Good lighting is the foundation of good television. It enhances appeal, creates
             interest and commands audience attention, but at the same time, it is not easy to achieve. According to General Millerson, a lifetime expert in the field of studio production, "The scene must be illuminated to show exactly what is wanted, but the audience should not be aware of the lighting." (Millerson, TV Lighting Methods, 9) This raises the question, if light is needed, why not set up powerful lamps near the camera and flood the scene with light? Well in order to achieve really effective, persuasive pictures, "the TV subject and its surroundings need to be lit systematically, to suit the TV camera." (10) In this paper I will discuss the importance of lighting in studio productions, explore some common lighting situations, examine some of the equipment involved with lighting and discuss some techniques to effectively light a studio scene.
             Lighting is a creative element in television production because the picture itself is made up entirely of light. According to Wurtzel and Rosenbaum in Television Production, fourth edition, there are six basic objectives of television lighting: first, "to fulfill technical requirement of the system." This means that the level of light must be enough for the camera's camera control unit to reproduce the picture. This is referred to as base light. Second, "to provide a three dimensional perspective." The screen is two dimensional and depth must be provided through set design, camera angels and other aspects including lighting. The third objective is "to direct attention to important elements in a scene." This objective is self explanatory; it means to properly direct more or less light to any important part of the scene as long as it gets the attention that is meant for it. Next, "to establish the mood of a scene." Different lighting c...