Next is lighting. You don’t need to stress out about this… There is no magical science to it and you can get away with household lamps if you can’t afford proper video lighting
If you do plan on making a number of videos you can purchase an LED video light that fits in the shoe (on the top) of your DLSR camera for around $100. Or you could get a cheap pair of video lights for $200. Then of course there is the option of natural lighting.
There are some rules you need to follow with lighting when shooting. If you do choose the natural path, make sure it’s either in the early morning or late afternoon when the sun isn’t so harsh – If you must shoot on a sunny day, make sure the sun is shining away from the lens or your shots will be “backlit” (your subjects faces will be draped in shadow). Ideally, an overcast day is perfect since the clouds filter the light well.
If you are shooting inside, try to minimize shadows with adjusting the source of your lights. Two different sources of light is usually minimum. Household lamps are fine (take the shades off) but you might want to replace your bulbs to 100 watts or more. If you have a big room to light up, you can also use floodlights purchased from a hardware store for well under $50 – the only problem is that they are sometimes too bright so you might have to position them a little further away. One rookie mistake is to turn the room lights on to assist your illumination… the problem with this is the overhead light always casts an unflattering shadow. Remember your goal is to brighten the shot as naturally as you can while eliminating all shadows. It may sound difficult, but it’s all about reshuffling your light till it looks right.
If you feel like experimenting with a Green Screen Web Videos you cannot have any shadows at all. Be sure to stand at least a metre away from the screen and give the screen itself its own source of lighting just as the subject has. If you were wondering if there is a “special” kind of green screen you need, all you require is a bright green non-shiny sheet of fabric.
Stay tuned for the final post on editing.