadow – not attractive, but realistic. The result is a more practical feel with a purpose devoid of making the actors “look good,” and a focus on storytelling.
We are taught, as a rule, that lighting the eyes of an actor usually makes us more sympathetic to the character on the screen. In Alias, for example, Slone (the bad guy) is commonly lit so there are shadows under his eyes. In BG, these rules are disregarded.
Also, this lighting is convenient [for set designers] and common in sci fi TV: space is creepy and dark; they are alone out there; they commiserate in dark corners; dark shadows can cover areas where complicated set construction could have wasted time and money; etc.
January 23, 2008 at 12:55 am
I would like to build off of Mary’s response when she mentioned that a freeze frame of a show can contain enough evidence in lighting to tell you what genre it falls under. Like the episode of Friends we saw in class — the lighting plays a huge role in creating false worlds that seem so real on the television screen. On the set there is no real moonlight coming through the windows of the apartment, its just blue light placed very carefully and thoughtfully so that it looks real. It’s finding the perfect balance of key and fill to create that impression.
But what I’ve been contemplating is the way hour long dramas light their sets. Unlike the Seinfeld set, dramas are shot on location giving them the available natural light and making set design a little more accommodating. But that was before I analyzed this. I went back and watched the first episode of The Sopranos, and stopped it on a close up of Tony in Dr. Melfi’s office. The lighting was almost a fish-eye effect where it subtly closed in Tony and felt a little cramped. That embellished the fact that a unfaithful mobster was actually talking to a shrink. And right behind him was a row of books set in the wall, and some of the books to the right of the screen had a nice reflection of light on it. If that were to not be there it would be a wooden wall behind Tony’s head, creating no sense of 3d depth.
In another scene some of the men on Tony’s crew were sitting in his strip club. It was dark but the little florescent bulbs above them were casting shadow to create bags under their eyes and shade half of their faces. I think they were talking about running some guy over with a car. It illustrated their two-sidedness, but for everybody but us who are analyzing these scenes to death, it is natural and real.
It’s those little nuances that keep the audience interested in what’s important in a show — the characters and the actions they make — instead of where those characters are sitting or what is on the wall behind them. It’s oxymoronic because light designers spend so much time on making it look good so that their audience won’t notice. That’s selflessness at its best!
January 23, 2008 at 8:58 am
The problem with this assignment is that the very point of most lighting design is to go unnoticed. Set design can be easier because some shows have odd set design intentionally and then you can noticee it (for example, Pushing Daisies). The thing about those shows is that even though you may notice how quirky the set is initially, soon enough even quirky sets like those in Pushing Daisies are just part of the scenery. If a show was all about it’s setting it would be on the discovery channel in HD.
I would imagine that a show that is especially hard to light is Lost. The show is constantly having to make different parts of Hawaii look like Iraq, Sydney, Paris, New York or any number of places. That doesn’t even deal with the fact that they have to work their sets and lighting around an actual island.
Shows that do not get enough credit in my oipinion are the old family sitcoms. Those shows were from early television when people had no clue how to light for a 13 inch box and many of the house sets used in those old shows are still the framework for sets today.
January 23, 2008 at 5:38 pm
I accidentally posted on the former class’ blog thing, so this is copied, pasted and slightly edited from there. Which is posted by mjphil01, my email address… so you know I didn’t steal this. For further proof that I didn’t steal this, read on… who’d want to claim ownership on this?
So, check it. Lighting is like eating cookies or anything really sugary for that matter. When you eat too much you become pale and sick and sometimes you even throw up. Also like cookies, too much lighting causes diabetes.
The point is, lighting designers use light to create the illusion of third dimension in a two dimensional medium. You can’t do that over lighting a set. Using light where necessary invites the audience to become lost in the world we’re creating for them. Lighting also calls attention to what’s important, driving the plot along or just adding to the tension already present in the story. Mostly, lighting just makes it look “real” enough for the audience to accept it. Now that I’ve regurgitated the purpose of lighting, let’s check out an awesome example.
I’ve been watching clips of Pushing Daisies and I find it’s a great show to comment on because I actually notice some lighting techniques. Most of us have at least seen a promo for the show and noticed it’s Burton-esque charm. The sets have crisp shapes and colors and the lighting accents this. Take for instance this Kristin Chenoweth heavy clip:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=kbe1m30RS8c
When Kristin is left alone in The Pie Hole, the back-lighting reveals how deep and empty the place is despite the wild, lively colors. The atypical shapes become more apparent with the depth created through lighting the background enhancing the quirky tone of the show. It also makes the settings larger than life. These overly elaborate, colorful settings create an environment or bubble where the supernatural status-quo is accepted without a thought.
At the end of the clip, Kristin is seated at a table while the dog licks her face. There is some nice contrast; the shadow on her and the dog make them look like permanent fixtures in the empty pie restaurant and further bludgeons us with this lonely, rejected feeling.
Here’s another clip where they use those Cookie things on the spots to create the illusion that light is coming from a window in the fourth wall. And there’s that awesome doggy again.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=VP5FXmgxzdU
January 23, 2008 at 7:48 pm
When thinking about lighting in a Television show and how it goes unnoticed I decided to compare the lighting in two shows that had different “feels” to them as Mary described. The shows I chose were The Office a thirty minute mocumentary and 24 an hour long suspense drama. I found that when comparing the two they were lit in completely different styles to create a tone that the entire show could follow.
First, I have to state that the lighting for 24 has to be much more complex and rigorous. This is simply because in the particular episode I viewed there were over seven different scene locations in which they had to shoot. Moving from place to place means that the set design had to set up both in studio and location lighting multiple times. We can compare this to The Office in which the majority of the show takes place in one major set and lighting design, that being the office. This shows that in the aspects of lighting the office would not have to continuously change their lighting design. Exploring this area shows how different the set up of each show is and how different they can be in comparison.
The other thing that was obvious to see was that since the office is a comedy show the lighting is much brighter then that of 24’s. As we talked about in class today I’m guessing that 24 used a lot more key lights then fill lights to create a set with more contrast/shadows to provide for that dark “feel” they aimed to create. I found that when watching 24 there were many scenes where Jack Bauer, the character of most importance, was position to have the most light on him. The other characters in the foreground and background had a considerable less amount of light on their heads and shoulders creating nice shadows. I thought that their lighting was spot on meaning it didn’t call attention to itself. The Office seemed to blend all the lighting into itself to create an office/business environment. The harsh lighting that Julie talks about creates the bright and comical scenes that give the audience the ability to miss nothing. For the dry humor that The Office uses this is exactly what type of lighting needs to be utilized.
January 23, 2008 at 8:50 pm
This topic made me realize that I normally do not watch television sitcoms, or dramas. I do catch shows like 30 Rock, The Office, How I Met Your Mother on occasion, but not enough for the lighting to jump out at me.
So initially thinking I had nothing constructive to add due to my lack of avid television watching, I decided to briefly comment on what I do watch. Lighting is an essential factor when broadcasting professional wresting. It is a multicam format that combines capturing to look and feel of sport, while also doing comedic and dramatic skits/promos. Lighting for wrestling is a challenge because each show simultaneously serves two audiences at once. They have to come up with multiple set designs and lighting concepts for the people watching at the event, and the people watching on television. That means separate backgrounds, foregrounds, corners, x y and z axis’, props, etc. to simultaneously serve two different audiences.
Beyond lighting the ring for the live arena audience and worldwide television audience, lighting is most important is with the talent. With 25-50 different looking talents appearing on a given show, each one requires different lighting to get their persona across. The prime example would be WWE Superstar The Undertaker. To help present him as intimidating and “a walking deadman”, the arena goes black and is dimly lit in blue light when he walks to the ring. The entrance for Kane, a monster-like character who can create fire, is always lit fire red to resemble hell, fire, and brimstone.
With any show, too much light or not enough light on a person/object can be distracting and damaging to the presentation. I agree with Peacock’s reply that the point of great lighting is for it to illuminate its intended object without the untrained eye being able to notice it. Despite using a different type of show, I hope I got across that I understand the importance of proper lighting for a show’s set design.
January 23, 2008 at 10:23 pm
I think of all of the shows on television today Lost poses one of the biggest challenges as far as lighting is concerned. A majority of the show is filmed outdoors. While I’m sure this occasionally works in favor of the creators, I would imagine it is a nuisance more often than not. Considering the inconsistencies of natural light, I find it really impressive that they are able to keep such a uniform look throughout their daytime scenes. As the characters move from the exposed beach to the covered jungle they are consistently well lit. On the other hand, most of the nighttime scenes appear to be lit completely by the light reflecting off of bonfires and torches. While this might be realistic if we were viewing the scene directly with our eyes that could adjust what we were seeing accordingly, a camera will not do that work for us. The lighting designers must light the characters enough to be seen but in a way that still reads that they are simply sitting around a campfire. I think these designers tackle this challenge beautifully and, honestly, their skill boggles my mind.
January 23, 2008 at 11:11 pm
When pondering what to write for this blog entry, it occurred to me that it would be a good idea to discuss a show I had not seen before. This would allow me to really focus on how the lighting affected the show without being influenced by past episodes or the fact that I was already a fan of that show. I decided on “Gossip Girl” which runs on CW [it also runs at the same time as Futurama, my favorite show of all time, so this should show my unfailing dedication to this course].
Wikipedia describes its premise as an “American television teen drama based on the popular novel series of the same name written by Cecily von Ziegesar. Gossip Girl revolves around the lives of socialite young adults growing up on New York’s Upper East Side who attend elite academic institutions while dealing with sex, drugs, and other teenage issues.”
Never being one to miss out on sex drugs and ‘teenage issues,’ I tuned in.
Taking place in New York City, Gossip Girl takes a cue from CSI: New York using a soft, blue-ish/gray color palate, but because its locales are much more upscale compared to CSI:NY, it has a lot of sparkly or shiny accents.
One peculiar aspect of the lighting that took me a while to catch on to was that the show uses a lot of fill light and not so much key light. This reduces a lot of contrast between the characters on the show and their background. This was odd at first because it led my eye to wander all across the screen on some shots, instead of focusing on the speaking character.
However, after some thought, this actually seems to fit the materialistic motif of the show. The character’s possessions say as much about them as their actions. Thus the lighting allows the audience to focus on the impossibly large downtown apartments in which the show takes place.
Also, as the cast was clearly not chosen for their superior acting talent, it is probably for the best that the audience does not focus too intently on the actors performances.
January 23, 2008 at 11:38 pm
Light and set design are the two keys to a successful TV production whether it is single cam or multi cam. The light designers and set-designers are the true artists of sprezzatura, art that conceals art. This art is often under-appreciated, because it strives to look natural or invisible to the audience. However, a show would not exist without lights or sets.
The set-designer is a master at creating the illusion of a 3-dimensional space on a flat canvas. Like Germane stated previously, the set designer must utilize the z axis to create a world with depth. The designer also needs to fully engage his/her imagination to create a set that should take advantage of the audiences’ active imagination.
Sets also convey symbolic meanings within the film, setting the mood; each set having their own characteristics.
Lights are used to paint the set. Light-designers are in charge of two main tasks, lighting the scene so the audience can see the talents, and using light to speak with the audience.
There are basics to lighting, but so much more is beyond the techniques of lighting. It is an art form of its own. Dealing with lights is like doing a courtship dance. Too much artistic ego would dismiss the idea of sprezzatura, and the lights would not look natural. Too little artistic input would make the set look unimaginative, banal, and unnatural as well. The light artist must delicately measure the amount of light needed for the scene, and weigh in the amount of creativity to paint the set with colors.
I have not had the privilege to have cable for the past year… yes, the entire year. Therefore, the only shows I have seen are mostly on DVDs. One that I’m particularly fond of is Dexter, a Showtime TV series.
It is about a serial killer who can’t stop killing, and therefore kills people who got away with heinous crimes. The lighting in the show is very interesting. It reminds me of Hitchcock’s theory on lighting the fear. The show has a dark undertone, but surprisingly, the show is mostly filmed with bright lights or is filmed outdoor.
The only time when the light darkens is when Dexter’s identity as a serial killer is revealed. Even when he is prepping the kill, plastic wraps are plastered against walls, and wrapped around the victim. All the plastics are bouncing off lights while brightening up the room.
The set design of the show also expresses normality, but certain things would show the abnormal life of Dexter. For example, his apartment being extremely tidy and clean for a bachelor. The light and set designers has successfully created a bright and normal setting with eeriness echoing through the show.
Lights, camera, action. The camera can not film anything without lights. There wouldn’t be action without a set.
January 23, 2008 at 11:48 pm
When I went to CBS Studios and walked around the CSI New York set, I noticed the amount of effort that went into making a desk look like it belonged to someone and that they were going to come back there. It had a certain amount of disorganization to it, but the main point is that there is stuff. Even little things that may not necessarily even show up on camera–like pens or a desk calendar, whatever– add to the mood AND (more importantly) make a set seem really 2D when they are not there.
This idea was reinforced for me when we were talking in class about focus–having people in the background and stuff on the wall adds a lot of depth and reality. And it doesn’t even have to look that great in real life if you keep it out of focus!! Like many things in TV (and film) production, like lighting, music, editing, etc.. to make them as real as possible, they shouldn’t stand out too much. They are things that our mind kind of assumes are there, and should be there even if they don’t stand out because when they aren’t, it’s really obvious.
I’m really new to a lot of lighting design concepts, and I find that I feel really annoyed with myself when they are pointed out to me. These things are kind of obvious, but my brain is SO powerful that it fills in all these gaps and it makes it hard to notice the lighting (when it looks natural of course). One thing that struck me about lighting and set design just now when I was thinking about the CSI: New York set was that there were lamps. It occurred to me that when we did our lighting for a night scene, and I forgot about lamps/ prop lights. We were so busy worrying if the lighting looks good. So I am going to make it a point to try and remember those because they are obviously a necessity.
One more sidenote about lighting. I know some people mentioned the dark greyish tones of CSI: New York, and Shawn right above me mentioned that his attention wandered all over the screen, and the lighting didn’t focus on the speaker. I noticed that, too, and that in shows like that, where it’s dark a lot (i.e. my long time love, The X-Files, and thousands of other shows and movies) it’s harder for me to pay attention. I even miss dialogue sometimes…probably because my brain is using energy resources to fill me in on lighting info. But, since the lighting usually needs to accommodate the mood in those kinds of shows, I don’t really think it should be changed much, even if I had a suggestion… (maybe soon, but I’m still too novice.)
January 24, 2008 at 12:55 am
The most poignant example of quality lighting that I can think of is seen on the West Wing. Blending lighting in to match the unique and realistic set design, the lighting designers use lighting to create depth, highlight main characters (though often enveloping the “good guys” in backlighted halos), and to show outside factors. First, as most shows do, the lights add depth to the set. However, instead of filler, most of the lights used are hard lights that pool in the background and on the talent, showing both the dimensions of the areas and bringing out minor details within the set (paintings on walls, trinkets on shelves, and books on desks, to name a few), but also distinguishing the foreground, midground, and background. These lights give the illusion of grand ballrooms and lengthy hallways when in reality the set is nowhere near as large as the actual West Wing. In addition to accenting the highly realistic set, the lights are designed to illuminate the characters, probably their most important job. The characters look like they are working and walking around in offices that are well lit, but not by large fluorescent lights but by desk lamps and overhead bulbs. An air of, I don’t know, perhaps more expensive taste is given off in this way; these people are not working at Wernham Hogg, they’re in the White House. Lastly, I have noticed that the lighting design always matches the establishing shot. If it’s sunny outside, lights from the windows are bright. If it’s dark outside, it’s as if the moon was used to light the scene. And using smaller hard lights instead of fill lights preserves the look of an office while allowing us to see what’s going on outside the walls. If it’s dark outside, we know it, but we also know that there are people hard at work in an office. It’s not typically washed with blue light to seem dark.
January 24, 2008 at 12:57 am
I have already accepted that to some degree, lighting is an understanding that will forever elude me. In the early projects for 655, our solution was to just keep adding light. Is there an unfavorable shadow on that wall? No problem, just add another light. The inevitable result was one or both of everything being washed out and that new light creating five more shadows that were unwanted.
That said, I saw an interview with Herman Zimmerman, the production designer for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. This was several years ago, but one thing he said stuck out at me. He was proud that on the Deep Space Nine set, the home viewer would never be able to discern the primary source of light outside that which is used as part of the set. I didn’t really know what that meant, and frankly I still don’t understand it.
Is it because in space light comes from all angles? Do we not need a fourth wall because the viewer has a broader understanding already that this is a space station and the area behind the camera is presumably not open to “space?” Space station or not, some parts of the set were still your basic living room, just with metallic walls. Isn’t it ok to have an obvious light source in these situations?
The creators of Deep Space Nine made a conscious decision to make the show “darker” than the previous Treks. The lighting and set designers clearly took that to heart. The colors are muted. Shadows fill the rooms (very different from the Enterprise which was full of light). Not only did this serve to separate the shows thematically, but it contributed to the feeling that these otherwise flamboyant people that occupied the station did not belong.
That said, “dark” is too often being synonomized with “edgy.” They are not the same. Studios need to get over this. Making an old idea “dark” is not necessarily compelling.
January 24, 2008 at 1:00 am
When I first read this question, sudden flashes of memory came to me of my sister, a 2007 VPA graduate, designing the set for her show, “Rookery Nook.” I remember the 2D design phase, when she drew tons of draftings plates for flat and light placement, as well as created paint elevations for a 2D look of the set. She then created a scaled-down model of the set, which basically looked as it would be on stage….if the stage was for Tom Thumb. Finally when I saw the completed set, which completely transferred the 2D designs into “real life.” What took her many months to create was used for only a few days, but it really helped me see first-hand how (dramatic) set designers work.
During the season premiere of one my favorite British TV Shows, “Torchwood” (the other being “Doctor Who”), there was one set of scenes, the Hub, or headquarters, scenes struck me. In the show, the Hub is located beneath Roald Dahl Plass in Cardiff Bay, Wales, where there is a spacetime rift (this show is sort of like a British “X-Files”). The Hub is around 3 stories high, with a large column running through its middle, an extension of the Plass’ fountain above. What is interesting about its setting and lighting design is that since it’s below ground, the designers had free range to create whatever they wanted. There are no windows, so they did not have to deal with adding in sunlight or the Cardiff skyline. Instead, they added many types of electrical lighting, which explains why it is so bright.
Since this is a science fiction show, the designers must have thought in their heads “What can we do to create an amazing space that will seem capable of handling creatures of other dimensions and time, the destruction of Earth, etc?” In response, they encompassed the area with many levels, rooms with glass walls, and staircases which create a great sense of depth. Viewers wonder what are in those rooms, where do those stairs lead, etc. Designers also put very high-tech equipment around the Hub, to make the viewer even more sure that the Torchwood team can save the world.
Take a look at the first half of the episode to see the set: http://www.veoh.com/videos/v3079586k6HfnJZn?confirmed=1
What I can take from this is to possibly add levels and or stairs to future set designs that I am apart so depth can be created. Not only is that proper use of the z-axis, but it also captures the viewers attention and makes for a more interesting entertainment experience.
January 24, 2008 at 1:00 am
Whoa – something is wrong with the clock – it is NOT 1AM!