OK, I am a young filmmaker. I know lots about pre-production and the camera and how to write a good script. The thing I don't know anything about is lighting though. How should I set the lights up? And what lights should I buy to make an effective lighting set-up?
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You can't keep 'em out, they're already in!
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You can't keep 'em out, they're already in!
I would recommend talking to someone with some basic lighting experience. It?s worth its weight in gold to get some direct advice on your problem -- and lighting is as much as an art as a science.
Check out lighting basics (3 point lighting) here:
http://www.andrew-whitehurst.net/3point.html
Note that there is something called Light Temperature. To boil it down, all light has a dominant color. Simplified: daylight is blue while most light bulbs (generally called tungsten) are yellow/orange. Fluorescent lights have a green tinge. If you mix and match, your camera can?t color balance/white balance properly and most hues will look wrong.
If you are working in a space with fluorescent lights, you should turn off the fluorescent lights and use your own tungsten lights (which might include standard bulbs, a Home Depot 500W work light, etc.). Otherwise, you?ll have to stick with fluorescent lights to make sure your color balance isn?t terrible.
Problem with fluorescent lights is that dull/flat fluorescent look. You can use a tungsten rim light (see 3 point lighting page above) for some flare. The yellowish color could look like sun shining in a window and might produce an appealing effect.
Hope this helps.
Dan Rahmel
Author: "Nuts and Bolts Filmmaking"
Free scripts, templates, film glossary, and know-how,
check out: http://www.cvisual.com