Stream Basics | Lighting
Let’s talk about what brightens your day and your live stream - Lighting!
Lights are used for video production to help the subject be seen, so it would seem like this would be a fairly straight forward concept. Just throw up a light, aim it at your subject, and done, right? Well, not exactly. Like most forms of art, there are techniques to learn in order to adequately harness the craft, and stage lighting is no different.
Let’s look at some of the characteristics that separate the different types of lighting and then look at a simple technique that is most used on sets.
Types of Light bulbs/Light Systems
Tungsten- This bulb is based on the first bulbs created in the 1800’s. Tungsten lights are known for their specific yellowish color temperature (around 3200 Kelvin) and for their inefficiency of converting energy into light (about 10%).
Florescent- These lamps are typically used for soft lighting and often come in tubes of 2 foot and 4 foot lengths. They are affordable, have long bulb lives, consume less power than tungsten, are cooler to the touch, and are available in 3200k or 5600k color temperatures. Generally, florescent lights do not produce the same amount of output compared to HMI or tungsten lights.
CFL-Compact Fluorescent Lamps are a type of florescent lighting instrument typically used with a standard Edison (e26) socket and can produce higher outputs compared to the 2 or 4 foot tubes. Some cheaper softboxes you find on amazon will feature CFLs and can be a good solution for someone just starting out.
LED- Light Emitting Diodes are currently my favorite light fixture/type. They are affordable, highly efficient, and come in a variety of sizes and shapes. Some cheaper LEDs do not accurately reproduce a natural spectrum of light, which can create a color cast or unnatural color on objects they light. However, most LEDs are often given a CRI or Color Rendering Index, so you can either tune or select the correct light hue for your given project. Even though this is not the only metric for measuring accurate color reproductions, the CRI rating is a commonly available metric. A CRI of 95 or higher is preferred for most projects.
Light Qualities and Characteristics
Hard Light-Hard light is similar to the sun where the object in its path create a clear shadow. This is primarily used to create a dramatic effect (sometimes referred to an “old school” studio setup) where you want clean crisp shadows. This technique is often used in dramas or intense scenes.
Soft light- “wraps” a subject. Shadows are less defined and skin blemishes are reduced. The contrast from the brightest part of your subject and darkest part are smoothed out, which is why it is used in most interviews and beauty commercials. This is my personal preferred style of lighting.
Color Temperature- Lights can come in a variety of color temperatures even though daylight (5600k) and tungsten (3200k) are the most popular. These color temperatures correlate to the color temperature within your camera, and having a light that does not match your camera’s settings will cast either an orange or blue look to your image.
Lenses- These glass elements focus the light and are often used to create a spotlight effect. Lenses are often given a degree with the smaller number representing a more focused beam angle from the light. Fresnels are a very popular lens and are recognizable by their rings on it’s front surface.
Light Placement
3 point lighting is the simplest and most used technique for lighting. It takes 3 positions (a key, a fill, and a back light) to light a subject. The light themselves can be either hard or soft. Let’s take a look at these 3 components in a more in-depth breakdown below:
Key light-This is the primary light used to light the subject. Usually this light is the brightest light of the three and can be positioned in any orientation. This light is usually placed 1-2 feet above the eye line of a subject and off set to either side of your subject. Have fun with this aspect! Feel free to move your lights around to create different effects and moods on your subject.
Fill Light-This light usually “fills” in the opposite side of the subject so that there is less contrast between the key light and and the opposite side. This is helpful for a more even lighting look, but still allows for more natural or softer shadows on the subject.
Back Light -A Back light helps separate your subject from the background. This light usually is hung higher up and pointed down at a sharper angle. It usually comes from behind a subject and points towards the camera/ground. It can create a “Halo” or glowing look behind the subject and can be stylized if purposely lit brightly.
Lighting Modifiers
These items partner with lights to modify their look and use:
Flags- These single fabric panels are placed or draped between the light and the subject to shape light off unwanted areas.
Reflectors- Panels of either white or slightly metallic fabric this is used to direct sunlight or light sources to hit your subject in a particular manner.
Softbox- This box encloses a light fixture and softens the light. It is typically lightweight, collapsible, and helps widen the light source so the beam is less focused.
Power Options
Battery-Many lights (especially LED lights) have an internal battery but also allows for an external battery to be plugged in to power the light. Having battery packs is a convenient way to shoot on the go because a direct line of power is not needed. However, be sure to calculate the amount of battery life for your lights and bring backup and fully charged packs. Having dead lights is a good way to stop a production. For most live streams, battery powered lights are a nice addition but not a necessity as we often try to have power drawn from a continuous, plugged in source.
AC Power- Some lights can be plugged into a wall. This is super helpful for those long streams or shoot days where you will be in a similar location and do not want the hassle of charging batteries and switching batteries out.
We have covered some of the basic lighting types and setups for this article, and I hope you find these basics tips and tricks insightful.
If you have any further notes about lighting or have a question please feel free to leave a comment below. Let’s keep the conversation going! Happy streaming!
