DIY Network

How to Light How to Light From "Making Home Movies" episode DMHM-103

Lighting is an art unto itself. Once understood, basic lighting techniques will help you transform home movies into something that is almost Hollywood cinematique. Join host Alan Berg and professional photographer Matt Franklin as they explore ways to enhance lighting in home movies, using all types of lighting from the sun to standard indoor lamps.

Using a standard commercial digital video camera, learn the tricks used by professionals to capture high-quality pictures at night and on bright days when the overhead sun tends to create harsh shadows. And although it's not fancy, we'll learn how to build an inexpensive light kit, using shop lights, dimmers, posterboard and extension cords; the results will rival those of kits costing hundreds of dollars more.

The area to be lit.

Ceiling lighting.

Professional camera light.

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	Hard lighting.
	Soft lighting.

Lighting Definitions

The way lights are used can determines whether a person blends into the background or stands out, whether someone looks friendly or slightly sinister, and whether facial features appear harsh or attractive.

The first step towards mastering these techniques is to learn a few basic terms.

• Hard lighting refers to light pointed directly at the subject. It will produce sharply defined shadows.

• Soft lighting is diffused or indirect: it is usually bounced off a reflective surface or diffused so it falls more evenly on the interview subject.
  
  

  	Lighting diagram: classic triangular setup.
  	Diffused lights with filters.
  	Setting up diffused lighting.

  Three-Point Lighting

  These two varieties of hard and soft light are typically used together to create what professionals call "triangular lighting." This is a classic lighting scheme for video interviews, which -- as the name implies -- consists of a three-light setup.

  1. First, the key light is pointed directly at the subject. Used alone, it would wash out the face and highlight imperfections.

  2. To soften the hard light, a diffused fill light is added. It helps erase shadows and harsh lines.

  3. A backlight is then added behind the subject. The backlight separates the person being interviewed from the background so he or she will appear more defined on screen.

  4. Once the lights are set, the camera is always positioned between the key light and the fill light.
     

     	Light 3' from subject.
     	Light 6' away.
     	Light 9' away.

     Setting Up Three-Point Lighting

     Professional photographer Matt Franklin goes through the step-by-step process for triangular lighting placement. The lighting kit used is expensive, but the principles are universal.

     1. Set three lights on stands and begin thinking about placement and intensity. Factors to consider at this time include dimmers, diffusion and the space you have to work with during the shoot.

     2. Connect a dimmer to each light, since the dimmers help to control lighting intensity.

     3. Next, diffuse the light, which helps soften it. Franklin uses professional filters, but there are less expensive options for the hobbyist, such as a bedsheet set up in front of the light, which gives a broad, soft surface light. Diffusion creates a less harsh light, allowing the lighting to be placed close to the interview subject without washing out the facial features.

        Safety tip: If a sheet is used, make sure the fabric is kept a safe distance from the light itself.

     4. Another way to control lighting intensity is through distance. The light becomes softer, broader and more diffused the further back it is placed.

     5. Position the lights in a classic triangular setup.

     6. Raise the key light higher than the subject to accentuate facial features. When lighting with a key light, you want to define facial features, like a chin. If lit from below, the chin is not well defined. Lit correctly, the chin is given a soft shadow that defines it from the neck.

     7. Position the fill light close and low to soften shadows. You can set this close to the subject because the light is diffused. The light should be placed from 6" to 1' above the subject's head.
     
     

     	Interview subject facing available light.
     	An example of sunlight mixed with artificial light: produces an orangy skin tone.
     	Berry-blue color produced by natural and artificial light on camcorder videotape.

     Taping in Natural Light
     1. Avoid placing the subject with his back to a window. If this happens, the camera's iris setting will adjust itself to the light behind the subject, leaving him to appear in silhouette. Place the subject facing the available light; this allows the light to fall evenly across the face.

     2. Regardless of the type of light used, there are a few general principles, such as the inverse square rule. If you double the distance of the light from the subject, it drops the intensity to a quarter of its previous strength. If you triple the distance, it drops to a ninth of its previous strength.

     3. The farther away you place the light, the higher it should be positioned. This helps to create the proper shadowing and texture.

     4. As you move the lights closer to the subject, you decrease the camera's ability to see what's in the background.

     5. Remember, all light can be divided into two categories: natural and artificial. The sun is natural; everything else is artificial. The camera reacts differently to the two, so they should never be mixed. For example, when the sunlight is used to illuminate the subject, the room lights should not be turned on. If the room lights are turned on, the subject's skin tone will have an orange cast.

     6. When natural and artificial light are mixed while taping, the camcorder often produces a video with a berry-blue color. Professionals can work around these tonal ranges, but amateurs often make mistakes when blending the two types of light.
     
     
     
     

     RESOURCES :
     

     IMAC Computer
     POWERBOOK laptop computer
     IMOVIE editing software
     Apple Computer Inc.
     Website: apple.com
     

     Tripods
     3433 Fluid Head
     755B MDVE Video Tripod
     522A Sony LANC Remote
     700RC2,756BK MDVE Tripod w/head
     714B Digi Tripod
     Bogen Photo Corp.
     Website: www.bogenimaging.us
     

     Canon Digital Camcorders
     Canon USA Inc.
     Website: usa.canon.com
     canondv.com
     

     Video cameras
     PD-150 camera and accessories
     Vaio laptop
     Flatscreen TV
     Mini DV tapes
     Sony Electronics Inc.
     Website: www.sony.com
     

     Media 100 editing software
     Media 100 Inc.
     Website: www.media100.com
     

     Electronic equipment
     Precision Camera
     Website: precision-camera.com
     

     ALSO IN THIS EPISODE:
     	How to Light
     	Shooting in Low Light
     	Assembling a Do-It-Yourself Light Kit
     	Shooting in the Sun