Lighting for HDV (page 2)

Not only does HDV see more clearly and into the shadows, it also sees color more distinctly. While this is a designer's dream, it can be a nightmare when it comes to lighting.

Every kind of light has a specific color and HDV is very sensitive to those colors. Mixing fluorescent light with indoor light can leave your subjects with a greenish cast. The blonde-haired actress you hired as your talent will suddenly have greenish hair! While this is a problem, it is one easily solved. When setting up your lighting, always make sure all of your lights have the same color temperature. One solution is to turn off the fluorescent lights in the office and close the blinds to the outside light. If you can't turn off the lights or keep out the outdoor light, use color-correction filters to change the color temperature of the most easily changed source. If you do a lot of shooting in offices and cannot turn off the lights, you can either use color correction filters to change your regular video lights to match the fluorescents, or invest in small fluorescent lights made for shooting video. If you are shooting in a room with a lot of outdoor light that you can't control, place color-temperature-blue (CTB) gels in front of your video lights and white balance for outdoor lighting.

The keys to lighting for HDV are controlling the falloff of your light, making sure you choose hard and soft lights wisely and always design for both shadow and light. Finally, you must remember, especially with HDV, it is very important that you white balance every time you change lighting situations.

Contributing Editor Dr. Robert G. Nulph is an Associate Professor of Communication Studies and an independent video/film director.

One of the most challenging and artistically pleasing aspects of HDV is its 16:9 aspect ratio. Because there is more horizontal screen space, it is important that you use lighting to draw attention to your subject and light the background in a way that enhances your subject and helps tell the story. Always light your subject so that they are brighter than the background. Control spill light with flags. Use light to help tell the story. Focus small, diffused light on objects that give your viewers an inside look at the personality of your subject.

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