Making your video in the best light

Photo by Aditya Wardhana on Unsplash

One of the things my video clients most struggle with is lighting.

While natural light is very flattering, it is also changeable. It’s fine to use if you’re making a one take short video, but any longer, and you risk having a section ruined when the sun goes behind a cloud.

Instead, try to set up two lighting sources in front of you, and if you can, one behind, so that shadows are mitigated. You can just use lamps that you have at home, or if you prefer to, invest in some photography lighting such as these portable lamps.

Image from www.nofilmschool.com

As the image above illustrates, if you get it right, the positioning of each of your lights eliminates the shadows cast by the others, leaving you with even lighting, and hopefully no ‘white out’ sections where the light is too strong for your camera to pick up the details.

As with many aspects of creating your own media, you get lighting right through trial and error.
When you go to record, set up your lights, your sound, and then record a short clip and play it back to yourself. If you’re unhappy with how it looks, now is the time to change it. Don’t risk recording your whole video, only to find that half your face is in shadow. When you have a set up that works, make a note of it. Perhaps take a picture of the lights on your phone, so that you know where to start placing them next time. But remember, the light in your room changes with the season and the weather.
Next time, set your lights up in the same position, then check that you’re getting the same result!