This is one of his articles:
The Function of Lighting - In Porn, Part 1 (Part 2 never arrived!)
Introduction
In order to really examine lighting as an aesthetic element in porn, or any other form of audio-visual presentation, we have to understand what light can and can't do in that framework--or what functions it serves. Within the context of video and film, it is especially important to understand that ultimately, we are watching what is put before us on a television screen. That image is created through a sequence of many complex processes. Elements of costuming, makeup, setting and yes, lighting, are incorporated into a scene that will be presented not to us directly, but to a camera that will ultimately translate that image to us via a television screen. The video camera and the film camera do not react the same way to these elements as our eyes do. It is the job of a videographer or cinematographer to understand how the camera will translate the scene placed before it, and what needs to be done to ensure that the final image is what they intend it to be.
Part of what makes video so much easier to produce than film is that this translation from live scene to television image can take place immediately, and adjustments can be made in real time, as necessary, with minimal wasted time and resources. Film is another story, as in order to see its image, it needs to be processed first--an expensive and relatively time consuming process that leaves very little room for errors in judgment about lighting or any other scenographic element. What's more, there are a great many different types camera filters and film stocks, different methods of exposure, and different post production techniques (both for film and video) that can dramatically effect the final image presented to us in our living room. All these things combined can make isolating the relatively small impact that lighting has on a production fairly difficult.
This is where it's important to define exactly what functions lighting can serve, and what qualities it has that can be manipulated to serve those functions. Although the video and film camera are the "eyes" that translate these images for us, I will base the following discussion on the ultimate camera--our eyes in conjunction with our brains. The principles presented will still hold true for the camera, but we must realize that how the camera translates what it sees is subject to a fair number of selectable criteria, which for now are beyond the scope of this discussion.
With those caveats in mind, we press onward. There are five basic functions of lighting design in terms of enhancing and reinforcing an audio visual experience. Before we discuss them, however, we must discuss the qualities of light that can be manipulated to serve those functions.
Read on if you wish, with Part 2 - The Qualities of Light
LB.