In lighting theory, the ‘set light’ (aka background light) is the light used in a traditional lighting setup to illuminate the background or studio ‘set’ to give an audience a clearer picture of the location of the film composition as well as creating additional debt and separation from the subject or person in the foreground.

The concept of set light should not be confused with that of ‘working light’ which is simply like used on location to assist cast and crew in day-to-day activity on the set, working light is not used or seen in the final composition. in some circumstances working light may refer also to available light in a given filming location, for example daylight entering through a window.

Fluorescence is the way in which light is emitted by substance due to the way in which that substance has absorbed either light or other forms of electromagnetic radiation. High Street neon lights are an example of fluorescent lights. See compact fluorescent lighting.

A compact fluorescent light (or CFL) is a fluorescent lamp that is increasingly aimed at replacing traditional incandescent lamps (tungsten lighting) as compact arrest and lights are generally agrees to use one 5th to 1/3 the electric power and last 8 to 15 times longer than traditional tungsten lighting. A fluorescent lamp is a gas discharge lamp whereby light is created by the passing of an electrical signal through a usually mercury vapour. This electric field excites the Mercury atoms to produce shortwave ultraviolet light which then causes a phosphor to fluoresce producing what we recognise as visible light.

Tungsten is a chemical element, a hard rare metal, vanadium tungsten deriving from the Swedish language 'tung sten' directly translatable as meaning a heavy stone.

Because of the unusually high melting point of this metal, it is used in alloy form for the creation of incandescent lightbulb filaments, as such and due to its popularity the majority of incandescent lightbulbs are referred to in lighting has tungsten, or tungsten lighting. Tungsten lighting due to the chemical properties of the metal filaments appears as a slightly reddish or orange hue to cameras which have not been colour balanced

A lighting diagram, whether hand drawn or using computer software, is an illustration or diagram that explains (usually in plan view) the layout, types of lighting and lighting modification and camera position of a particular lighting composition. Although there are no universally agreed symbols, there are nonetheless, some widely agreed symbolic conventions representing different types of light and modification.