My boyfriend has been impressed with the flashlights on the Nordic Noir tv show Deadwind. He and I have been back and forth about whether the camera makes the beam look brighter or not. I think the actors are using Fenix 2K2OR flashlights but the 1,000 lumens in their specs doesn't seem bright enough.
Flashlights on Television -- Does the Camera "enhance" the light power?
- Thread starter Haptica
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idleprocess
Flashaholic
Welcome to CPF, Haptica.
I believe there are three factors possibly at work here. First, a typical flashlight will produce exceptionally high spot intensity relative to area lighting despite often having markedly less output than most lighting fixtures; this has been possible since flashlights were first invented with low-output incandescent bulbs and feeble carbon-zinc batteries and the evolution of technology has only made the difference more pronounced. Second, cameras work within a narrower range than our eyes meaning that under bright conditions they fail to image dark spots satisfactorily and under dim conditions they wash out easily with a relatively bright light source such as a modest handheld flashlight. Third, post-production cleanup of filmed (or almost certainly digitally recorded these days) footage can somewhat trivially alter a scene to enhance a desired effect without manual frame-by-frame touchup.
I believe there are three factors possibly at work here. First, a typical flashlight will produce exceptionally high spot intensity relative to area lighting despite often having markedly less output than most lighting fixtures; this has been possible since flashlights were first invented with low-output incandescent bulbs and feeble carbon-zinc batteries and the evolution of technology has only made the difference more pronounced. Second, cameras work within a narrower range than our eyes meaning that under bright conditions they fail to image dark spots satisfactorily and under dim conditions they wash out easily with a relatively bright light source such as a modest handheld flashlight. Third, post-production cleanup of filmed (or almost certainly digitally recorded these days) footage can somewhat trivially alter a scene to enhance a desired effect without manual frame-by-frame touchup.
A camera can certainly "enhance" the brightness of a light. More directly, the camera operator has to make a decision on how to expose a picture of video. More often than not, especially in a production piece the photo or video isn't made to be hyper realistic but rather artistic so they aren't going to necessarily film it to be exact as say an average person sees it but rather what makes a good artistic work.
thanks idleprocess and staticx57... your explanations makes sense. It certainly seems a feature of digital film means lights are supersaturated. Also, that the camera operator or prop guy would search for whatever makes the best (most artistic) film. There's something very satisfying in all that dark, Nordic night being sliced through with a sharp white hot lazer beam of light.
