Nothing I will share with you about lighting is groundbreaking or new. This blog is about convenience and a speed-read for fundamentals so that I can serve musical theatre pros in the highest possibility of the new casting arena.
Spend the time you need on any area of digital content production, self-tape strategies, technology, editing skills, lighting, recording vocals and the fundamentals of video capture. You must become very, very, very proficient.
It’s that important.
If you’ve ever been on set for a big-budget movie shoot, you realize that every aspect of the lighting is designed. If you live in a large city like New York, Chicago or Los Angeles, you have probably come across night shoots that are lit up as bright as daylight on entire blocks. It’s impressive, but for a reason.
The sun keeps moving.
Turn that idea to your home studio setup and you will quickly realize that any reliance on natural lighting is an exercise in futility depending on the time of day, which directions your windows face, or the season.
THREE-POINT LIGHTING
A three-point lighting setup is the standard for most basic filming. As the name suggests, it’s accomplished using three lights:
Key light: The key light is the strongest, providing most of the light in the shot. It’s generally placed in front of your subject, around 45-degrees above and 45-degrees to the right or left.
Fill light: This is a softer light, used to fill in shadows on the subject’s face. It should be positioned to the side, opposite the key light. The intensity of the fill light is usually around half that of the key light.
Back light: The back light (sometimes called a rim light) creates depth and provides a soft glow in the background. It’s placed above and behind the subject (out of the shot)
Learning how to master a simple three-point lighting setup will change your game. Remember that lights can be cool or warm, bright or dim, above or below, front or back, and on either side. Can you have five? Sure. Can one of them be your ceiling light? Yes. A lamp? Totally.
In fact, you might choose a type of bulb for your bedroom lamp specifically so it can double as a side light for all your self-tape videos—and require absolutely no setup. A small table lamp that is warm in color is a perfect companion to your ring light to warm up one side of your face or to add drama for audition sides that are dark and edgy.
6 WAYS TO LIGHT A SELF-TAPE is a great post demonstrating various setups and lighting combinations. Remember that natural light is always on the move and will change hour to hour, so don’t rely on it for any consistent takes unless they are fast and furious. If you are striving for professional standards, get lighting skills under your belt. Any light in your living space can serve you well in the right circumstance.
EQUIPMENT
Personally, my professional ring light makes me crazy.
I hate setting it up and I always use other lights to get to my finished look. The tripod takes up too much space in my studio apartment and it scares my French Bulldog, Violet. However, it does the job it is supposed to do and can add great sparkle to your eyes. So there’s that.
Some folks swear by having their phone cameras centered inside the ring, but you will find many other possibilities if you think of your video capture device and your lighting devices separately. Consider a well-positioned LED panel or two on your walls like a picture frame (use Velcro!) and a desk/floor lamp that are chosen specifically for a three-point lighting look. The type of bulb in your ceiling light can be a bright daylight bulb to provide a fresh, general wash of light in your room.
Be creative. It’s your job.
VP
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three-point lighting, self-tape lighting, lighting equipment for self-tape auditions, ring lights, video lighting kits, LED panel, golden hour, soft vs. hard light, warm vs. cool light
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