Videography Lighting Do's and Don'ts| Crew Mama - Blog | It’s time for your next shoot! You have the talent, your cameras and the location set all ready to go! Now for the lighting. But don’t worry, Crew Mama has got you covered! Keep reading for some do’s and don’ts on how to create the perfect light set-up.
Before shooting, turn on the white balance function on your camera. Then turn on all the lights and focus your camera on a plain white piece of paper/poster board. Calibrate your camera to recognize the pure white of the paper. This will help you avoid blue or orange color casts in your video.
When shooting outdoors, it would be a waste to not utilize the natural light of the sun. However, it is important to work your angles when doing this. Bringing in a few extra lights may be necessary, but working the sun to your advantage is a huge start!
With that being said, the sun can also pose a threat to your shoots. Make sure you chose the best time of day to make the subjects of your film look picture perfect. The morning sun casts much different lighting than the evening sun, so make sure to plan around what lighting you want in your shot!
While it’s not exactly the same, photography lighting and video lighting do run very similarly. So, if you have experience with photography, definitely bring your expertise over to the other side. If you’re not a photography lighting expert, there’s a good chance you’ll be able to create a great video by just paying attention to a few key lighting details.
If possible, avoid using the overhead lighting that’s found in most homes, offices, or retail spaces. They can leave unattractive shadows on the subjects faces, which is exactly what you don’t want. You’ll want to turn these lights off and create your own lighting.
Depending on what the situation is, you may have to bring in multiple lights to fully capture the subject. However, be careful not to mix lights with different color temperatures. Doing so can cause inadequate color balance and create skin tones that look off.
While it’s better than having no light source, this could end up causing problems. With light coming from only one source, shadows may appear that distract the viewers from the subject. A lot goes into lighting a video shoot. This can feel like a very overwhelming task. However, with the right tips and tricks, you’ll be creating the perfect light set up in no time. Follow these lighting do's and don'ts in order to capture the perfect shot!Need to book a video camera crew in your area? Give us a call today!
