Lighting is a vital and important component of any production as it aids in the building of the scene and helps to separate the performer from the background. For the majority of my music video, the actor will be performing in front of a white backdrop so it is imperative that the lighting illuminates the performer, and that they're distinguished clearly from the background. However, I don't want the lighting to be too bright and look too artificial. Correct and professional lighting will increase the quality of the images the viewers see.
Using the lighting equipment available, I decided to experiment and test with different lighting before I begin production, so I am more aware of what specific equipment would be more suitable for my video and the conditions.
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| This piece of lighting equipment is called a light box. The stand it is placed on can be altered and the light can be positioned at different heights and angles, which is a useful component for my music video. |
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| These are the controls for the light box. The controls include the power button, flash button and a dial which increases the brightness of the light slightly. |
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| Before adding the inclusion of the light box, I took a photo of someone so I could compare the quality later and look at the difference with the inclusion of the lighting. |
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| I placed the subject in front of the light box. |
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| This is a mid shot of the subject with the inclusion of the light box. |
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| The light box did not have the desired effect on the image produced. The lighting's colour was too hazy and almost yellow, which does not reflect and look well against a white backdrop, or accentuate or highlight the subject's features. |
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| This is the second light box I tested. The features are very similar to the other light box, however it does not have the same manual controls. |
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| Before even placing the subject before the light, it illuminated and lit the wall much more effectively than the other light box which gave it a hazy glow. |
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| I placed the light to the right of the subject's face, and slightly higher than her to illuminate her in this way. The quality of the image is much more impressive than the result the first light box gave. The light from this light box was more bright and did not have the hazy yellow effect which was detrimental. A shadow is still cast over the left side of the subject's face, which can be amended with another light box on that side. |
I will also be filming in my school's theatre which has excellent lighting facilities - the lighting in the theatre could also be utilised in my music video.
Now I have had a bit of experience and practice with the light boxes, I decided to investigate further into lighting techniques and cinematography. YouTube offers many helpful lighting exercises and demonstration for basic beginners which I will utilise to create better lighting within my scenes. I found the videos below extremely useful:
