Where to start
If you think that the lighting consists of two lights placed next to the camera, this is definitely not Crafty Panda or 5 Minutes Craft. I think you must know the basic rules of lighting the set.
3 tips on how you could deepen your knowledge of lighting
- Rent an AIRBNB, a studio, or just your own home, hire a gaffer, rent equipment (lighting and camera), and invite the closest family member if you don’t have any friends. (sad)
- Rent lighting and camera, invite a friend and experiment.
- Only you can determine how much you can invest in yourself, but such lessons will be long-lasting and very valuable, so this small investment will definitely pay off.
Main rule
If we hold the camera at 6 o’clock, the main light (key light) will always be at 3-4 o’clock or 8-9 o’clock. Depending on the genre of filming, you can use fill (brighten the darker part of the face) or use a flag. Also, don’t forget the backlight, it helps to separate the main object from the background. If necessary, put a grid! This will help reduce the beam of light.
My favorite lighting gear
Aputure LS 300x
Color temperature 2,700K-6,500K can be changed in seconds. Also, this light has many effects that are useful for filming various genres.
Aputure LS C300D II
This lamp is 20% brighter than the C300D. 5,600K daylight color temperature. Also with many effects, easy to use, never had a problem when filming my projects.
Amaran F21c
Very light, comfortable, and compact. 2,500K to 7,500K color temperature. Having many effects. It was easy to attach even in locations with high ceilings.
Practical lighting
Accent B7c 8-Light Kit
One of my favorite lights. I really like practical lighting, so I used table lamps and floor lamps every time. After screwing in the lamp and turning on the floor lamp, these lamps would charge! It is also very convenient that you can adjust the light intensity and color with the help of apps. 2,000K-10,000K color temperature.
MC 4-Light Travel Kit
Very comfortable, easy to manage. It was especially helpful when filming the products. 3,200K-6,500K color temperature.
Accessories: Spotlight Mount
I use Aputure spotlight for the background. Aputure spotlights have 10 different Gobo filters that you can use to simulate window shapes, tree shapes, etc.
Natural lighting
What kind of cinematography is the most attractive to YOU. What aesthetics do you admire? Do you even understand what aesthetics is?
Sometimes we close ourselves in our own little bubble and only see big budget movies that require a lot of equipment and lighting. However, there are quite a few films that only use natural light!
Paulius Aleškevičius
How to get better?
- Do an experiment, grab your camera and download the Lumos app. This app shows the direction of the sun in hours. Using the app, be in nature, in the city, see when the lighting is best. Even if you shoot a tree, shoot it in 15 different angles, discover which ones look the best, create a story!
- Backlight is usually used in movies, so the sun should shine into your camera (cover up or not:)) The most important thing is to know the rules that you might break later.
- More info on how to use natural lighting here: Youtube LINK
Movies with a lot of natural lighting
- The Revenant, Alejandro Iñárritu
- Children Of Men, Alfonso Cuarón
- The Tree Of Life, Terrence Malick
If you have more questions about cameras, lighting – write to me, I can help you buy the right equipment and not spend too much cash.
Write me at hello@nanny2.com or here
Rock on!
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