Cinematography Exam 1 UPDATED ACTUAL Questions and CORRECT Answers
Key Light Primary light source
Fill Light - Secondary light
- Soften shadows
Backlight Separates actors from the background
White Balance - You can have either 3200ºK or 5600ºK, or force it to be something other than
those two
- You're telling the camera "under these lighting conditions, this is white"
Contrast Ratio - The overall lighting level and then the comparative difference between lights in
a scene
- Footcandles are used for contrast ratio of the light, 2:1 is the f stop
- Number on light meter determines f stop on camera
Quantity of Light How much light falls on the scene (can be measured w a light meter)
Quality of Light Literally the quality of light (color temp., hard/soft, etc.)
Hard Light Light that casts very sharp shadows
Soft Light Eliminates hard shadows
High Key Very bright light
Low Key Low, darker light
Chroma Purity or intensity of color
Color Temp Color Wheel - 10,000K (Clear Sky)
- 5,600K (Average Daylight)
- 4800K (Sunlight at Noon)
- 3200K (Incandescent) (Tungsten)
- 2600K (Candle Light)
2600K (warmer color) - 10,000K (cooler color)
Ambient Light Level - The comfortable level of light that humans usually function under
F-Stop - The f/stop of a lens is a measure of its ability to pass light to the image plane.
- The f/stop is the ratio of the focal length of a lens to the diameter of the
entrance pupil.
- The more you zoom in, the higher the f stop will be
, T-Stop - T stop
- T-stop (transmittance stop) is a measurement of actual light transmission
measured on an optical bench
Difference between F-Stop and T-Stop - All cameras come with f stops, but they can be slightly inaccurate to the camera
itself, so t stops are where they calibrate the camera to be the most specific light
reading for that lens, not just theoretical measurements that are broadly applied
to all cameras
- T stops are more precise
Focal Length (of the lens) The lens is the distance between the optical center of the lens and the image
sensor when the subject is in focus; it is usually stated in millimeters such as 18
mm, 50 mm, or 100 mm
Angle of View The visible extent of the scene captured by the image sensor, stated as an angle.
Wide angles of view capture greater areas, small angles smaller areas. Changing
the focal length changes the angle of view. The shorter the focal length (such as
18 mm), the wider the angle of view and the greater the area seen. The longer the
focal length (100 mm, for example), the smaller the angle and the larger the
subject appears to be
Long Focal Length Lenses (long focal length= shallow - Compress the background
DOF) - Isolate the subject
- Shallow DOF (Always focus on the eyes)
- Can be used to frame something from a long distance
75mm-600mm
- ⅓ focus in front, ⅔ focus in back
- Can be used to pull objects towards us
DOF Area in front of and behind the point of focus that appears to be in focus
Short Focal Length Lenses (Short focal length= deep - 25mm-75mm
DOF) - Give a more natural look (50/55mm considered human field of view)
- Usually a greater DOF
- Used more when camera movement is involved
- Creates a sense of being there
- Can be used to make actors uncomfortable by putting the camera very close to
them (Distorts features when it's super close to one's face)
- Pushes things to the sides of the frame (Space between actors looks further
apart; Might need to adjust the positioning of people to make things look natural)
- The more light there is, the more DOF
Deep Focus = Deep DoF More area of the frame is in focus
Shallow Focus= Shallow DOF Less area of the frame is in focus
Modeling Light Ask in Class
Key Light Primary light source
Fill Light - Secondary light
- Soften shadows
Backlight Separates actors from the background
White Balance - You can have either 3200ºK or 5600ºK, or force it to be something other than
those two
- You're telling the camera "under these lighting conditions, this is white"
Contrast Ratio - The overall lighting level and then the comparative difference between lights in
a scene
- Footcandles are used for contrast ratio of the light, 2:1 is the f stop
- Number on light meter determines f stop on camera
Quantity of Light How much light falls on the scene (can be measured w a light meter)
Quality of Light Literally the quality of light (color temp., hard/soft, etc.)
Hard Light Light that casts very sharp shadows
Soft Light Eliminates hard shadows
High Key Very bright light
Low Key Low, darker light
Chroma Purity or intensity of color
Color Temp Color Wheel - 10,000K (Clear Sky)
- 5,600K (Average Daylight)
- 4800K (Sunlight at Noon)
- 3200K (Incandescent) (Tungsten)
- 2600K (Candle Light)
2600K (warmer color) - 10,000K (cooler color)
Ambient Light Level - The comfortable level of light that humans usually function under
F-Stop - The f/stop of a lens is a measure of its ability to pass light to the image plane.
- The f/stop is the ratio of the focal length of a lens to the diameter of the
entrance pupil.
- The more you zoom in, the higher the f stop will be
, T-Stop - T stop
- T-stop (transmittance stop) is a measurement of actual light transmission
measured on an optical bench
Difference between F-Stop and T-Stop - All cameras come with f stops, but they can be slightly inaccurate to the camera
itself, so t stops are where they calibrate the camera to be the most specific light
reading for that lens, not just theoretical measurements that are broadly applied
to all cameras
- T stops are more precise
Focal Length (of the lens) The lens is the distance between the optical center of the lens and the image
sensor when the subject is in focus; it is usually stated in millimeters such as 18
mm, 50 mm, or 100 mm
Angle of View The visible extent of the scene captured by the image sensor, stated as an angle.
Wide angles of view capture greater areas, small angles smaller areas. Changing
the focal length changes the angle of view. The shorter the focal length (such as
18 mm), the wider the angle of view and the greater the area seen. The longer the
focal length (100 mm, for example), the smaller the angle and the larger the
subject appears to be
Long Focal Length Lenses (long focal length= shallow - Compress the background
DOF) - Isolate the subject
- Shallow DOF (Always focus on the eyes)
- Can be used to frame something from a long distance
75mm-600mm
- ⅓ focus in front, ⅔ focus in back
- Can be used to pull objects towards us
DOF Area in front of and behind the point of focus that appears to be in focus
Short Focal Length Lenses (Short focal length= deep - 25mm-75mm
DOF) - Give a more natural look (50/55mm considered human field of view)
- Usually a greater DOF
- Used more when camera movement is involved
- Creates a sense of being there
- Can be used to make actors uncomfortable by putting the camera very close to
them (Distorts features when it's super close to one's face)
- Pushes things to the sides of the frame (Space between actors looks further
apart; Might need to adjust the positioning of people to make things look natural)
- The more light there is, the more DOF
Deep Focus = Deep DoF More area of the frame is in focus
Shallow Focus= Shallow DOF Less area of the frame is in focus
Modeling Light Ask in Class
