Need to know....

Color Temperature
relative reddishness or bluishness of light, as measured in kelvin degrees. The norm for indoor TV lighting is 3200 degrees. The norm for outdoor light is 5600 degrees.

Barn Doors
metal flaps in front of a lighting instrument that control the spread of the light beam. The doors can be opened and closed as necessary to pinpoint exactly where a light hits, and where it doesn't.  

Gel
color filters put in front of a lighting instrument to give the light beam a specific hue. Helpful in creating an overall "mood" for your scene and for matching existing color temperature in your shooting environment.

 Frost
colorless, transparent gels used to soften overall intensity in an indoor environment 

Scrim
a metal light diffuser placed in front of a lighting instrument. Softens the overall intensity of a light, creating a more subtle look.  

Fresnel
most common spotlight used in TV lighting, can be 1K or 2K , (1000, or 2000 waats), 650, or 300. Can be spotted (narrowed) or flooded (widened) depending on the desired focus area.  

Key Light
principal source of illumination, usually a spotlight on your subject.

 Back Light
Illumination from behind the subject and opposite the camera, accents hair and shoulders, creates a more three dimensional look to your subject by separating it from the background.

 Fill Light
additional light to reduce shadow areas.

Spill - light
light "spilling" into the wrong area of your scene. (Ex : a blue light meant to accent your background or set pieces "spilling" over and hitting your subjects, making them appear blue)

 Dimmer
can increase or reduce the overall intensity of light by regulating the amount of power flowing to the lighting instrument.

 Soft Box
portable device that can be fitted over a lighting device, will produce softer, more even light. Uses a reflective surface to spread light out.

 Sun Gun
common name for an on-camera light. Most common light used in ENG Production. (Electronic News gathering).

Reflector
Large round device used for catching light (studio or sun) and reflecting it back towards a subject. Especially useful in Field Production for catching sunlight.

 F-Stop
way of measuring how much light is passing through a camera’s iris.

 Solid
Black flagging device used to block light from “spilling” into an unwanted area. Black Wrap may also be used. Black Wrap may also be used.

IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER:

• Never handle a bulb for TV lighting with your bare hands. A used bulb may be extremely hot, and a new bulb may contract oil from your skin, making the bulb highly flammable at high temperatures. Use a glove whenever possible.  

• Never run more than one portable light out of any one AC socket. The extreme power will more than likely cause a surge, tripping a circuit breaker. Use a power strip whenever possible. Only a heavy duty, 20-amp plug will be able to handle the power output from certain professional lighting devices. Know what you’re working with before you plug ANYTHING in. .

 • Fluorescent lighting devices can be especially useful in field production. They use far less power, don’t give off any heat and offer less expensive color temperature bulbs.

• The higher the light, the lower the shadow.