Lighting may be one of the most underappreciated aspects of professional video production. Not only does it allow the viewer to simply see the subject, it is also important for the setting and the mood of your video. Lighting can easily make or break the message that you are attempting to get across to your audience.
The most critical aspect of lighting in your video is the preparation. Head out to the exact location of your shoot ahead of time to properly prepare for what the environment is giving you. If you are shooting outside, check out the location during the exact time of day that you plan to shoot so that you can adjust to the sun and shade properly.
No matter where you are shooting, make sure you have all the equipment you need ahead of time. Here at LDM, we have recently begun using the Dracast S-Series lighting kit and could not recommend it more. They are an effective, lightweight and extremely portable solution to shooting on the go.
Providing an effective backlight is very important to getting your subject well lit. This provides the extra touch that distinguishes just any video from a professional video. If you are interviewing a person, position the backlight above, behind and at an angle so that it is out of frame and directly lighting the back of the subjects head. This can create a more angelic look but most importantly provides an edge to the subject that separated them from the background.
We always take the extra time to prepare the lighting for a shoot. It provides us with the quality of picture we look for when creating content for our clients.