Video lighting secrets for your home studio

Three secrets to getting pro quality video lighting on a shoestring budget.

In most cases, the biggest difference between video perceived as being 'professional' and that perceived as being 'amateur' is the quality of lighting in the video.

A well lit video - even one shot with a home camcorder - immediately delivers a professional image. While a poorly lit video, no matter how expensive a camcorder was used to shoot it, says 'amateur'.

Here are three quick tips to get that professional look in your home video studio.

1. Use fluorescent lights - A quick way to get smooth, even, lighting in your videos is to use two banks of full spectrum, natural color fluorescent lights.

   The advantages of using fluorescent lights are many and include:

   • They don't product any heat, which can be a real problem when shooting in confined spaces.
   • They produce natural, even, lighting that tends to surround the subject.
   • They don't produce harsh shadows.
   • They don't blind the talent.
   • They are quite affordable, less than $40 per fixture including tubes.
   • They can be left on full time.

   Not just any fluorescent lights will do, though. You'll need fluorescent fixtures with electronic ballasts (this avoids flicker and hum), and you'll want to use 5000k full spectrum, natural color tubes. (I buy the Philips Natural Color fluorescent tubes at Home Depot for under $6 each.)

   When placing lights in your studio, place one bank of two tubes horizontally six feet above the floor, 45% to the right of the camera. Place another bank of two tubes vertically standing on the floor 45% off to the left of the camera. (To get the lights 6 feet above the floor use either a heavy duty light stand, or a rolling rack - see photo below.)

   

   Rolling stainless steel rack as a support for fluorescent light bank

   In addition to the two banks of fluorescent lights, you'll want to use a focusable back light (hair light) behind the subject being taped. (I show all this in my Producing How-To DVDs for Profit DVD.)
   
   

2. Use a light reflector - An easy way to create highlights and eliminate shadows is to use a light reflector to help bounce light into areas that need it. Light reflectors come in many shapes and colors - and are very affordable.

   In my studio I use a 5-way collapsible multi-reflector that has five different reflector surfaces, including white, gold, silver, black and opaque. I generally use either the white or gold reflector - depending on what effect I am trying to create.

   To position the reflector, I use a light stand with reflector holder (see photo below).

   

   Multi Reflector on stand - gold reflector shown

   You can find multi-reflectors on eBay for under $20 (see Multireflectors. If you search, you might even find a multi-reflector with stand for under $60.00 (B & H Photo had these on special last month.)
   
   

3. Manually white balance the camera - If you fail to manually white balance, video shot with incandescent lighting will tend to have a yellow/orange cast, and video shot under fluorescent lighting will have a bluish (sometimes green) cast.

   When you white balance, you are telling the camcorder which object in the room is white, and the camcorder uses that information to calculate the difference between the current color temperature of the white object and the correct color temperature of a white object.

   It then shifts all colors within the camcorder so that white will be white (and the other colors will be the color they are supposed to be).

   To manually white balance, have someone sit in the 'talent' seat holding a white card, and then zoom the camera in on the white card so it fills the screen. Then press the White Balance button on the camcorder.

   The camcorder will then do the White Balance calculation. Normally, the process takes just a few seconds.

   

   Preparing to do a white balance

   After the camcorder has been white balanced, any video taken will have its color temperature shifted correctly. If you turn off the camcorder, be sure to do another white balance before you start to tape.

Three simple tips

Following the three simple tips above can help you get the professional look that your video deserves - and the look that your customers expect in high quality productions.