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1. GENERAL PRINCIPLES
Lighting for television is very exciting and needs creative talent. There is always a tremendous scope for doing experiments to achieve the required effect. Light is a kind of electromagnetic radiation with a visible spectrum from red to violet i.e. wave length from 700 nm to 380 nm respectively. However to effectively use the hardware and software connected with lighting it is important to know more about this energy.
Light Source
Any light source has a Luminance intensity (I) which is measured in Candelas. Candela is equivalent to an intensity released by standard one candle source of light.
Illumination (E)
It is a Luminous Flux incident onto a surface. It is measured in LUMENS/m2, which is also called as LUX. A point source of 1 candela at a uniform distance of 1 metre from a surface of 1 square metre gives illumination of 1 LUX.
Luminance (l)
It is a measure of the reflected light from a surface. Measured in Apostils. A surface that reflects a total flux of 1 lumen/m2 has a luminance of 1 Apostils.
1m 1m Point Source 1 Cd. 1m 1 LUMEN
1m
1 d2
F A
Colour Temperature
One may wonder, how the light is associated with colour. Consider a black body being heated, you may observe the change in colour radiated by this body as the temperature is increased. The colour radiated by this body changes from red dish to blue and then to white as the temperature is further increased. This is how the concept of relating colour with temperature became popular. Colour temperature is measured in degree Kelvin i.e. ( o C 273) . The table below gives idea about the kind of radiation from different kinds of lamps in terms of colour temperature. Standard candle Gas filled tungsten lamp Projection bulb Flash-bulb HMI lamp Electronic flash tube Average day light Blue sky 1930o K 2760o K 3200o K 3800o K 6500o K 6000o K 6500o K 12000 - 18000o K
By measuring the energy content of the source over narrow bands at the red and blue ends of the spectrum the approximate colour temperature can be determined. All the colour temperature meter are based on this principle.
2.
Colour filters are used to modify the colour temperature of lights and to match colour temperature for cameras while shooting with different colour temperature, e.g., indoor and outdoor etc. Generally it is normal to correct daylight to produce tungsten quality light by using orange filters. However, when the amount of such light to be corrected is more, it may be more practical to convert tungsten lamp to daylight, but with a considerably reduced light output form the luminaries by using blue filters. For certain situations like, sunrise and sunset the light is more yellow than midday, so a careful note should be made of the Transmission factor of each of the filters. Often a compromise has to be reached in terms of correction and light loss. For example full STI(T) Publication 58 003/IC(TV)/2004
TV Lighting correction may cause too much loss of light, so "half correction", although not ideal, may be used. Full colour temperature blue 1/2 colour temperature blue 2/4 colour temperature blue Full colour temperature orange 1/2 colour temperature orange 1/4 colour temperature orange 37% 56% 69% 55% 70% 80% 3200 - 5700 o K 3200 - 4300 o K 3200 - 3600 o K 5700 - 3200 o K 5700 - 3800 o K 5700 - 4600 o K
10 6 3000
So the MIRED shift produced by the filter is -83 MIREDS If the same filter were to be used on a light source of colour temperature of 5000 o K we can estimate the new colour temperature as follows : STI(T) Publication 59 003/IC(TV)/2004
10 6 5000
=
200
-83 117 MIREDS 8500o K
New MIRED value of light source plus the filter = So, new colour temperature =
The blue filter used in the above example, increased the colour temperature but decreased the MIRED value. If an orange filter had been used it would have reduced the colour temperature and increased the MIRED value.
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TV Lighting Filtered light in dark areas of a picture will render much higher colour saturation, in very light areas colours become whitish and de saturated. This fact should be taken into account when selecting filters for key lights or fill light. Under natural sunlight the fill light contains usually slightly more blue than the key light. If sunlight must be imitated, in a studio, it is advisable to give the fill light a slight blue hue. Colour television monitors in a studio have a colour temperature of about 6500o K. If they are photographed by another camera their screens should be covered by an orange gel of about - 100 mired.
3.
Tungsten wire has resistance and is capable of dissipating power in the form of heat. If sufficient electrical energy is supplied to raise the filament temperature above approximately 5000 C, light is emitted. Oxygen has to be excluded to avoid combustion. The filament is enclosed in an evacuated glass bulb. The tungsten filament has light emitting characteristics similar to those of a black body radiator, where high temperature provides greater efficiency and higher colour temperature. But this lamp usually fails because of evaporation of filament, the higher the filament temperature the higher the STI(T) Publication 61 003/IC(TV)/2004
Induction Course (TV) rate of evaporation. This causes the filament to become thinner, thus reducing the light output and colour temperature. The inside of the bulb is darkened by the deposition of evaporated filament. This deposit absorbs some of the light thus reducing its intensity. The evaporation can be reduced by having a suitable gas (which does not attack the filament) into the bulb. However the gas molecules conduct the heat away from the filament and in order to conserve the heat the filament is wound as a tight coil. This gas enables them to be run at temperatures several hundred degrees higher than those of vacuum lamps. Evaporation and bulb blackening still take place in the gas-filled lamp and in order to reduce its effect a large surface for condensation is required. Hence these studio lamps has very large bulb. Even then towards the end of the filament life, this deposited layer reduces the light output and colour temperature to unacceptable levels. Increasing the pressure of the gas filling may suppress the ratio of evaporation, but the sizes used are not capable of withstanding more pressure. Use of smaller bulbs in harder glasses or silica permit the use of higher pressures but the advantage gained is lost by virtue of the smaller surface area for condensation. b) Tungsten Halogen Lamps (Tungsten Iodine or Quartz Iodine Lamps)
Tungsten halogen lamp is a major break through in lamp design. By the chemical removal of the deposited tungsten on the bulb the light output has been increased to 100%. The useful life is at least double that of normal tungsten filament lamps and the lamp is physically smaller.
Fig. 2 Comparison of size and performance of normal Tungsten and tungsten halogen lamp Halogen is a general term for a family of very reactive elements like, fluorine, chlorine, bromine and iodine. Each of these combine with tungsten in a reversible reaction which is controlled by temperature. At present the halogen used is iodine or bromine. Halogen vapour is colourless and at bulb temperatures between 250 - 8000o C combines with the deposited tungsten to form tungsten halide in vapour form. At temperatures STI(T) Publication 62 003/IC(TV)/2004
TV Lighting above 1250o C, encountered in the region of the filament, the tungsten halide dissociates - tungsten being deposited on the filament, and halogen being released to repeat the cycle. It would appear that we now have a lamp with a bulb which never blackens and an ever-lasting filament. The tungsten however does not deposit itself back from where it came but on the cooler part of the filament. Because of the high bulb temperatures involved and small size the glass has to be strong, so it is made fused silica (quarts). This also enable to have high gas pressure, which can be 4 times or more than the normal lamps. This reduces filament evaporation and gives an extension to filament life. Quartz bulbs should not be touched by hand since minute quantities of acid so deposited will attack the glass when it is heated. This lamp has an efficiency of 20 Lumens per watt.
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Induction Course (TV) Addition of metal iodides in the high pressure mercury vapour improve the colour rendering properties of a light source. These kinds of light sources are called as compact Source Iodide Lamp. The gas discharge raises the temperature and causes the metal iodide to evaporate. This causes the metal atoms to release from the iodine molecule. The metal atoms after collision with electrons in the arc and make a significant contribution to the total radiation. Protection of the envelope from the corrosive effects of the liberated metals is by a process like halogen cycle in tungsten filament lamps. The metal atoms do not stay in the high temperature zones but migrates towards the cooler wall where, recombination takes place between the metal and the iodine atoms to form the metal iodine again. The metal itself is thus not present in the lower temperature zone close to the wall, and the envelope is thereby protected from corrosion.
Starting a CSI lamp : The pressure inside a CSI lamp when cold is below atmospheric. At this pressure a starting pulse of about 10 kilo-volts is required to cause ionization. Once the lamp has been ionized the arc voltage falls to about 80V. The warm up period of these lamps is about 30 seconds, during which time the colour of the light changes from the purple-blue mercury radiation to white radiation indicating the evaporation and dissociation of the metal iodides. When used with ac. supplies the lamp will be extinguished when the cycle of voltage falls below 80 V, but since between successive half cycles the gas does not have time to de-ionize it will strike again as soon as the next half cycles rises above 80 V. If the lamp is switched off for a few seconds de-ionization will occur and it is then impossible to ionize the gas until the lamp cools for several minutes. This is because at the working temperature of the lamp the gas pressure is at about 15 atmospheres, and would require about four times the available striking voltages.
The CSI lamp has a life of approximately 200 hours. The most common cause of failure is a seal leakage or fracture. Usually before complete failure the light output has falls to a level which requires the lamp to be changed. Important points The CSI lamp when cold has a gas pressure below atmospheric (0.25 atm) and there is no risk of explosive failure when handling. However, in operation the gas pressure builds up inside the lamp (10-25 atm) and there is a risk of the bulb exploding. It is important, therefore, that the lamp is always used in an enclosed fitting. The main danger occurs when a short term mains failure causes the lamp to extinguish, the lamp will not start and gives the impression of a lamp failure. Any action to change the lamp in these conditions, i.e. when the lamp is hot, is dangerous. It is therefore recommended that if failure is suspected the lamp is allowed to cool for at least ten minutes to allow the internal pressure of the lamp to reduce to a safe level before any attempt is made to change the lamp. The CSI lamp emits ultra-violet radiation in addition to the visible light. This ultraviolet radiation is harmful as it can cause severe burning of the skin and damage to the retina of the eye. To prevent this from happening, avoid looking directly at the light source and use a glass plate over the open luminaries. STI(T) Publication 64 003/IC(TV)/2004
TV Lighting Dimming Control : The CSI lamp is not suitable for use in applications where dimming of the light source is required. This is because of the 30 second warm up period and the re-strike of 2-5 minutes. 1 kW CSI lamp gives a lamp throw of 75 feet, the illuminated area is a 10 foot diameter circle at an illumination of approximately 2000 LUX. The equipment associated with the CSI lamp namely the current limiting inductor, is remote from the luminaries. This light is mostly used as a follow spot or an effect projector.
The HMI Lamp : H stands for mercury, M for medium arc and I for Iodide. The CSI and the HMI lamps operate on the same principle. They use mercury vapour as the basic gas but the spectrum is largely determined by the rare earth metals that are added in their halide form. The principle metals used are thallium, dysprosium and holmium, the latter two being the metals used in current HMI bulbs.
Wattage rating of HMI bulbs : HMI bulbs are available in a range of sizes 200 W, 1200 W, 2500 W and 4000 W. They have a luminous efficiency of about 90 lumens/watt and are therefore much brighter than an equally rated tungsten bulb. Operation of HMI bulbs : A striking voltage of 24 kV is used with HMI to ensure that the bulb can be instantly restarted when the lamp is hot. This voltage is necessary to ensure the restrike with the high gas pressure inside the hot bulb. This removes the major problem of CSI lamps
Like all other discharge source a choke is used to limit the current when the lamp is running. HMI has a colour temperature of 60000oK. it takes several minutes after first striking for the lamp to reach this colour temperature. The initial colour is blue due to the mercury vapour, but gradually the light "whitens" as the metal halides dissociate to add more red and green content to the spectrum. When viewed with the naked eye or colour camera the lamp could possible appear more magenta then daylight. In this case STI(T) Publication 65 003/IC(TV)/2004
Induction Course (TV) a white flame green filter will assist in removing the magenta appearance of the lamp. Filters may also be necessary to equalize the colour temperature of HMI bulbs. With an orange filter the HMI bulb can be made to approximate to tungsten light, but the main use of a high colour temperature source is to mix in with daylight.
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TV Lighting
Fresner lenses
This lens has series of sloped concentric ring cut away from its convexed surface. Each ring thus acts as a small prism gathering energy from the lamp and reflecting it into parallel rays. This lens is used on most of the hard spot lights. Different Lighting Techniques Eye light, Low intensity light on camera itself to get extra sparkle to an actor's eye. Rim light, to highlight actor's outline. It is an extra back on entire body at camera level. Kickkar light, extra light on shadow side of the face at an angle behind and to the side of the actor. Limbo Lighting, Only object is visible, no back ground light. Silhouette lighting, No light on subject, background is highly lit.
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TV Lighting
4.
LIGHTING CONSOLE
In a television production, each scene will require its own lighting plan to give the desired effect. In order to assist in setting up a particular lighting plan, a console should provide :a) b) c) One man operation and a centralised control desk with ability to switch any circuit. Facilities to obtain good balance with flexibility to have dimming on any circuit. With all controls for power at low voltage and current.
Modern lighting consoles also provide file and memory to enable the console operator to store and recall the appropriate luminaries used for a particular lighting plot. These console also provide Mimic panels to show which channels are in use and which memories or files have been recalled.
Dimmers
Thee basic methods for dimming are :a) Resistance : This is the simplest and cheapest form of dimmer. It consists of a wire wound resistor with a wiper. It is used in series with the load. Saturable Reactor (System SR) : The basic principle of the saturable reactor is to connect an iron cored choke in series with the lamp. The inductance of the choke can be varied by saturating the iron core by means of D.C. supply on a separate control winding. When the D.C. control current is high the iron core gets saturated causing the change in inductance in series with the load. This results in change in voltage and hence the dimming effect. Auto Transfer : A wiper sliding along the winding varies the turns ratio and thus the lamp voltage.
b)
c)
These systems has the following disadvantages : Low efficiency i.e. more power loss. Operator to handle high voltages, not very safe Costly and bulky Advances in the technology have resulted in improved reliability, more efficient and cheaper design of dimmers. The operators now have to handle low control voltage with a maximum value of 20 V. These dimmers are called SCR (Silicon controlled rectifier) based dimmers. SCR is basically a semi-conductor rectifier which does not conduct until it has been "switched on" by a gating pulse. It is a 4 layer semi-conductor, with three electrodes - anode and gate. It is connected in series with the load. Dimming is achieved by varying the timing of the gate pulses to control the average load current.
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Thyristor or SCR
It is a unilateral device and conduction take place from anode to cathode under proper conditions of bias. The other member of this family is called "Triac" which is a bilateral device with three terminals and conducts in both directions. Thyristor and its action can be considered by seeing it as two transistors connected back to back. The presence of a positive gate pulse or potential on the base of TR2 turns it on and current flows through TR2 via the base of TR1. This turns TR1 on and current flow through TR1 and into the base of TR2, thus holding TR2 on. The gate pulse can now be removed and the thyristor conduct until the supply is removed and the regenerative action of TR1/TR2 is destroyed. The internal feed back makes the thyristor an extremely efficient and fast switching device.
AC SUPPLY
VC
SUPPLY VOLTAGE
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TV Lighting With electronically controlled dimmers, light output between Zero to maximum can be obtained by changing the position of control or trigger pulses. The trigger pulse are obtained by differentiating the output of a comparator. The comparator gives a pulse at the moments of intersection of especially shaped ramp voltage, which is synchronized with the line voltage, and the control voltage Vc which is variable and controlled by the operator. To improve the efficiency of the system a second thyristor is connected across the original, so that both half cycles are utilised. Dimming is thus achieved by varying the timing of the gate pulses to control the average load current.
AC LINE SCR S OR TRAIC S
Vr
Vc
DIMMER UNIT R S T CONTACTOR R S T TIME BASE UNIT POW ER SUPPLY 8V / 15V CONTROL DESK REF. R REF. S REF. T
TV Lighting
FRAME INT SYSTEM TIMER LINE INT LINE INT PLAYBACK CPU DATA BUS
SERIAL INTERFACE
CMOS RAM (32k) COMMON MEMORY ADDR BUS (16 BIT) CMOS RAM (32k) TO OTHER PROCESSORS COMMON MEMORY
OPERATORS DESK
PLAYBACK CONTROLLER
CHANNEL CONTROLLER
GROUP MASTER
PLABACK PROCESSOR
COMMON MEMORY CMOS RAM (32k) R SERIAL & HOLD (D to A) TO DIMMERS MEMORY MANAGER PROCESSOR VIDEO PROCE -SSOR VIDEO GENERATION R S S PROCESSING ELECTRONICS
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Induction Course (TV) The fade systems of the Datalite consoles are implemented entirely within the software of the controller units. The fade algorithm used is the digital version of a dip less cross fade : o/p = A + (B-A) / 256)* n The system timer generates regular pulses which are counted to generate the current value for n. The processor then does a fast multiply to calculate (B-A)/256)*n. The result is added to a copy of the initial level A and the total left for the output Greatest processor to consider in conjunction with the output from the other controllers in the system. The file data in the Datalite system is held in battery backed CMOS memory. Each CMOS card holds 32 kbytes of memory, and up to 192 kbytes of file memory can be fitted (i.e. 6 cards). With a channel capacity of 1000 channels this means that about 200 lots of file data can be held in the CMOS memory. The operator is free to use any file number up to 999 and therefore the storage system is divided into a heater area and a data storage area. The header block contains the file numbers a header area and a data storage area. The header block contains the file numbers of all the files that are stored plus pointers to where the associated file data is to be found within the file storage area.
5.
OPERATIONAL PRACTICE
The incident light level used in any television studio depends on the light required b y the cameras in that studio to give depth of field consistent with types of programmes. A dance sequence for example will need higher f - stop no. for more depth of field hence requiring more light level in the studios. Contrast Ratio Contrast is the ratio between the luminance of the lightest and darkest part of the subject or image. The scene contrast out-doors is on average 160:1 or even higher. The use of lighting to create areas of light and shade, increases the overall contrast ratio. In television the contrast should be restricted to about 20:1 and to ensure this the colours used by Scenic Designers are selected from a range which have reflectance between 3% and 60%. A television 'White' is a surface which has a reflectance of 60%. Illusion of Depth This is the first artistic consideration, otherwise pictures will tend to look flat and uninspiring. Subjects (artists and sets) are modeled by light, using shadows to reveal the shape, form and texture. The greater the shadow areas the more solid and three dimensional will the subject appear. Texture is revealed to a maximum when the surface is edge lit. Tonal contrast can be used to create the illusion of depth by arranging a recession of tones from the background (light) to foreground (dark). In order to achieve control over the scenic contrast the scenery should, whenever possible, be lit separately from the artists. STI(T) Publication 74 003/IC(TV)/2004
TV Lighting Script Script requirements have to be satisfied to create atmosphere and mood. The script requirements are basically of two types. a) Explicit - Day, Night, Interior, Exterior, etc. b) Implicit - Mood or Artistic Impression visualized by Director and Lighting Supervisor. Compatibility Lighting should be compatible with B/W sets.
Types of Luminaries
There are 3 basic types of luminaries : i) A soft-edged spotlight - Hard Source (Fresnel spotlight)
This is a focussed light source in which the position of the light source relative to the lens can be increased or decreased to 'SPOT' or 'FLOOD's. Normally it is used in the fully FLOODED condition to give the widest and most uniform illumination. The beam has a soft edge which gives the name to the luminaries as soft edge spot light and the lens used is a Fresnel lens. Barn doors are fitted to these light to restrict illumination to specific areas. Usually the luminaries are used in the fully flooded condition because this gives more uniform illumination and makes the barn doors most effective. ii) A hard-edged spotlight - Hard Source (Effects spotlight)
This is a focussed light source in which the exist circular aperture of the light housing is projected by a lens system to give a disc of light with a hard edge to it. Alternatively, patterns cut from metal can be projected by inserting them near the circular aperture. iii) Soft Source
Usually a large area diffused source of light, producing as few shadows as possible. These light sources are not usually focussed, so often they are fitted with louvers to reduce the sideways spill of light.
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Induction Course (TV) Fill Light : Controls the lighting contrast by filling in shadows. It can also provide catch lights in the eyes. Normally it is a soft source. Back light : Separates the body from the background, gives roundness to the subject and reveals texture. Normally it is hard source. Background Light : Separates the person from the background, reveals background interest and shape. Normally it is a hard source. In three point lighting the ratio of 3/2/1 (Back/Key/Fill) for mono and 3/2/2 for colour provides good portrait lighting.
Position of Artist
At least 4', preferably 6' away from back ground to avoid artist's shadow on the background and to ensure that the back light angle will not be too steep. To ensure control of background lighting, whenever possible use barn doors to keep key light off background. Similarly avoid background light catching artist. In colour, plain background are often used care must be taken to ensure that on the monochrome picture there is a difference in tonal value between the face and the background. Lighting Balance The Key or Mood of the picture is determined by the ratio of the relative intensities of Key Filter, and the tonal distribution in the picture. Low Key Predominance of dark tones, large area of shadow. Facial contrast approx. 5 : 1. Dramatic effect. Facial contrast approx. 3 : 1. Predominance of light tones, small areas of thin shadows. An almost 2D effect giving a gay, light mood. Contrast ratio less than 3:1.
The intensity of the backlight should be approx. the same as the key light but will also depend on the subject.
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TV Lighting Indoor day time If there is a choice in the direction of the sun (Key) take the shortest route inside the set to a wall, and if possible throw the shadow of window bars onto a door it usually is in shot. A patch of light on the floor inside the set, backlight from outside using a soft source at steep elevation adds realism. When a set does not have a window, a window pattern can be projected onto a wall to produce a suitable window effect. Roof and Ceiling Pieces - if they make lighting impossible, check if they can be removed at the planning state. Light any ceiling pieces from outside, use a soft source at ground level. If the ceiling has plaster moulding or ornamentation, a hard source may be used. Indoor night time The outside of the window should be dark, except for a possible dim skyline if the room is well above adjacent streets, or lit by an outside practical lamp i.e. street lighting. The wall with the window in it should be lit at night to be brighter than for the day condition. Subjectively the walls appear brighter at night than at day time. Practical lamp should be placed such that they are in shot i.e. a standard lamp by a settee, table lamp by a wall. Where possible make the light from this practical source. Often a completely different feel to the set can be obtained by reversing the direction of lighting in the set compared to that used for day. General for night effects it is not a good plan to just simply dim the set lighting when changing from day to night. This is because the excessive change in colour temperature of the light source and the apparent increase in saturation of surfaces at low luminance. Outdoor daylight and Moonlight The direction of the light is dictated by the position of the sun or moon . As a general principle one should remember that sunlight (hard source) is accompanied by the reflected sky light (soft source) whereas moon light is a single hard source. One of the biggest problems when lighting exteriors is the maintenance of single shadow philosophy double shadows on a long shot will quickly destroy the apparent realism created in the set. A very large area filter light is ideal for exterior day light scenes. This can be achieved by using a suspended white screen 12 x 8 where the filler would be positioned then lighting it with hard light.
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Induction Course (TV) The exact lighting treatment will depend on the situation but as a general rule, moonlight effects are normally achieved by back lighting to give a more softer, romantic mood than would be achieved than a frontal key. In colour, to obtain a night effect, blue cinemoid is used over the luminaries. This gives a stylized effect. An alternative is to use much more localized lighting than for day light and light only the artists and odd part of the set. Key light The frontal key light may not suit both the demonstrator and his subjects. Its angle might not provide optimum modeling for items on the table. Subjects may shadow each other. The day light may also over illuminate the front of the table. The solution to these problems is to use barn door on the main key, restricting it to the demonstrator, and introduce additional localized lamps to the front and side of the table-top to light the display more effectively. Where an overload mirror is being used to provide a camera with top shots, we may also be able to utilize it to redirect a spot light downwards, projecting appropriate modeling light into items on the table. Backlight Backlight is always liable to cast the demonstrator s shadow forward across the central working area of the table, causing obscuring or distracting shadows over the subject he is discussing. We may be able to avoid this by using a lower angle backlight, that is barn doored to illuminate only the demonstrator s head and shoulders. Shadows from a low-intensity backlight may become sufficiently diluted by key lights to be quite unobtrusive. Another approach is to use a soft backlight in order to avoid these shadows altogether, but it can give less effective lighting, and its spill light is not so readily controlled. Reflections Sometimes backlight bouncing forwards the camera, or multiple reflections of studio lights, can prove troublesome. The only practical remedies, apart from removing or covering the offending surface, are to try repositioning. Occasionally it may be possible to switch off a lamp from an isolated shot, to prevent reflection.
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