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B&H glossary for Professional Video,
   

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Glossary for Lighting Terms
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M

Main Light
See the definition for Key Light.

Magnetic
A term used to describe an apparatus that utilizes a magnetic field to function.

Magnetic Ballast
A ballast that uses a magnetic field to limit electrical current. These types of ballasts generally do not prevent flicker.

Magnetic Transformer
A transformer that uses a magnetic field to convert voltage from one value to another. Simple common magnetic transformers consist of two wire coils wrapped around an iron core, each winding having its own pair of leads, one pair for the application of an input voltage, and the other pair for the output voltage.

Male
A term applied to a connector that contains the pins, prongs, blades, and/or tabs for insertion into the holes or slots of a female connector. The male connector should never be attached to the line side of a circuit.

Mercury Vapor Lamp
An arc lamp whose gas is primarily mercury vapor.

Metal Halide Lamp
An arc lamp that uses mercury vapor combined with metal halides, that when heated, radiates light with a color temperature of approximately 5500°K.

MFL
A lamp designation that means “medium flood”.

Modeling Light
A continuous burning light in the center of a flash unit used to preview the location of the illumination and shadows from the flash burst.

Mogul Base
A lamp base that falls in the larger range of sizes for the type of base in question, i.e. approximately. 1 1/2" diameter for screw and prefocus type bases, approximately. 1 1/2" post-to-post distance for bi-post bases, and approximately. 1 1/6" prong-to-prong distance for end prong and extended end prong bases.

Muslin
A material used for fabric scrims used in the theater, film and video industries. Also used in the manufacturing of backgrounds.

MR Lamp
A designation for a type of lamp. Originally, this designation meant a lamp with a small, integral, multifaceted reflector, but has since come to designate a lamp with a small, integral, mirrored reflector. The reflector could be parabolic or ellipsoidal.

Mylar
A type of plastic that can withstand fairly high temperatures used to manufacture color media.

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