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Lighting & Flash

Practical Light

A light source that appears within the frame as part of the scene, such as a lamp, candle or neon sign.

In depth

Practicals do two jobs at once: they contribute illumination and they explain it, telling the viewer where the light is supposed to be coming from. They are usually too weak to light a subject properly, so the working method is to place a hidden source that mimics the practical's direction and colour while the practical itself simply reads in shot.

Examples in practice

A table lamp in the corner of a frame motivates a warm-gelled light just out of shot doing the actual illuminating.