Whether it's for a high school news program, a corporate promotional video, your church's quarterly video newsletter or that community calendar show you'd like to do for public access, lighting for news and interviews can be complicated if you don't know the rules. Fortunately, you can create great news...
All right, you've mastered the basics of lighting talent: key, fill and back lights, and maybe a splash on the background. But this one-size-fits-all approach doesn't account for Abel the chinless wonder, Bravo who's way over-nourished, or Charlie whose nickname is Schnozz. To address the problems (and opportunities) of...
The firelight flickered against the cabin wall, warming the cool blue light of the full moon filtering through the tattered curtains. Suddenly the ominous blue then red flash of police lights filled the small room and Carson knew his game was up.
Suddenly the director yells "Cut!" and the camera...
Shooting video outdoors is often a two-edged sword. On the one hand, you can take advantage of wide open spaces, beautiful locations, and the brightest light source around: the sun. By contrast, however, there is the unpredictability of nature, which can translate into a lack of control over your...
In past columns we have explored the many ways to use lighting to enhance video productions. We have discussed three-point lighting and the various elements that make up good lighting. Most of these columns focused on lighting for one talent. However, what do you do if you are lighting...
Have you ever looked at your video after you returned from what seemed to be a perfect shoot, only to find your footage is blue and you can't really see the city skyline as well as you thought? Or what about that beautiful wedding shot in the ski...
For the past few months we have discussed various ways to approach lighting, from using reflectors and three-point scenarios to dramatic lighting techniques. We have talked about the placement of lighting equipment and how to get the best lighting for any given situation. But, what do you do...
Often the difference between a good shot and a great shot is the background. More often than not, videographers pay scant attention to their backgrounds because they're busy worrying about lighting the person they are shooting. Many times you'll find that you barely have time to select an appropriate...
There was a time when dramatic lighting and video production were mortal enemies. Early video cameras needed so much light to create a clean picture that it was nearly impossible to create the dramatic lighting effects found in motion picture dramas. That time has passed into a distant memory....
You can make every video you produce better looking with some basic lighting knowledge, a little imagination and a willingness to experiment. Ross Lowell, founder of Lowell-Light Manufacturing, suggests that there are several goals when planning lighting for a video. According to Lowell, lighting is used to enhance the...
