When creating compelling video content, few factors are going to have quite the same impact as lighting.
Stories Under The Spotlight
From a corporate video, music video, wedding, or short film that used to be storytelling, the quality of your lighting will make or break your mood and tone, as well as the overall aesthetic of your work. In fact, lighting is so integral to videography that, more often than not, it makes all the difference between amateur videography and a polished, professional production.
This blog looks at the power of lighting in videography, its importance, and how to get it right for your next shoot. No matter what shooting you need, lighting is the most important skill that may help you to improve your video marketing.
Why Lighting is Crucial in Videography
Light in videography has various purposes, which one needs to understand for great visuals. Now, here’s why lighting is so important:
1. Sets the Mood and Atmosphere
Lighting sets the tone and mood of your video content. A bright, high-key lighting setup may invoke a sense of warmth, happiness, or energy, whereas a dark, low-light setup creates suspense, mystery, or drama.
For example, photography studio lights often achieve a bright and high-key lighting setup. The choice of lighting directly affects the feelings that will be invoked while your audience is viewing your video. At Krafted studio by Kode, the decor, complemented by the lighting, makes you feel warmth and harmony in a family.
2. Accentuates Depth and Texture
Good lighting shows the three-dimensional properties of your subjects and scenes. Properly placed studio lights may be used to accentuate the contours and textures of a person’s face or a product for a more dynamic visual look of the scene.
Film lighting techniques, such as the use of shadows and highlights, further enhance the depth and texture, preventing the picture from looking flat and two-dimensional.
3. Improves Visibility and Clarity
If the lighting is insufficient, your shots may be underexposed, which means poor visibility and low-quality images.
Studio lighting ensures that the subject of your video content is well-lit and that viewers can focus on what you want them to see rather than struggling to make out details. Film lighting techniques also avoid distractions caused by overexposed or underexposed areas in the frame, ensuring optimal clarity.
4. Shapes the Visual Narrative
Lighting can be creatively applied to showcase a lot of things – themes, emotions, or even characteristics.
For example, harsh shadows on a character’s face, a hallmark of film lighting, can make them appear menacing or sinister, while soft, diffused studio light can create a sense of serenity or innocence. Lighting isn’t just about illumination; it’s a storytelling tool in its right.
Types of Lighting in Videography
To get the lighting right, you must understand the different types of lighting you will work with. The most common types used in videography include:
1. Key Light
The key light is the source of the main light in the scene. It is the brightest light, usually at 45-degree angles from the subject. Whether with a photo studio light or a source used in film lighting, key lights are intended to light most of the subject and form the shapes of the shadows that define the look of the shot.
2. Fill Light
Fill light is used to soften and minimise the shadows made by the key light. It’s normally placed on the opposite side of the key light. Studio lighting setups often use diffused fill lights to ensure the subject doesn’t appear overly harsh or overshadowed, maintaining a balance between natural-looking features. In film lighting, fill lights are adjusted creatively to control the mood and tone.
3. Back Light
Backlight, also known as a rim light or hair light, is placed behind the subject-oftentimes higher up or from a low angle. This helps distinguish the subject from the background by putting a thin line of light or a halo around the subject for depth and dimension.
Both photo studio light and film lighting approaches use backlighting to add visual interest and enhance the silhouette of the subject.
4. Practical Lights
Practical lights are light sources visible within the frame, such as lamps, overhead lights, or neon signs. They add reality to the scene and can be used creatively in photography studios for mood or atmosphere.
For example, a soft desk lamp could create a cozy, intimate feeling; a flickering light might imply tension or unease. In film lighting, practical lights are often integrated with studio lights to blend realism with cinematic effects.
5. Accent Lighting
Accent lighting highlights certain areas within the frame to set forth props, textures, or specified areas of the set. Drawing attention to a detail that has gone unnoticed enhances a much richer and layered visual composition.
This technique is widely used in both studio light setups, like at Krafted, and film lighting to direct the viewer’s focus precisely where it’s needed.
Techniques for Effective Lighting in Videography
With the importance of lighting considered, let’s move on to a few practical tips and techniques for getting it right on your shoot.
1. Work with Available Natural Light
Natural light is what a videographer’s dreams are made of, whether outdoors or in a location with large windows. If indoors, place the subject near a window for soft, diffused light. Be conscious of the time of day and weather conditions, as the light may change dramatically.
The “golden hour” (a little after sunrise or before sunset) offers some especially lovely and flattering natural light. Combining natural light with studio light can provide flexibility in achieving the desired look.
2. Diffuse to Create Soft Light
Harsh light can create unflattering shadows and accentuate every imperfection on a subject’s face. For a more pleasing look, one should always use diffusers or softboxes to soften the light. Studio lights equipped with softboxes are particularly effective in creating gentle, even lighting on the subject. In film lighting, diffusion techniques are essential for achieving cinematic softness.
For example, Kraften Studio makes use of a softbox to diffuse the lighting and make the light look softer so that photos are not overexposed.
3. Balance Color Temperature
Different colour temperatures represent different light sources or times of day. For example, daylight is bluish in hue, while tungsten lights – household lamps – are more yellowish. In order to shoot, you will want to balance the various sources so that the resultant light colour temperature is essentially constant.
Most cameras have settings for white balance, but you can also do this through gels or by moving the lights around. Studio lights often come with adjustable colour temperatures, while film lighting techniques might use gels or filters to balance colours.
4. Avoid Overexposure and Underexposure
It’s easy to fall into the trap of overexposing your subject when there’s too much light or underexposing when there’s too little. Both scenarios result in unprofessional-looking footage.
Always monitor your exposure levels using tools like your camera’s histogram or zebra stripes. Studio lighting provides consistent control over exposure, while film lighting setups often use meters to fine-tune the lighting balance.
5. Play with Light Placement
The placement of your lights in places like photography studios is as important as the type of light you use. If you move a light just a little in angle or distance, that totally changes how your shot looks.
For example, keeping the key light sideways allows the shot to capture more dramatic shadows, and lifting the fill light gives a softer, diffused effect. You have to keep trying to experiment with studio light arrangements, and applying film lighting techniques can yield creative results.
6. Use Lighting to Tell a Story
As discussed previously, lighting is not only about illuminating something; rather, it can be a way to tell something.
Let the lighting communicate what you are trying to say; if your scene calls for danger, like in a thriller movie, hard, low-key light with deep shadows would be good to apply. If you want a romantic or peaceful atmosphere, then soft, warm light should be used instead.
Hope We’ve Managed To Shed Some Light
Lighting in videography isn’t just about brightening a subject or scene; it’s about creating mood, shaping the visuals, and enhancing your storytelling. The right lighting can elevate your videography from amateur to professional and ensures that your message is conveyed..
Remember, lighting is an art, and like every other creative part of videography, it’s a question of experimentation and practice. So take those lights, play with your setup, play with your setup, and magically see the good lighting on your next project.
With Krafted Studio, you have the means to begin an exciting foray into the world of videography and video marketing, and apply the techniques and knowledge mentioned in this blog. To learn more, take a virtual tour through our content studio to see what we have to offer.