NOt sure where my post from last night went....
At the moment on TV, the is the Honeymooners are showing and I'm noting it's lighting and design concepts.
You will note from the stains on the walls to the painted scenery which is this show, it’s 100% all very early TV in it being all as if it were on a vaudeville
stage. This is in part a style choice to reproduce to just as much an extent as the lighting. The intent of those doing the TV show might not be to simulate reality, instead to simulate what is symbolic for the
stage attempt to represent reality on TV. A background trophies case is painted, corners in walls or where flats end are left as dark seams and corners, all wood graining is painted on
etc. in a overly simulated type of way - as if this were 1920's movies where short of overt
effect, such things were not easily seen. It’s on the other
hand a mixture of say a small photo hung on a wall or real sink verses next to it some two dimensional
effect of painted scenery especially out the apartment window. You will also notice the look of the shadows as they stick their heads out the window. This or is at times what seems furniture really furniture but by way of camera and lighting, seemingly two dimensional at times in looking like three dimensional to the extent painted or in actuality what looks two dimensional by treatment to look three dimensional that now looks painted and two dimensional. What at one
point seems like a trophies case at the meeting
hall is initially seemingly painted, than real but two dimensional one is able to lean an arm on. On the other
hand, the trophies within the case, are they three dimensional and de-glossed to a major extent, than lit really well to seem two dimensional or while the trophy case is three dimensional trophies that are painted within it? I might do some research into the show as I’m sure there is numerous books on it which mention the set and lighting.
For lighting, study the shadows and grey tones. Key to all black & white is the shadows and grey tone. This show in it’s painted scenery to look staged is by far different than other black and white shows that take part in the natural or on a sound
stage later perhaps in lighting/set concept. You will note that there is no deep dark shadows or other than very blended lighting. There is shadows and they are minor but none from other than a number of sources lighting the acting area. This is important as deep dark shadows might in some
image of black/white might imply dark shadows and be a
stage convention to simulate in reproducing the show. Could do it by way of deep dark shadows to simulate what people expect to see on
stage were it true black and white, or realistically in what almost seems as if
fluorescent lamps overhead to delete all shadows and
wash out them in fact, this in addition to key and fill lighting as it were the washing out of the shadows fights against. From what I can see, while seemingly more two dimensional and flattening in lighting
effect which could be in part from the camera, the blended lighting comes from many sources above , below and to the sides of the set. Look at the shadows under the eyes, they are not dark, while the foreheads, shoulders and hair seem to glow due to a bulk of the lighting coming from the top, there is enough coming from elsewhere to prevent dark shadows under the eyes - deadly lighting, and to blend what’s less in light to make three dimensional. Wrinkles in clothing create shape and sculpting to the
effect. IT’s only other than Ralph’s
face while wearing a hat which looks other than washed out by way of top lighting.
Study of the scene shows Ralph while wearing a hat. He has a nicely lit
face while towards the
downstage but at other times is not so well lit as opposed to others that are washed out for the most part but fully lit while facing in other directions. Alice especially on the other
hand has her bags under the eyes
pick up a lot of light and in fact entire eyes and
face washed out by way of overhead, side and
foot lights. As opposed to a sculpted
face, her’s especially seems
flat and washed out. What color is her hair? Grey tones represent this of course in some way, what color is it in black and white?
Were I doing this show on a
stage, I might attempt to do it all behind a very
down stage scrim. The
scrim could with reflected light
wash out what’s seen fairly well in fact. It also on the other
hand would not add to the immediacy and attachment of those on
stage to the audience on the other
hand. The
scrim in re-producing this show on the other
hand would potentially better create the real lighting effects on
stage as long as it’s done on a very shallow
stage. Note how shallow this studio
stage really is also, provide the talent a 8' set between
scrim and wall and you have no doubt the extent of
stage they were working with.
Downstage scrim becomes a fourth wall blocker which is detrimental to audience involvement to what’s on
stage but better perhaps reproduces in reality what they expect to see. On the other
hand, unless directly comparing what’s on
stage to what one remembers from the TV, perhaps that’s a bad thing as with a almost
fluorescent lit overhead light washing out of all light from above. Should you go for
fluorescent lamps, go for those in say the “cool white” range - normal home owner and have them as close to the
stage as possible. This and research the lamps in having them have as low of a
CRI as possible. Otherwise strip lights/boarder lights in just plain white or perhaps grey or brown
gel as the design choice dictates, might work sufficiently. There might be three main options, one to do for the most part
no-color but in being
no-color having it very
flat and lacking all of the spectrum of light. Grey in also being
no-color, or brown/amber in doing away with the reletive colors and instead going in a red color range that whips out all other colors seen in making them brown scale as opposed to grey scale. The brown scale black and white alternative show holds lots of promise in given one can’t make true colors black an white on
stage, going brown scale could potentially replace the grey scale with a all absorbing in the live brown tone to the look. Also remember that brown/amber looks old on
stage thus it could be a concept in being both old and white/black.
True black/white would be very difficult to reproduce on
stage by way of what people see verses what the cameras saw and reproduced back than. A
scrim might help in this
effect, and lots of costume and makeup choices in doing real black and white, but probably not enough. What in costume by way of film grey tone representation of color can never be adequately be represented by way of a color choice for a costume by way of vibrancy other than of intent for it to be grey scale and not black & white. Perry Mason’s tie looks in some way pink or salamander in color not just some grey tone. Colors while they were not seen were used and while appearing grey on film, the way the even if grey scale light hits the color cannot be repeated by way of making something grey become as vibrant on film.
Need is to perhaps
wash out all colors on
stage with something so saturated that it only lets colors in that range of color be reflected. This in a way is why perhaps brown is used, otherwise like for some fixtures I made for a recent rock tour, why low pressure
sodium vapor wash lights were requested. Hmm, color
rendering index of zero, (
CRI), not much color is reflected by this arc source of light. Note also the above reference to
fluorescent lamps with as low of a
CRI as possible in washing out the real colors and making them
flat plus more or less grey scale or brown scale as what is more realistic. Perhaps in doing the brown/amber scale to replace what is as concept to do the black/white scale will work best for this application. Lots of #99 chocolate in fill and various ambers for the keys. Blue’s and other colors just don’t show up given limited blue output in the color
rendering.
Otherwise to fight color
rendering as colors - the colors that still need to be there, perhaps some lighting of very limited color
rendering index to reproduce the colors on the
stage, what fixtures are used need to have very limited color rendition. I once had to come up with a design for a dual lamp
DMX douser controlled 90w low pressure sodium
wash lighting
fixture and get seven un-tested models out for it
in one week. They than while they worked were immediately cut from the show because while they did their job, they in what light was produced was by far too drastic in being really-really bad lighting. Too bad I am not really able to rent such things in being around a 55 degree zero color
rendering index
wash light, but trust me, you don’t want to work within their light. Such light will in being so lacking in any color, make one sick with time in being around them. Way too bright and way too lacking in anything that redeems any serviceable use on
stage for a prolonged period of time. Still there is some old “cool white”
fluorescent lamps out there which have a
CRI of less than say 50. Those if going
fluorescent in washing the
stage would be the way to go. Those of the older generations will remember the while white, green tint people in classrooms took under such bad lighting. Perhaps your school still has such bad lamps available if old in lamps and
fixture.
Otherwise, look towards perhaps the strip light and if three color, chocolate, deep amber, and white to mix and match with for the overheads above the
stage and some
foot lights. Than perhaps side
stage booms with various ambers and chocolates to fill and sculpt with. I’m thinking in style more Broadway rather than
McCandless in style of lighting and perhaps little to none in front light other than what the
foot lights and top lights won’t provide for getting rid of center of the
face shadows, little to no audience lighting.
Concept at least in no or limited help from normal lighting positions. Instead more of a dance light type of look but instead of even good lighting from it, banking on the top light main light and
foot light once balanced to fill but not be drastic, than side light to sculpt. What after this is needed is from more normal positions to light from but only as supplement to help
wash out in deleting shadows, plus help sculpt the
face. All of which are grey/brown tone in sculpting shadows but not having any harsh directional shadow on the set. This lack of shadows especially by way of top
wash.
Hope it helps in a study and things to look at. Remember on the other
hand beyond this in supplementing the (get over it) brown scale instead of grey scale, or possibly even going grey scale but under very controlled conditions that are hard to achieve short of a camera filter, that it’s a literal interpitation of what is seen on TV.
Stage convention and what the audience expects to see on the other
hand might be different in perhaps having lots of 1920's era black and white film harsh shadows much less not liking the concept of a brown instead of grey scale initially. The brown scale I think recommended on the other
hand will better represent what the TV was showing and would potentially be a better way of lighting the scene. As for the
scrim, it would be potentially useful for either or in grey verses brown scale. It would be more useful and perhaps necessary for a better grey scale in helping to absorb what color Is left after the lighting but could also help with the brown scale. Just a question of making the
scrim forced fourth wall
effect not get in the way of the immediacy and need for breaking free from it in audience involvement.
Hope you have lots of time to experiement and do research on your own by way of past posts on the subject, future posts, and experimentation. Than given it’s still a not much used but very important design concept, do a full write up in detail of what you did, how it worked, how it could be better and what else you tried that needed changing. Such a concept of design has not been studied sufficiently in any means but can potentially be quite the
effect if given time to tinker and pulled off right. Even if not, what’s learned by way of what elements work and what does not is important to know. Write up your most thorough analysis.