Your camcorder can probably accept some lens filters which screw on in front of the lens. Filters can be used to improve various lighting situations. For example, if you are shooting outdoors in a brightly sunlit location, you may find that colors look kind of washed out in the light. A neutral-density filter can compensate for the light and improve the way colors look.
Other lens filters can provide special lighting effects. For example, a star filter causes star patterns to shoot out from light points that appear in the image. This can give the scene a magical look. For more on how lens filters can change and improve the way your video images look, check out the Tiffen Web site at www.tiffen.com.
Among the most common lighting problems you’ll encounter when you shoot video are backlit situations. Backlit images occur when a relatively dark subject is shot against a relatively light background. The automatic exposure control in the camera adjusts exposure based primarily on that bright background, making the subject a dark, indistinguishable blob.
- Avoid it: When possible, try to shoot subjects so that they are not in front of a bright background, such as the sky.
- Fight light with light: Try to put more light on the subject. You may look silly toting a bright light around a sunny beach in the middle of the afternoon, but that is exactly what the pros do. If possible, try to shoot with the sun behind the camera.
- Use camera settings: Many camcorders have settings that automatically compensate for backlighting by increasing exposure. The results aren’t always favorable, your camera probably has settings to accommodate many special lighting situations. Always read the camcorder’s documentation to see what features may be available to you — and practice using those features to see which ones work well and which ones don’t.
Sometimes you may find that a light you’re using to illuminate a subject is too intense. This is especially common with key lights. If all you’re getting is a glaring white spot on your subject’s face, you can diffuse the light by putting something between it and your subject:
_ Cheesecloth: Available at art and cooking supply stores (and some grocery stores), cheesecloth has a coarse mesh and is useful both for diffusing light and straining beans or cottage cheese in the kitchen.
_ Translucent plastic: Sheets of translucent plastic are also available at arts and craft stores. Professional videographers call these gels. Colored gels are often placed in front of lights that illuminate a backdrop for special lighting effects. If you do this, make sure you place a barrier between your key light and the backdrop so the colored light from the gel isn’t washed out by the white key light. A barrier may simply be a piece of cardboard that is held up by a stand or helper. If you diffuse your light, you may have to move your lights closer to the subject.
Experiment for the best results.
Lights (especially halogen lights) tend to get very hot. To avoid fire hazards, you must use extreme care when placing gels or cheesecloth in front of lights. Never attach diffusers directly to lights. Position your diffusers some distance away from the lights so that they don’t melt or catch on fire, and check the condition of your lights and diffusers regularly. Read and heed all safety warnings on your lights before using them.
Shining a light directly on a subject is not necessarily the best way to illuminate it. You can often get a more diffuse, flattering effect by bouncing light off a reflective surface. You can make reflectors out of a variety of materials, depending on what light effect you’re looking for:- Poster board: White poster board is a good, cheap material you can find just about anywhere. Thicker poster board is easier to work with because it’s rigid (meaning it won’t flop all over the place and make noise while a helper holds it). With some spray paint, paint one side of a poster board gold and the other silver. Experiment using each side to gain just the right light quality.
- Aluminum foil: Crumple a large sheet of foil, and then spread it out again and tape it to a backing board. Crumpling the foil provides a more diffuse reflection than you can get from flat foil, but its reflection is still highly effective.
- Black plastic garbage bag: Yep, black plastic bags are pretty good reflectors even though they have a dark color. As with foil, you can tape or staple the bag to a backing board to make it easier to work with.
Professional photographers and videographers typically use several different lights of varying type and intensity. Multiple light sources provide more control over shadows and image detail, and different kinds of lights have different affects. Lights that you’ll use break down into three basic types:
- Incandescent: These are your good old-fashioned light bulbs like the ones Thomas Edison invented. Most of the light bulbs around your house are probably incandescent. Incandescent lights are usually cheap, but the light temperature is lower than with other types of lighting (meaning they are not as bright) and they usually provide wavering, inconsistent performance.
- Halogen: Okay, technically halogen lights are also incandescent, but they usually burn at a much higher temperature (and provide a more consistent light over their lifetimes) than do regular bulbs. Many professional video-lighting systems are tungsten-halogen lights, which means they have a tungsten filament passing through a sealed tube of halogen gas. Good, cheap halogen work lights also work well for video lighting — and they are generally available at tool and hardware stores. Halogen work lights also sometimes come with useful stands, though you can make your own stands using threaded plastic pipe and clamps from your friendly neighborhood hardware store.
- Fluorescent: Fluorescents also tend to give off a high-temperature light, though the temperature can vary greatly depending on the condition and age of the bulb. Fluorescent light is usually both very white and soft, making it ideal for video lighting. Fluorescent fixtures and bulbs can be purchased for less than $20 and can be easily suspended above your subject.
If you use fluorescent bulbs, let them warm up for a few minutes before shooting your video. This should prevent flicker. If the bulbs still flicker after they’ve warmed for a bit, try using new or different bulbs. Also, pay attention to how fluorescent lights affect your audio recordings. Fluorescent bulbs tend to produce a hum in audio recordings, so some practice and testing may be necessary. If fluorescent humming in your audio recording is a problem, record audio separately or use a different kind of light.
For the purposes of shooting video, light can be subdivided into two categories:
good light and bad light. Good light allows you to see your subject, and it flatters your subject by exposing details you want shown. Good light doesn’t completely eliminate shadows, but the shadows don’t dominate large portions of the subject either. Bad light, on the other hand, washes out color and creates lens flares (the reflections and bright spots that show up when the sun shines across the lens) and other undesired effects.
