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Video Lighting

We spend a great deal of time talking about setting up lighting for interviews and single camera work. While this is very helpful, it ignores two distinct lighting problems that you may run into; the moving subject and/or multiple cameras. In this column, we will take a look at these two distinct lighting situations. We'll also provide ways that you can create lighting for these situations that will give your video productions a professional look.

The primary goal when videotaping a moving subject is to make him look as natural as possible. Position several large, soft instruments to flood the area with light and everyone and everything will be brightly lit. This soft, shadowless lighting is commonly used on television sitcoms. The actors can walk anywhere on the set because they will always be in the light. The camera records brilliant colors, and everything is bright and cheery.

The key to film-style lighting of a moving subject is to duplicate the environment in which you are shooting. If you are shooting in a living room, you probably do not have a great deal of available light.

There are usually four sources of light in a living room, a ceiling light, a floor lamp, a table lamp and a window. Determine the source of the primary light in your scene. Let's assume we'll light the room as if the main light is coming from a table lamp that is seen in the shot and a secondary light is coming from a floor lamp that is not seen in the shot.

To set this up, remove the bulb in the table lamp and replace it with a fifteen-watt bulb. This way, you can get the lamp in the shot without it turning into a huge glowing ball of light. Next, place a soft light behind the lamp. Focus this light on the couch or chair that is beside the table. Flag the light so that it doesn't shine on the lamp.

The resulting light will cast a soft glow that appears to come from the table lamp. If the actors move from the couch, they will move from the light of that lamp to the light of some other source.

It's okay for the talent to be out of the light sometimes. Just make sure your actors are in the light when they will need to be.

By setting up a floor lamp at the other end of the couch and lighting it the same way, you can add a second light to the setup. If you want a dramatic back light, set up a light with a blue gel over it and place it out of camera shot above and behind the couch.

Focus this light so that it falls on the back of the head and shoulders of anyone sitting on the couch. It simulates the moon or a street light outside the window. Add a set of blinds in front of it to add a striped shadow and increase the dramatic look of the shot.

If you are outdoors at night, determine where the light in the scene is coming from. If you are in the city, set up a series of small lights at a high angle in order to simulate streetlights.

If you are shooting in the country and the moon is full in your scene, set up a blue-gelled soft light as your primary source. Use a bounce card to reflect it into your talent's face. As long as you stay out of the shot, you can move with the talent and provide light as they walk.

If you are shooting in the daytime and the sun is shining through a window, use it. You can supplement the ambient light in the room with soft lights gelled blue to match the color temperature of the outdoor light. Set up your scene so that the main action takes place to one side of the window to prevent a bad glow in the shot.