Purpose of Lighting

• Illuminates subject and background

• Creates a visual design

Good Lighting

• Defines subject shape/texture• Flatters subject• Matches locale• Sets mood

Controlling Contrast

• Video doesn’t come close to film when it comes to differences in contrast, not to mention the human eye.

Light Source Size

• Spotlights vs. Floodlights• Umbrellas / Bounces• Fluorescent banks• Softboxes• Practicals• Natural

Light Setups

• Classic 3 point lighting– Key– Fill– Back

Reflectors and Diffusers

• Use reflector to fill dark areas• Use reflectors as bounce or rim

light• Diffusers-soften & spread light as it

passes through• Decreases light intensity

Guerrilla Lighting

• On-camera Lighting• Diffusers

– Bed sheets– Plant screening– Any bulk fabric (rip-stop nylon the

best)

Guerrilla Lighting

• Quartz shop lights– Double heads on stand– Single head on spring clamp

• Fluorescents vs. Halogen• Household lamps• Reflectors: poster board/tinfoil/sun

shields

Real World Indoor Lighting

• Supplement existing light• Avoid windows as backgrounds• Watch for other backlight problems• Watch for mixed light

Indoor DIY Lighting

• An example of a shot using a professional softbox light kit

• Setting a similar shot using paper Chinese lanterns. To help the use of a paper lantern, bring the lantern in closer to the subject than you would a professional light

Indoor DIY Lighting

• To decrease the harshness of a shoplight, use some diffusion in front of the light, or point the light at a white ceiling or wall and bounce the light from there onto the subject.

Outdoor Lighting: Use Reflectors

• Bouncing light into a dark area can give the darker detail more punch. We are making the viewer focus more on the basketball net by reflecting light to it. Compare the Reflector 2 closeup with the Reflector 3 closeup shot. The look is subtle, but the rim of the basketball net has more punch on it, and is pulled away from the background by the use of the reflector. The net in the Reflector 3 shot just blends into the background.

Outdoor Lighting: Use Reflectors

• If you don't have a professional reflector, you can bounce light using a piece of firm white poster board, sheet metal, or a board wrapped in crinkled foil.

Resources

• Videomaker Presents: Light it Right• The Videomaker Handbook Library:

Placing Shadows• www.videomaker.com• Painting with Light, John Alton