Lighting Techniques

Natural qualities of light(effects on video)  Saturation (intensity) changes  Hue (shade) changes  Lighting conditions constantly change  Color temperature – balance of colors in light – measured using degrees Kelvin  Color reflects – affects entire picture

Natural light (sunlight)  Overhead (sharp shadows)  Color temp changes dramatically  Intensity is the same over all of a given scene (1 sharp-edged shadow)  High contrast ratios between direct sunlight and shadowed areas  Subject may squint

Manipulation of unwanted effects  Reflector  Shooting habits to minimize effects:  Keep sun behind you or to the side  Use shade to your advantage  Change your shooting angle

Artificial light  Dimmer than natural light  Different color temps:  Neon  fluorescent  Quartz  Incandescent  Mercury/vapor

Mixing artificial and natural light  Difficult to get good overall lighting when you mix  Professional quality cameras can minimize problems  Filter wheel  White balance

Types of artificial light  Key light – lights general area  Fill lights – fill in shadows created by key lights  Back light – lights the back of the subject to outline head, neck, shoulders  Wash lights – light the background to reduce high contrast ratios  Battery-powered lights – use when power source not available

Lighting accessories  Barn doors – flaps on a ring that fits around the light’s lens  Scrims – small pieces of screening mounted in a frame to fit over the lens – soften strong shadows  Reflectors – bounce light back toward subject to fill in strong shadows

Sound  Microphones  The camera microphone  The first source of sound – built directly into camera housing  Delivers sound to the camera  Placed onto one of the audio channels of the tape or sd card  Use to record ambient sound

Lavalier microphones  Very small  Pickup pattern much narrower than hand- held mic  More limited reception range than handheld mic  Attached to subject’s clothing at or near lapel level (also called lapel mic)  Good sound quality for interviews  Must be aimed carefully at sound source

Wireless (transmitter) microphones  Contain tiny transmitter that sends audio signal to receiver  Range varies according to power of receiver

Shotgun microphones  Pick up sound at considerable distance from source  Highly directional – must be aimed directly at sound source  News conferences  Can be mounted on tripods  Can be used to pick up ambient sound, or to shield unwanted background noise  Best use – to get specific sound from 3-6 ft. away

Single-mic interview tips  Proper mic position – 6-8 in. from mouth  Don’t point at subject, then back at interviewer  Mic gets in picture  Reporter becomes mic stand  Reporter tied to mic cord  Subject threatened by mic

Mic tips  Use two mics  Hand-held (interviewer)  Lavalier (subject)

Sound issues/ remedies  Hard surfaces – bounce sound back toward mic  Soft surfaces – absorb sound

To control a reverberation:  Place mic closer to subject  Use unidirectional mic  Move site of interview to less resonant location

If sound is being absorbed:  Place mic closer  Choose mic with more omnidirectional characteristics