Film Making Tips Day 7: Three Point Lighting

Now that you have your own lights, let's talk about the basics. The basic lighting setup in film or video is called three point lighting.

The first part in three point lighting is the key light. This is the main light to illuminate your subject and your scene. the keylight is set off to the side of the camera and pointing in at a 45 degree angle.

Next is the fill light. The fill light is going to be less intense than the key and will be put facing the subject on the opposite side of the camera. this is used to fill in any shadows created by the key light.

Finally is the backlight. This is used to make your subject pop out and separate them from the background. The backlight is placed behind the subject and off to the side so it’s not shining into the lens.

Here is a video that goes over three point lighting:

Film Making Tips Day 4: Lights

Studio lights are expensive! Fortunately, there are many alternatives that look great on digital video. The only place you need to go is your neighborhood hardware store. One of the cheapest and most efficient alternatives is a clamp light.

These run about ten dollars and you can use the clamp to attach it to a tripod or just about anything that you need to! Next you’ll need a good fill light, you’ll want to get a white chinese lantern.

Chinese lanterns are inexpensive and great at diffusing light. If you need something a little more powerful I recommend a work light.

Be careful with these because they get really hot. I’d also recommend bouncing them off a wall because pointing them directly at your subject may be a bit too harsh. FInally, if you are shooting outside you’ll want a reflector. For this you can simply use a white sheet of posterboard to reflect the sun back at your subject.

Learn about the Basics of Lighting.