How to Setup Lights for a Video Interview
In this blog we’ll discuss how we set up lights for a video interview. We do this after we have already decided on our camera placement.
In this video I’ll discuss how we set up lights for a video interview. We do this after we have already decided on our camera placement.
First we check if the room has any windows. Windows can provide natural light that acts as a large soft light source. It can sometimes look great on its own, but for us it provides a nice foundation to build the rest of the lighting setup around. Just make sure that the sun isn’t shining directly through, because that would shine unflattering hard light that creates harsh shadows on our subject.
Second, we’ll turn off any lights in the room that aren’t useful to us. We like to avoid mixing color temperatures on our subject because it can make skin tones look weird. If the overhead lights are a different color temperature than the lights we are using, we usually like to turn them off. Sometimes we keep overhead lights because they help expose the background. In these cases we are ok with the lights being a different color temperature as long as they’re not shining directly on the subject. Lamps in the background of the shot can also illuminate the background and provide visual interest. We use a dimmer to make sure the lamp isn’t overexposed in the final shot.
Next we add our key light, which is the primary light source. We like our key lights to provide soft light because it diffuses the shadows and is more flattering on the subject. The window alone can act as a soft key, but we will still add our own lighting to shape the light on the subject’s face. We have the key light shining from the same direction as the natural light source. Using a motivated light makes the scene look more natural. We also have the key light positioned on the opposite side of the line of action as the camera. This means that the side of the subject with shadows will be facing the camera.. This is known as a far side key, and adds more depth to the image. A rule of thumb to achieve this is as long as the interviewer is standing between the key light and the camera, you’ll have a far side key.
After the key we’ll add the fill light. We typically don’t use an actual light for fill, but instead use a reflector to bounce some light back onto the subject. We position it based on the amount of contrast we like. Move the bounce closer to the subject for less contrast and away for more contrast.
Then we’ll set up a hairlight behind the subject. This helps separate the subject from the background. However, don’t use a hair light if the subject doesn’t have a lot of hair because it can create a shiny spot on their head.
Lastly, if needed, we add any additional lights for the background. Sometimes when the subject is exposed properly the background will be too dark. In these cases, bouncing a light off a wall or ceiling can help brighten up the space to match the subject.
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