Finding Light for Video (page 2)

Reflectors

The overhead sun is a harsh lighting source, creating deep, sharp shadows in the eyes. Some of this can be eliminated by the use of a simple reflector. The hardness or softness of a shadow is determined by the size of the source of illumination and its distance from the subject. The sun - look at it up there. Although it's really big, it's extremely far away, so it looks like it's about an inch across. This gives very harsh shadows. Collapsible reflectors are great for controlling this light, and some models come with a gold "warm" and silver "cool" side, often accompanied by a white diffuser. Or you can simply use a large piece of white foamcore or a rigid insulation sheet as a reflector (as the photo above illustrates. The silver is bright, so be cautious). Holding the sheet two or three feet away to bounce sunlight onto their faces creates a secondary source which, in relation, is huge. This even, reflected light will fill in those shadows and create a softer, more pleasing light.

Practicals

"Practicals" are the movie and video producing term for existing lights. That lamp on your desk or the light in the hallway, they're "practical" lights. One of the things a lighting director needs to do is balance the existing light with the extra movie lights to keep the scene looking as natural as possible as well as balancing all the different colors, which is done either by replacing the bulbs or by gelling some of the lights. In the absence of additional lighting, one thing you can do is use only practicals. This is a technique used extensively by Stanley Kubrik in both his 1999 film Eyes Wide Shut as well as his 1975 masterpiece Barry Lyndon which featured scenes lit only by candlelight.

Don't automatically trust existing lighting. Most people don't understand lighting and as a result, lights in the home are often not designed in a way to make things pleasing but rather to make them illuminated. That overhead light in the living room will probably want some diffusion and other lights or reflectors on the side to keep everybody from looking like zombies. Use the light you find, but keep your aesthetics in mind while you're doing it. And also, don't assume that because you have a light that you need to use that light. Maybe the solution is to turn off the practicals and open the blinds.

DIY

There are also lots of inexpensive Do It Yourself lighting options rather than spending money on dedicated hot-lights, you can take a trip to the hardware store and make your own lighting out of things like quartz work lamps or banks of 3200k fluorescents.

Conclusion

Unless you're in a cave, there's light around, somewhere. Finding that light, shaping it, and using it to your best advantage is one of the jobs of a video producer. Be aware of light constantly, always be thinking of it in terms of how it would work for video. Do you see mix-matched color temperatures? Do you see a way that harsh shadows can be made softer? Does the hard shadow of an overhead bare bulb give you ideas for a scene? Think with a critical eye every day and you won't be stymied on the set the next time your find out your lighting kit is on its way to Ipanema.

Contributing Editor Kyle Cassidy is a visual artist who exhibits regularly and has written books on technology and photographic art.