Light Source: Three-Point Lighting Designs
For individual subjects, nothing beats the tried-and-true combo of key, fill and back lights. Classic three-point lighting (key, fill and back light) is sometimes dismissed as "yearbook lighting." True, it can look hokey in story videos, but whenever you have a narrator, a spokesperson, an interviewee or anyone who stays in one place and talks, three-point lighting is bullet proof.Classic three-point lighting (key, fill and back light) is sometimes dismissed as "yearbook lighting." True, it can look hokey in story videos, but whenever you have a narrator, a spokesperson, an interviewee or anyone who stays in one place and talks, three-point lighting is bullet proof.
Why? The small-source key light models the face, adding dimensionality and character. The large-source fill light moderates shadows and reduces overall contrast. The small back light dusts hair and shoulders with enough light to separate the subject from the background. In addition, the slightly theatrical feeling of this lighting style makes the subject more interesting by literally putting them in the spotlight.
So let's look at strategies for placing and controlling the classic three-point instruments: key, fill and back.
Key Light
Because the key light delivers the basic illumination of your scene, you should place it as if it were the only light on the subject. That means anywhere from 10-45 degrees off full-front, horizontally (Figure 1) and maybe 15 degrees above horizontal. Tip: For fat or wrinkled necks, raise the key light a bit higher to darken the neck shadow.
How far back should it go? Start with a distance that doesn't make a subject-held white test card flare out and then adjust to taste when you have the other light in place.
A spotlight works well as a key light for several reasons. First, as noted, a directional light molds subject features. Second, the focusable lamp allows some modification of both intensity and directionality. Finally, the attached barn doors let you control light spill.
If the light is a bit too harsh, you can soften it a skosh by clothes-pinning a sheet of spun glass or milky plastic to the barn doors. You can also make the light fall off toward the bottom of the screen by placing a graduated screen in the filter ring behind the barn doors. But don't overdo it: if you soften a spotlight beam until it works like a softlight, you might as well use a soft light instead.
Fill Light
The fill light cuts contrast by lighting the off-key side of the face and filling in eye, nose and neck shadows. To do this, the fill needs to be about level with the subject's face (Figure 2). A fill light can work anywhere from 5-60 degrees to the side opposite the key. In general, I like to place the fill light closer to the front than the key light.
Here again, watch the monitor. The goal is to show detail in the darker side of the face and soften shadows, but without wiping out the modeling achieved by the key light. Ideally, the fill side of the face should seem to be naturally shadowed from ambient light, rather than lit with a second light. To adjust the fill, move it toward or away from the subject and check your monitor frequently.
The instrument you choose for a fill light (assuming you have a choice) depends on your lighting style. If the key is a spotlight without diffusion, then a second spot, suitably softened by spun glass or gel, works well as a fill. For a softer overall design, I prefer an umbrella or a softbox as large, diffuse light sources. The umbrella tends to look slightly less natural than the softbox, but it all depends on the feeling you want.
