Blank Slate: Lighting for Videos

Article 4 min
Watch the 3rd Audiovisual Squadron's video to learn basic lighting tips that will help tell your story.

This episode from the Blank Slate video series focuses on lighting for video productions. The 3rd Audiovisual Squadron demonstrates ways to use lighting to influence the feelings and emotions the audience has for a story's central characters. 

"Blank Slate" is a video series to help guide you through the complicated world of storytelling. These videos are designed to help train Air Force Public Affairs Airmen on various aspects of their ... Credit: Airman 1st Class Brittany Gould/DVIDS

More light is not always better. It's how you use your light that helps you tell your story. When you're lighting a scene for a video production, you're telling the audience what to think and feel about those characters. It's not just about making sure the camera can see the subject. Most were taught typical three-point light: key, fill and hair light. Those are great places to start, but what do we do with these lights once they're in place? Do we crank them up as high as they can go and melt our poor subjects? No! Just use LEDs. That may save them from an unwanted tan, but will not save your sets from unwanted, harsh lighting. Think of your sets as a blank canvas and light is your paintbrush. How you use them will determine the feelings and emotions your audience has for your central characters. 

Suppose we have a subject who is telling us a personal story of triumph over tragedy. We want our audience to feel the danger as the story unfolds. For this, we may want to use more contrasting light. Giving in to deeper shadows adds more aura of intrigue and mystery. 

Now, let's say our subject was recognized for being the top volunteer on base. She's outgoing and jovial, and we want the light to reflect that. Let's balance our key and fill more to limit shadows. Bump up our hair light and reveal our background with a fourth light. We are still keeping the natural features of her face, but now we have a much warmer environment to relate to. Same location; same subject; different looks for different purposes. 

Lighting is an art form, and you can spend a lifetime studying and practicing it. But it's also what can make your stories stand out from the pack. If you are looking to really understand the science behind the art, consider investing in a light meter. Light meters can help you maintain continuity across interviews and help take the guesswork out of how to adjust your lights or camera settings. They're also helpful in understanding your ambient lighting when on a location scout. If your shop can't afford a professional light meter, consider downloading a free app on your phone. It won't be as accurate as the pro meters, but you'll still have more information than you had before, and the best light meter is the one you have on you. For more information on using a light meter and lighting tips and tricks, talk to your supervisor, scour the web and refer to your local career development courses. 

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