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Cinematography and Lighting for Television: A Contemporary Approach book cover

1st Edition

Cinematography and Lighting for Television A Contemporary Approach

By Tim Palmer Copyright 2025
    272 Pages 116 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    272 Pages 116 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    Drawing from author Tim Palmer's twenty-seven years of experience working as a cinematographer for award-winning drama series including Killing Eve and Line of Duty, this book is the go-to guide on how to light just about any scene a cinematographer may face when shooting a TV show.

    Focusing on lighting scenarios suitable for the screen, the book is thematically organised into night and day, exteriors and interiors, and special situations including magic hour, candlelight and firelight, moonlight, torchlight, vehicle interiors and green/blue screen, as well as providing examples from within the studio for each of these settings. Using the latest technology and developments in the practice, Palmer illustrates how cinematographers can effectively use lighting within a variety of situations. Each example compares the set-up with the corresponding finished film frames, showing the achieved final effects of the lighting, so cinematographers can apply and translate it to their own work. Including practical advice for working in the industry and tips for low-budget and student settings, this is an accessible and creative guide to producing visually compelling footage that translates the script to the screen.

    This accessible guide is ideal for both advanced students and professional cinematographers looking to develop their skills.

    ·         Introduction

     

    ·         Chapter 1: Day Exterior

    ·         Reducing the Light

    Specific Situations

    ·         Rural

    ·         Planning and Preparation

    ·         Case Study: Indian Summers (2016)

    ·         Losing the Light

    ·         Really Losing the Light

    ·         Case Study: The Last Kingdom (2020)

    ·         Urban Day Exterior

    ·         Building Shadows

    ·         Case Study: Strike Back (2018)

    ·         Reflections

    ·         Case Studies: Bad Sisters (2022), Killing Eve (2018)

    ·         Streetlights

     

    ·         Chapter 2: Day Interior

    ·         Introduction

    ·         Case Study: Strike Back (2018)  -  A Very Long Room

    ·         Light Tells the Story

    ·         Case Study: Killing Eve (2018)  -  Warmth

    ·         Case Study: Dr Who (2011) – Mixed Light Interior

    ·         Difficult Locations

    ·         Case Study: No Escape (2023) – The Glass Box

    ·         Case Study: Case Sensitive (2012) – The Uncontrolled Public Space

    ·         Case Study: Line of Duty (2021) – Upper Floors Sets

    ·         Mixed Light Natural Sources

    ·         Case Study: ­The Last Kingdom (2022)

     

    ·         Chapter 3: Night Exterior

    ·         Introduction

    ·         The Gaffer

    ·         Case Study: Real Men (2002)

    ·         Case Study: The Last Kingdom (2022)

    ·         Case Study: Indian Summers (2016)

    ·         Case Study: The Last Kingdom (2022) – Plan B!

    ·         Case Study: Strikeback (2018)

    ·         Case Study: No Escape (2023)

    ·         Case Study: Critical (2014)

    ·         Case Study: Living The Dream (2017) – Fantasy and Smoke!

    ·         Available Light

    ·         Case Study: Killing Eve (2018)

    ·         Case Study: We’ll Take Manhattan (2012)

    ·         Case Study: Being Human (2011)

    ·         Case Study: Case Sensitive (2012)

    ·         Case Study: McDonald and Dodds (2019)

     

    ·         Chapter 4: Night Interior

    ·         Introduction

    ·         Case Study: Killing Eve (2017) – Moonlight and Practicals

    ·         Case Study: The Last Kingdom (2020) ­– Candlelight

    ·         Case Study: Flowers in the Attic: The Origin (2022)

    ·         Case Study: Dublin Murders (2019)

    ·         Case Study: Bad Sisters (2022) – Mixed Lighting

    ·         Case Study: Tina and Bobby (2016) – Lighting for 360 degrees

    ·         Case Study: Brief Encounters (2016) – Lighting for 360 degrees

     

    ·         Chapter 5: Special Situations

    ·         Introduction

    ·         Case Study: No Escape (2023) – Blue Hour/Golden Hour

    ·         Case Study: Strikeback (2018) – No Light Lighting

    ·         Case Study: Killing Eve (2018) – Nightclubs, Existing Lighting

    ·         Case Study: No Escape (2023) – Water Effects

    ·         Blue/Green Screen

    ·         Case Study: The Last Kingdom (2020)­ – Blue Screen

    ·         Rear Projection

    ·         Case Study: Critical (2014) – Traditional Rear Projection

    Biography

    Tim Palmer is Professor of the Practice in Cinematography at Boston University, USA, and has been a member of the British Society of Cinematographers since 2013. He has been working at the forefront of British television drama for twenty-seven years, having experienced the progression of shooting formats from Super 16 and 35mm film through analogue and digital tape to the current crop of file based digital cameras. He has been nominated for multiple awards for his work on The Suspicions of Mr Whicher and Breathless, and continues to work on renowned drama series, including Killing Eve and The Last Kingdom.

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    “With this book, Tim Palmer offers an insightful and comprehensive look into the practical challenges of the most common shooting situations in high end television production offering practical advice and theory that will help a cinematographer elevate the quality of their work.”

    Milton Santiago, Assistant Professor at the Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University.

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