When it comes to video production, lighting plays an essential role. On the one hand, bad lighting could make videos look unprofessional, on the other hand, good lighting will make videos look great and help them reach new heights. Thus, whether you are a professional or a beginner, learning how to shoot videos with perfect lighting is extremely important. In this article, we are going to tell you why lighting is important for video production, what types of lighting exist, and how to achieve perfect lighting in your videos.
The Importance of Lighting
Before getting into how to shoot videos with perfect lighting, let us talk about why it is important for video creation and production. To begin with, lighting helps set the mood and create a specific atmosphere. Also, it makes it possible to direct viewers’ attention to certain elements and emphasize their role. Finally, it allows highlighting particular parts of scenes that you want viewers to notice.
Types of Lighting
There are three main types of lighting – natural, artificial, and combined.
As follows from the name, the first one includes the sunlight and moonlight. In case you do not have much time or money to rent a studio with artificial lighting, natural lighting is a wonderful option. Nevertheless, you should keep in mind that natural lighting will work only at a certain time of day.
On the contrary, artificial lighting implies special devices like lamps, led lights, and strobes. Artificial lighting is especially convenient when it comes to shooting night scenes or indoors.
Combined lighting, as its name suggests, means using both natural and artificial sources simultaneously.
How to Shoot Videos with Perfect Lighting?
As you know, there are three types of lighting in video production – key light, fill light, and backlight. Now, we are going to take a closer look at each of them.
Key Light
This is the main light that sets the tone of the whole scene, creates a particular mood, and emphasizes the subject. Generally speaking, it should be located at a 45-degree angle to the object and placed slightly above eye level.
Fill Light
As for the second one, it is used to reduce shadows in the scene and create depth. It should be placed on the opposite side to the key light.
Backlight
Finally, the third lighting type creates depth, separates objects from the background, and provides a nice illumination of hair and clothing.
Now that you understand all types of lighting, it is high time to talk about how to achieve different effects by using them.
Lighting Techniques
There are many lighting techniques that you can apply while filming videos. Below, we suggest discussing a couple of them in detail.
Softbox Lighting
This technique presupposes the use of softbox lights, which are lights with the softest light and minimal shadows. The main feature of them is their ability to create a wonderful, natural-looking effect.
Sidelight
As you understand, this type of lighting implies placing the light source at a 90-degree angle. Such a technique creates a lot of shadows and high contrasts in scenes, and it can be applied only in case you really want to create an atmosphere full of tension.
Low-Key Lighting
As for this technique, it consists in using one light source to create shadows, high contrasts, and a mysterious atmosphere. Low-key lighting is commonly used in filming horror movies and thrillers.
Lighting Equipment
Apart from understanding different lighting techniques and types, you need to know what equipment to use to film videos perfectly. First of all, we would like to recommend choosing LED lights because they are not only energy-efficient but also affordable.
Moreover, it is advisable to use softbox lights because they allow achieving amazing, soft light. In addition, we would like to suggest trying strobe lights that create a dramatic atmosphere. However, you should keep in mind that you need to be very careful using them as they produce too bright light.
Tips & Tricks
Here are some tips for filming videos with excellent lighting.
First of all, it is necessary to remember about natural lighting because this type of lighting does not require any expenses. All you need to do is just find a window and wait until it becomes sunny. Of course, it is possible to use artificial lighting but it costs money and takes time.
Secondly, do not be shy experimenting with different lighting techniques. For instance, it might be a great idea to try using softbox lighting to create a beautiful, soft light. Moreover, if you need to film something exciting and thrilling, try using sidewise light and make shadows.
Thirdly, pay special attention to lighting ratios. As a rule, 3:1 or 4:1 are ideal ratios. If the ratio is lower, viewers will face difficulties distinguishing objects.
Fourthly, you might use lighting gels to play with colors and create unusual effects.
To sum it up, it is necessary to state that lighting in videos is one of the most crucial aspects of filming. Hopefully, the material above will help you achieve perfect lighting in your videos.
