DIG2330C - Lighting for Cinematography

Academic Dean’s Contact Information

LAKELAND DEAN’S OFFICE: LLC 2255              PHONE: (863) 297-1024
WINTER HAVEN DEAN’S OFFICE: WSC 101      PHONE: (863) 297-1020

Polk State College Mission and Program Outcomes

Polk State College, a quality-driven institution serving Polk County and beyond, transforms students’ lives through the power of teaching and lifelong learning by providing access to affordable associate and baccalaureate degrees, career certificates, and workforce employment programs, delivered through various modalities and innovative technologies and by diverse, qualified faculty and staff. In line with this purpose, Polk State’s Associate in Science and baccalaureate degree programs develop competence in various career-related skills. This course focuses on the development of competencies related to the following program outcomes:

1. Plan, create, edit and output professional video products that exhibit excellent audio, video, lighting, multimedia, editing, and storytelling techniques and incorporate professional use of typography, composition, cinematography, artistry, creativity, and aesthetics using appropriate tools and techniques.
2. Collaborate within a multimedia team or group in a manner that demonstrates good soft skills, pleasing attitude, clarity of thought, and mutual respect to produce a common output that provides good aesthetic appeal and conforms to industry standards.

 
Course Objectives:
Upon completion of this course, the student is able to:

1. Explain the importance of lighting for good exposure.
2. Describe important concepts of digital video lighting.
3. Articulate the differences between human vision and camera vision.
4. Describe color theory and color temperature for digital video.
5. Explain and demonstrate safe use of electricity and electrical components for video lighting.
6. Demonstrate proper handling, setup, use, and disassembly of a variety of lighting instruments for digital video production.
7. Demonstrate familiarity with, and good use of, various lighting instruments including light-emitting diodes (LEDs), fluorescent lights, soft lights, tungsten lights, and others.
8. Demonstrate basic lighting setup including three-point lighting, low-budget lighting, and improvised lighting.
9. Demonstrate a variety of lighting techniques for a given scene, mood, tone, or setting.
10. Demonstrate excellent use of gels, barn doors, reflectors, and diffusion materials for effective lighting control on a scene or set.
11. Demonstrate good lighting techniques such as reduction of reflection from eyeglasses and correction of harsh natural lighting conditions, as well as incorporating appropriate lighting elements for interviews, intimate scenes, night scenes, and group scenes.
12. Demonstrate good use of a light meter for exposure.
13. Identify common problems for location lighting setups and describe ways to control or minimize these problems.
14. Demonstrate use of good lighting techniques for green and blue screen, special effects, and “film look” for digital video and for post-production.
15. Demonstrate familiarity with signal monitoring using waveform and vector scope.
16. Describe lighting personnel on a large digital video project and the role of each team member during the production. 

 

Course Content:

• Importance of lighting
• Exposure and contrast: white balance and ISO
• Controlling contrast, color, and exposure
• Human vision and exposure
• Assessing what the audience sees
• Color Theory and the  Kelvin Scale
• Electricity: volts, amps, watts, lamps, and sockets
• Power distribution, battery packs, and load calculations
• Electrical safety
• Lighting instruments: open-faced instruments, lens instruments, fluorescent lighting, and HMI lighting
• Lighting instruments: Tungsten, LED, Soft lights, and special lights
• Lighting controls: gels, diffusion, barn doors, and white boxes
• Basic Lighting techniques: three-point lighting and group lighting
• Lighting mood and tone: adding shape, depth, and dimension to a scene
• Light quality: direction, altitude, high-key lighting, and low-key lighting
• Set operators and team members
• Interview setups
• Solving problems: hot spots, film look correction, issues with eye glasses, too much light, and mixed light
• Studio lighting
• Advanced lighting setup and mood: darkness, exterior, interior, and light surgery
• Low-budget lighting and improvised lighting
• Lighting for a scene: film noire, intimate lighting, day exterior lighting, inside or outside lighting, sitcom lighting, and lighting for night time
• Specialized lighting
• Light meters and lighting creativity
• Lighting effects
• Chroma key, green screen, and blue screen
• Signal monitoring: waveform and vector scope

Textbook and Other Requirements

Textbook information is provided in the course syllabus, at the campus bookstore, on the campus bookstore website (www.polk.bncollege.com), or via the “Shop Textbooks” button on the PASSPORT schedule of classes.

College-Level Communication and Computation Skills

State Rule 6A-10.30, requires each Associate in Arts (AA) degree program student to complete six credits of college-level mathematics; taking the appropriate General Education mathematics courses will satisfy the mathematics portion of the requirement.

In addition, State Rule 6A-10.030 requires each AA degree program student to complete six semester hours of English and six semester hours of additional courses in which the student demonstrates college-level writing skills through multiple assignments. Because Polk State College uses a “Writing across the Curriculum” approach to meeting the writing requirement, in addition to the required composition courses, any of the required Social Sciences and Humanities courses will fulfill this writing requirement. A minimum grade of C is required for all courses used to fulfill the Communications and Mathematics areas of the General Education requirements.

This is not a writing emphasis course, but it may include writing assignments as a part of course requirements.

Student Help

The professor is available for help during posted hours and by appointment during other non-class hours. Each student is encouraged to seek assistance from the professor. To further the educational process, the Learning Resources Centers, comprised of the campus Teaching/Learning and Computing Centers (TLCCs), JDA Student Success Center, and campus libraries, are available for student use. Each resource provides qualified staff and up-to-date equipment and facilities to promote academic success. The TLCCs and JDA Student Success Center provide tutoring services, computing resources, and other instructional support. The library provides information resources, individual and group study space, research assistance, information literacy instruction, and computing resources. Each facility provides free wireless access to the Internet. The Polk State College Library, Student Success Center, and TLCC hours of operation and tutoring schedules are posted at each facility and on the College website.

Withdrawing From a Course

A student may officially withdraw from a course during any given term, provided he or she follows the appropriate policy and procedure. Following the conclusion of the Drop period, students may officially withdraw without receiving a grade from any course, provided they do so no later than the published withdrawal deadline. The published deadline reflects approximately (but no more than) 70% of the term, based upon the course’s scheduled duration. It is the student’s responsibility to submit these withdrawal forms; failure to do so may result in a grade of F in the course. Under the Forgiveness Policy, a student is allowed only three attempts in any one course: one initial enrollment and two repeats. A student is not allowed to withdraw from a third course attempt. Limited admission programs may have specific guidelines regarding course withdrawal that vary from this policy; these guidelines are listed in the specific program handbooks. If a student stops attending class, the grade earned, usually an F, is assigned and posted. Prior to withdrawing from a course, the student should consult with the Financial Aid Office to determine what impact, if any, withdrawal from the course will have on his or her financial aid status. A student cannot use course withdrawal to avoid academic dishonesty penalties. A student who has been penalized for academic dishonesty in a course is not eligible to withdraw from the course.

Repeating a Course

Under the Forgiveness Policy, a student is allowed only three attempts in any one college credit course: one initial enrollment and two repeats. Under certain circumstances, a student may petition to repeat a credit course beyond the third attempt. Limited admission programs may have specific guidelines regarding repeating courses that vary from this policy; these guidelines are listed in the specific handbooks. The student should be aware that repeating a course may result in a higher course cost. A course cannot be repeated unless the previously earned grade is a D, F, or W (the Polk State Catalog provides further details regarding this process). Prior to repeating a course, the student should consult with the Financial Aid Office to determine what impact, if any, repeating the course will have on his or her financial aid status.

Academic Dishonesty

Each student is responsible for his or her work. It is assumed that each student is honest and will abide by this standard; however, in the event that there is an indication or suspicion of cheating or plagiarism, the situation shall be dealt with in accordance with the published College policy. Copies of this policy are available in the Student Services Office. More specific information can be found in the Course Syllabus.

Information Technology Access/Use Policy

The information technology resources provided by Polk State College (this includes, but is not limited to, telephones, computers, the Polk State Local Area and Wide Area Networks, and the Internet) must be used for academic purposes only. Use of these resources is a privilege, not a right. Inappropriate use can result in revocation or suspension of this privilege.

Equal Access/Opportunity

Polk State College is an equal access/equal opportunity institution committed to excellence through diversity in education and employment. The College complies with all state and federal laws granting rights to students, employees, and applicants for employment or admission to the College. Polk State College does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ethnicity, sex, age, religion, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, genetic information, disability, or pregnancy in its programs, activities, or employment.

The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies:
Valparisa Baker
Director, Equity and Diversity (Title IX Coordinator)
999 Avenue H NE
Winter Haven, FL 33881
Office: WAD 227
Telephone: (863) 292-3602
e-mail: vbaker@polk.edu

Equal Opportunity For Students With Disabilities

The College complies with The Americans with Disabilities Act and provides equal educational opportunity for qualified individuals. A student with a disability who requires special accommodations or auxiliary aids under The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) should contact the Coordinator or Director of Disability Services. Note: Limited admission programs may have performance restrictions that apply. Restrictions (where applicable) are outlined in each program’s student handbook.

Assessments
Tests              20%
Exercises        40%
Projects          40%
Total               100%

Grades
91 - 100          A
81 - 90            B
71 - 80            C
61 - 70            D
Below 61         F

Assignment and exam submissions must be accurate and complete to gain full credit. Errors and omissions result in varying point deductions.

Attendance:
Regular and prompt attendance to class is the student’s responsibility and is considered an essential part of the course. Each student is expected to be punctual and remain in class for its full duration. Classes begin punctually as scheduled; the student is expected to be in his or her seat, prepared to participate. Eating food and drinking beverages is not permitted as a matter of College policy. There are no “excused or “unexcused” absences. The student is either present or absent, and material missed is the responsibility of the student.

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