Description
We can't shoot good pictures without good lighting, no matter how good the newest cameras are. Shooting under available light gives exposure, but lacks depth, contrast, contour, atmosphere and often separation. The story could be the greatest in the world, but if the lighting is poor viewers will assume it's amateurish and not take it seriously. Feature films and TV shows, commercials and industrial videos, reality TV and documentaries, even event and wedding videos tell stories. Good lighting can make them look real, while real lighting often makes them look fake. Lighting for Cinematography, the first volume in the new CineTech Guides to the Film Crafts series, is the indispensable guide for film and video lighting. Written by veteran gaffer and cinematographer David Landau, the book helps the reader create lighting that supports the emotional moment of the scene, contributes to the atmosphere of the story and augments an artistic style. Structured to mimic a 14 week semester, the chapters cover such things as lighting for movement, working with windows, night lighting, lighting the three plains of action and non-fiction lighting. Every chapter includes stills, lighting diagrams and key advice from professionals in the field, as well as lighting exercises to help the reader put into practice what was covered. www.lightingforcinematography.com
A how-to book on the art, craft and practice of lighting for film & video for students and filmmakers.
About the Author
David Landau has over thirty years of professional lighting experience working on feature films, TV shows, sit-coms, game shows, commercials, documentaries, industrial films, music videos and direct-to-consumer DVDs. Landau teaches lighting and cinematography at Fairleigh Dickinson University, US, where he also created the Cinematography track of study, but continues to work in the lighting industry, shooting low budget features and corporate videos, designing lights for theatre and working as one of the gaffers on the TV series Project Runway. A five-time Telly Award winner for lighting and cinematography, Landau is a member of IATSE Local 52, the University Film & Video Association and Media Communications Association International.
Reviews
It's dense, detailed, thoughtful, simply written and highly educational. Lighting for Cinematography: A Practical Guide to the Art and Craft of Lighting for the Moving Image might have been created as a practicum for a 14-week course in cinematography, but David Landau's study of the art and craft of lighting has something for everyone, from the neophyte to the veteran. -- Pauline Rogers * ICG Magazine *
Lighting for Cinematography is one of the most comprehensive and engaging texts on the subject this reviewer has read ... The author fills the volume with outstanding visuals, including screen captures and lighting plans from actual films and television programs, in so doing bringing the lessons to life. Most notably, Landau includes commentary by current practitioners, thus providing an invaluable glimpse into the minds of creative professionals. This is a compelling read for those wishing to improve their craft as well as for those still learning the ropes. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates, including students in technical programs, through faculty and professionals. -- M. A. Bay, Southern Connecticut State University * CHOICE *
Whilst there are some great books with interviews of big time cinematographers out there, there are few books immediately applicable to what emerging cinematographers face on limited budget shoots ... This how-to book addresses how filmmakers on a limited budget and time schedule can achieve professional looking images similar to what they see on the big screen. * British Cinematographer *
This unique approach has been needed for a long time and there is simply no other lighting book like this in print. -- Peter Stein, ASC * Student Filmmakers *
A master class in cinematography! David Landau's conversational tone mixed with 35 years of technical experience and aesthetic prowess results in a very accessible text that should be cherished by students and professionals alike. Whether he is describing the process of lighting through a window with a 1200 HMI Par with a double scrim, 250 diffusion and 1/2 CTO or describing his method of achieving a firelight effect with several 250W Inkies with a mixture of amber and orange gels and run through a flicker box, Landau's multiple accounts from his work in the field give this book a much appreciated practicality and voice of authority that is invaluable for the emerging cinematographer. -- Harlan Bosmajian, Assistant Professor of Cinematography, Emerson College, USA and Local 600 Director of Photography
David Landau has produced an excellent text in Lighting for Cinematography which manages to cover the practicalities of production, the technical aspects of lighting and vitally the artistic importance of this work. Lighting for Cinematography is constructed to appeal and be of value to the practitioner at all levels; it is equally full of detail for careful consideration and quick hints and images for review before filming. Landau's book is helpfully crammed with instructional diagrams and the chosen images act as exemplars of technique. Lighting for Cinematography contains a series of production skills and helpful hints and exercises; these aspects are exceptionally helpful to the student of film wishing to improve their understanding and technique. I would highly recommend Lighting for Cinematography to those to wish to learn more about this field and to all those interested in the technique and process of film making. -- Robert Edgar, Senior Lecturer in Film and TV Production, York St John University, UK
Simply written and highly educational, very few books on the market [have such a] wide perspective on the subject. * Luca Pulvirenti, Accademia di Belle Arti di Palermo, Italy *
Book Information
ISBN 9781628926927
Author David Landau
Format Paperback
Page Count 288
Imprint Bloomsbury Academic USA
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Series The CineTech Guides to the Film Crafts
Weight(grams) 748g
A how-to book on the art, craft and practice of lighting for film & video for students and filmmakers.
About the Author
David Landau has over thirty years of professional lighting experience working on feature films, TV shows, sit-coms, game shows, commercials, documentaries, industrial films, music videos and direct-to-consumer DVDs. Landau teaches lighting and cinematography at Fairleigh Dickinson University, US, where he also created the Cinematography track of study, but continues to work in the lighting industry, shooting low budget features and corporate videos, designing lights for theatre and working as one of the gaffers on the TV series Project Runway. A five-time Telly Award winner for lighting and cinematography, Landau is a member of IATSE Local 52, the University Film & Video Association and Media Communications Association International.
Reviews
It's dense, detailed, thoughtful, simply written and highly educational. Lighting for Cinematography: A Practical Guide to the Art and Craft of Lighting for the Moving Image might have been created as a practicum for a 14-week course in cinematography, but David Landau's study of the art and craft of lighting has something for everyone, from the neophyte to the veteran. -- Pauline Rogers * ICG Magazine *
Lighting for Cinematography is one of the most comprehensive and engaging texts on the subject this reviewer has read ... The author fills the volume with outstanding visuals, including screen captures and lighting plans from actual films and television programs, in so doing bringing the lessons to life. Most notably, Landau includes commentary by current practitioners, thus providing an invaluable glimpse into the minds of creative professionals. This is a compelling read for those wishing to improve their craft as well as for those still learning the ropes. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates, including students in technical programs, through faculty and professionals. -- M. A. Bay, Southern Connecticut State University * CHOICE *
Whilst there are some great books with interviews of big time cinematographers out there, there are few books immediately applicable to what emerging cinematographers face on limited budget shoots ... This how-to book addresses how filmmakers on a limited budget and time schedule can achieve professional looking images similar to what they see on the big screen. * British Cinematographer *
This unique approach has been needed for a long time and there is simply no other lighting book like this in print. -- Peter Stein, ASC * Student Filmmakers *
A master class in cinematography! David Landau's conversational tone mixed with 35 years of technical experience and aesthetic prowess results in a very accessible text that should be cherished by students and professionals alike. Whether he is describing the process of lighting through a window with a 1200 HMI Par with a double scrim, 250 diffusion and 1/2 CTO or describing his method of achieving a firelight effect with several 250W Inkies with a mixture of amber and orange gels and run through a flicker box, Landau's multiple accounts from his work in the field give this book a much appreciated practicality and voice of authority that is invaluable for the emerging cinematographer. -- Harlan Bosmajian, Assistant Professor of Cinematography, Emerson College, USA and Local 600 Director of Photography
David Landau has produced an excellent text in Lighting for Cinematography which manages to cover the practicalities of production, the technical aspects of lighting and vitally the artistic importance of this work. Lighting for Cinematography is constructed to appeal and be of value to the practitioner at all levels; it is equally full of detail for careful consideration and quick hints and images for review before filming. Landau's book is helpfully crammed with instructional diagrams and the chosen images act as exemplars of technique. Lighting for Cinematography contains a series of production skills and helpful hints and exercises; these aspects are exceptionally helpful to the student of film wishing to improve their understanding and technique. I would highly recommend Lighting for Cinematography to those to wish to learn more about this field and to all those interested in the technique and process of film making. -- Robert Edgar, Senior Lecturer in Film and TV Production, York St John University, UK
Simply written and highly educational, very few books on the market [have such a] wide perspective on the subject. * Luca Pulvirenti, Accademia di Belle Arti di Palermo, Italy *
Book Information
ISBN 9781628926927
Author David Landau
Format Paperback
Page Count 288
Imprint Bloomsbury Academic USA
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Series The CineTech Guides to the Film Crafts
Weight(grams) 748g
