25. Know what to do when available light is too low
When available light is too low, the digital video image will be noisy and the colors will begin to smear.
Ways to cope with low light:
- Add light. The first fix for low light, is to get more light on the subject. Either add artificial light, or move to a location that has enough available light.
- Increase video gain. Turning up the camera’s video gain increases the brightness of the image, and introduces video noise, which shows up as a grainy image. This is not always bad. Some filmmakers deliberately turn up the gain because they like the grainy image.
- Open the iris (increase the aperture by choosing a lower f-stop).
- Lower the shutter speed.
Different camcorders respond differently to low light. When you are choosing a camera, never go by the published low light numbers. Instead, shoot some tests in typical low light situations and see what the resulting image looks like.
26. Know what to do when available light is too high
Excess light will over expose your image and “blow out” the highlights.
Overexposed or “blown” areas in a video image are completely white, and contain no information. Blown areas cannot be fixed in post production.
There are a four ways to deal with excess light:
- If you camera has Zebra stripes, turn them on. Diagonal lines will appear in the viewfinder every place where the image is over-exposed. Close the iris—increase the F-stop—until the zebra stripes barely disappear. (Zebra stripes are not recorded on the tape, they only show up in the viewfinder.)
- Use an ND (neutral density) filter to reduce amount of light reaching the sensor. Many cameras have ND filters built in.
- Increase the shutter speed.
The world won’t co-operate when it comes to light. That’s the simple truth.
Lighting, like sound, can be a lifetime affair. People study lighting for years to learn how to get it right. A book like “Matters of Light and Depth” by Ross Lowell is a good introduction to this discipline.
Meanwhile, here are a few basic things you can do.
27. Use 3 point lighting
Three point lighting is a basic, reliable method for lighting a simple scene. It uses three lights: a Key Light that highlights the key elements of the actor’s face. The Fill Light that fills in the shadows on the actor’s face. The Back Light that lights the actor’s back and separates him or her visually from the background.
28. Learn how to use a basic lighting kit
You can rent basic lighting kits quite cheaply. A basic lighting kit will include: Key light, back light, fill light, stands (for holding the lights), and flags (metal shades to control where the light shines.) It may also include a soft box (a specialized light that casts a wide, soft light) and reflectors.
29. Buy a quality lighting kit
If you choose to buy a lighting kit, buy a quality kit. A small kit with a soft boxes and umbrellas will give you about everything you need to light a simple interview or a small set.
I personally like the Lowell DV Creator kits.
These kits are not cheap but if you do a lot of lighting, they are worth the money. You might also want to consider a custom hard case for the kit. A hard case is a good investment for hauling, organizing, and storing the lighting kit.
Whether you buy or rent a lighting kit, remember that lights can draw a lot of current. Before you shoot, check the fuses and breakers in the place where you will be filming. Make sure the electrical system can handle the additional load.
30. Learn to use inexpensive artificial lights
Some digital video filmmakers also use inexpensive light sources like:
- Chinese lanterns
- Work lamps from a hardware store
- Fluorescent lights
- Flashlights
- LED camera lights that mount on the camcorder accessory shoe
- “Practicals.” Practicals are large light bulbs that are color-corrected for video. They are sometimes used to replace tungsten bulbs in on-set lights like table lamps.
Warning! These bulbs can draw a lot of power and run very hot! Make sure that any lamp or fixture you use to hold these bulbs can handle the high current and heat!
