Lighting Setup

2nd October 2012

 As part of our new wave project, one of the essential things that we had not yet put into practice was efficient lighting techniques, so we decided to set aside a day where we would practice the different lighting techniques that are used in new wave films. First of all was the initial setup of the lighting equipment and the backdrop, we needed to unfurl the backdrop, setup the umbrella light to use as our key light, setup the tripod and camera, the flash trigger and we needed to organise the positions of the camera and light source to coincide with the different lighting techniques. All of this preparation was vital to ensure that when we got down to actually filming these lighting techniques it worked effectively. The initial setup of the lighting equipment was a new kind of task for us as we hadn't used large lighting equipment before, so at first there were a few uncertainties on how to operate them, however as we were only using one key light, we quickly got accustomed to it. After all of the equipment was setup and ready to use we wanted to make a quick start on practicing the different techniques we might need for later shoots.

 

These images show our initial setup of the equipment and as we soon found out fixing a backdrop and operating a light all require more than one person simply due to the size of the equipment being used, as we did experience quite a few problems which we needed to correct before we could actually start shooting, so the setup of the equipment proved an interesting task overall.

OH&S: Occupational Health and Safety

When setting up the lighting in the studio one of the things we needed to take into consideration was the health and safety concerns of the studio to ensure the safety of our coworkers, we took into consideration the various hazards and dangers we could face whilst working in this confined area.

Potential hazard(s):

• Stray wires and cables across the floor
• Lighting equipment can become very hot
• Equipment such as tripods could not be correctly locked
• Backdrop stands not setup correctly
• Backdrop could fall from its frame
• Flash from the lights could be harmful if looked at directly   
• Subject could fall off the stool provided whilst acting/modelling
• If the camera should become damaged small parts could be scattered across floor
• Studio is an enclosed space so risk of fire is increased

Hazard Solution(s):

All of the potential hazards listed above all have simple solutions that helped prevent any OH&S concern. To begin with whilst setting up the lighting and backdrop we ensured that all wires and equipment was kept out of the way of any area where any person would be walking. The backdrop was unravelled from its frame until the stands to support it were correctly setup and locked into place, the tripod that held the camera was securely locked into place and kept in a specified area whilst shooting and was not moved from that spot. To avoid any issues with the lighting equipment the subject was directed to not look directly at the light whilst we were utilising the flash and all members were kept clear of the lighting equipment during shooting to avoid injury in case it should fall and/or become hot, also whilst shooting the subject was seated on a stool with both feet placed firmly on the ground to avoid injury via falling. Since we were working in an enclosed space each member was instructed to move carefully when needed and to avoid accidental contact with another person to reduce risk of falling and/or unnecessary obstruction whilst shooting. All of the OH&S concerns we noticed during this shoot were all taken care of in order to avoid unnecessary injury during the session.