Professional video lighting on a budget.

A typical studio set with mixed pro and non pro gear.

Before we begin, you need understand that the true discipline of video and photography is the manipulation of light. That long before there was pro gear, there was great works of art already being made. That said, it's also important to know that having access to pro gear will not make you a pro. Only through experimentation and hands-on application will you learn the do's and dont's of the craft. The only benefit pro gear will allow you is making the job easier, but certainly not impossible without it.

Setting up lighting for a one on one interviews can be both simple and cheap. Few things in life are seldom both (and worth keeping at that). How about using everyday materials and a lighting kit that runs less than $100?

Ok, let's get to the meat of the project.

First, we start with an empty room, and it doesn't have to be a studio, it can be spare bedroom or basement corner. With exception to windows (which you can cover up), you don't have to be concerned with the existing lighting either, as were going to add all that is needed.

Here we are using a 20x20 foot room. I usually try to use the longest distance in any given room, in the case, corner to corner, and have set up my camera stand and chair accordingly. You want at least a ten foot distance between background and the talent, and about fifteen feet from talent to camera. This will aide in providing a nice depth of field, allow your subject to stand-out from the background.

Next we set about looking for room decore. Here I used a small square table and lamp (borrowed from a nearby waiting room), someone's cushy office chair, and a plant found in the hall (raised off the floor so it would be in the cameras view).

I also used an old fabric backdrop with a bookcase image, (of course I could have dragged in a real bookcase). I then pinned a black muslin fabric to the wall to darken the backdrop to both provide subject separation and enhance the feel of depth.

For lighting I decided to use CFLs (Compact Fluorescent Lamps), I found these NVisions at a local home depot, and they had three sizes or wattages, in three difference color temperatures. Interestingly they had a 100w in bright white or 5000K, the middle of spectrum.

Another important feature of CFLs is that they run very cool, and won't overheat the room or talent. Therefore, you can avoid the more expensive flame retardent materials needed for light modification.

To mount the lights I used some $5 utility light clamps.

Now we'll cover our setup.

The Key light: Below is the key light, as it's the brightest source of light, and so I used two 100watt 5000K lights, clamped on a utility stand level with the talents head height.

Below you can see the effect. I positioned the light so it would cover about 3/4 of the talents face (which is me, since this is a budget shoot... :). This helps to create a feeling of depth and roundness in the face. Having the light head on would have created a flat look. I also keep the light level to avoid downward shadows (notice the hat, and no shadow beneath the nose).

The Fill Light: Next we added a single 40watt fill light, low and slightly left of the talent, clamped to the cameras tripod, facing upward and light the right side of the talents face. The fill light becomes the second brightest light, and should only fill in the dark parts of the face. Note: Because these lights give off little heat, you can use cheaper colored papers, transparencies or fabrics as light modifiers without risk of fire.

Here is the added effect of the fill light.

The Edge Light: Next we add an edge or hair light to bring out the subject more and provide some background separation. I used a 40watt lamp and red gel for some warmth. For barn doors you can use either black foam core, or cardboard and tape. The barn doors limit the spread of the light, keeping it from illuminating the wall or other objects.

Here is the effect of the edge with fill, and key.

Backdrop and Effect lighting: Finally, for added effect I used a table lamp and orange gel. The gel was optional as I wanted some color other than white. Normally you would use all lights of the same color temperature, and use gels as color correction for lights not in the same temperature. There's no hard fast rules here, so do what you think makes the scene agreeable.

Next I wanted to bring out the plant into the scene, and used a green gel to both cut down on the light, and keep it green. I also taped a small piece of black foam core to keep the light from spilling onto the background.

Here is the final effect. Now it looks like an evening shot in a warm den or study. Total setup time, about an hour.

Of course, once you get serious you'll consider more professional kits as they would be easier to both set and strike. However, my point is, you don't need pro tools to make a pro look. Much of what we do in this business is problem solving, and that comes with experience from hands on.

Finally, in the end it doesn't matter what you use, just like an actor whom ad-libs a fudged line, only the director knows. Likewise, if it looks pro to the audience...