Here is Why Lighting is Important

Public Domain Clker Image: OCAL

Ever watch a movie and realize that it's either too dark or too bright? I have. And it defeats the whole movie. Today I am going to talk about lighting.

Lighting shows normalcy. Fear. Happiness. Sadness. Bravery. What I have been telling you so far? Different types of mood. Lighting helps convey what the character is feeling or what is happening in the environment that the character is experiencing. Are you beginning to see why lighting is important? Lighting helps create atmosphere!

By Theonlysilentbob, converted to SVG by tiZom (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Depending on what film set you are on, there is a standard type of lighting: 3-point lighting. There may be more or less depending on the movie and the scene you are shooting. The first type of lighting is the key light. The key light is your main light and it is the strongest. Next, is the the fill light which is used to create shadows. It is also placed on the opposite side of the key light. Finally, the back light which is (based on the title) placed in the back. This is to help create highlights and provide a three-dimensional look. If you have a fourth light, use it for the background.

Sure, you may not have all the best lighting gear, but just start small. Perhaps you can even use the natural light in the room. Not the most recommended, but using natural light to work for you is possible. Candles, desk lamps, even a flashlight can make a good lighting source depending on what you are going for. Remember: what is in front and behind the camera is more important than the camera itself.

You Don't Hear a Movie! Except you do.

Photo: Public Domain Clker image.

Ever heard someone say "Hey, let's go hear a movie!" What would your response be? You would probably think that person is crazy. You don't hear a movie. You watch a movie! Believe it or not, this statement is somewhat untrue. Pictures can't expel sound (not unless you go up to the canvas and rip it up because that will make a sound), but movies do. That is the topic of today: audio.

So, what makes sound important? This is one of the most overlooked concepts of making movies. Early filmmakers use cameras to record sound, but camera audio sucks! It is terrible in every way, shape, and form. When you're on set, have at least one person on set that knows everything there is to know about sound. For audio equipment, it depends. There are many different microphones out there and they each have a purpose. Lapel, shotgun, and handheld microphones. Most of the time making a movie, a crew uses shotgun microphones or boom microphones. They then plug it into a handheld audio recorder. Here are two pictures of a shotgun microphone and a handheld audio recorder:

Photo: By Galak76 (own pic) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0

Photo: By Evan-Amos (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

When on set, make sure your audio levels are around -12 db (decibels). If your audio goes above -12 db, then that is okay. It is better to have sound louder than quieter. Trust me. Once you are done figuring out your recording, record one minute of everyone on set being completely quiet. You are capturing the background noise. It is vital to record this. After the background recording, begin the shoot and make sure the audio person knows what they are doing. Finally, once you are done with your recording, you can begin editing which I will post about soon. Remember, the camera is not the most important part. What is behind and in front of the camera is equally important if not more important.

Making a Smartphone Movie

Making movies is awesome. Maybe you have already made one. When starting out however, you might consider using your phone. The cameras on smartphones are unbelievably powerful. A lot of phones are starting to have 4k on them! Some films have been nominated for awards. Take the film Olive. This movie was shot completely on a smartphone in 2011 and was actually done pretty well. Again, this is back in 2011 where phones were not as advanced as they are now. Take a look at the trailer for the Olive movie.

So basically the camera is not really the biggest part of film making. As I have stated in my previous blog post, smartphone film making is great for beginners. You can find many apps to help you make your movie come to life. However, smartphone film making is also good for professionals. What really matters is what is going on in front of and behind the camera. That's where a video creator's energy should be. Camera angles, placement, resolution, and focus are important, but the camera is not everything. 

Your Camera and You

So...you have decided that you want to be a video creator. That's good! You have taken your first step into a big world full of videos and movies. Being a video creator or even movie maker can be challenging. Do not let that scare you though because there are also many rewards to being a video creator.

Let's start with the first issue you will run into when making a video or movie: camera. As of right now, many people use smartphones to capture video or even movie footage. Using a smartphone is fine, but you will want to eventually move on to DSLR's (digital single lens reflex), camcorders, and high end movie cameras. Basically, using a smartphone is great for novices. If you do not have access to a smartphone, then I am sure you know at least one person to borrow a camera from.

Smartphones are essentially point and shoot cameras. Not to mention, smartphones have auto focus which seems like a great tool in the beginning, but not so much after your first few videos. A lot of smartphones do have tools and apps available to make your video look good, but they pale in comparison to traditional cameras. I will say that point and shoot cameras are no longer necessary though.

If you do have a DSLR or camcorder, then the best way to shoot a video is to be comfortable with the camera. You will need a memory card and a fully charged battery for this.  Make sure to change your camera to manual focus instead of auto focus. This way you can concentrate on exactly what you want to capture. For test footage, go outside, take a video of a bird, a video of flowers, or something similar to capture. Then try to focus on your subject. Video creating is like a sport. The more practice you get, the better you become.

Whatever camera you get at first, just remember to keep practicing and that the camera is not everything when making a video. Especially when making a movie.