Video Lighting

Many people are now choosing to stream performances and presentations online from home. This is a good solution to a new challenge but doing it under normal household lighting can give less than a professional look. Household lighting can be uneven, too dark,  

Every TV station and Newscast has a lighting designer that ensures the presenters and newscasters are lit to give them the best possible look. You can do this as well in your own home studio.  

Video Lighting is based on a “Three Point” system comprised of a Key Light, a Fill Light and a Backlight.  

Your Key Light is going to be the brightest of the three and will be the one that illuminates you the most. Place this one ideally at a 45-degree angle and pointing slightly downwards.  A good choice for a Key Light would be a Source Four with a light Diffusion filter such as Rosco 119 or Lee 256 Hamburg Frost. 

Your Fill Light is slightly less intense, will help eliminate excessive shadows. A Fresnel will offer a softer light to help “fill in” facial features and bring out color in the shot.  

Your Backlight will separate you from your background and give depth to your shot. A backlight can be another Source Four with no Diffusion, as hard shadows won’t make a difference on backgrounds.  

A basic three point lighting system can run off of two dedicated 20 Amp household circuits, and while it may take up a little room it is well worth the effort to look polished and sharp for important online interaction.  A professional lighting setup is good for teachers looking to recreate the classroom atmosphere or executives wanting to maintain their professional style.  

A weekend rental price for a Video Lighting Package consisting of three bases, three pipes, two source fours, one fresnel and cable is $75.00. This includes sheets of diffusion gel. A weekly price for this package is $95.00.  

Give us a call if you have questions on setting up a basic lighting system in your home or home office. We would be happy to help make the transition between “in person” and “online.”