Five Bulbs Used for Video
Here is a short summary of the five basic light bulbs used in film and video productions.
- Tungsten light – A tungsten light is a more powerful version of a common household light. Lights used in film and video are usually 300 watts to 20,000 watts. Tungsten lights have a more orange hue at 3200 Kelvin. These light can be very hot and can warm up a room quickly.
- Halogen-Quartz – These lamps are usually 3200 Kelvin. They’re used in car headlamps and more recently in house décor. They are very hot.
- HMI – An HMI is often used to light film sets. This light requires a ballast to power the lamp. The HMI light is a different kind of light than tungsten. An HMI emits untr-violet light with a blue hue and a color temperature of 5600 kelvin,
- Fluorescent Bulbs – These weren’t used for lighting until recently because they flicked and emitted a green hue. The bulbs used now are flicker free and come in 3200 and 5600 Kelvin. Fluorescent lights put out a softer light but are as bright as other bulbs.
- LED – These lights bulbs Came into their own in the last five to ten years. These lights come in many colors from 3000 kelvin to 5600 kelvin. Diodes, due to their engineered design, tend to have a very directional light. The front lens is parabolic, focusing the light to a small dot even several feet away.
These are the five most used lights in the production of film and video. This may be helpful when requesting a crew for your next shoot.
