Building Dynamic Multimedia Courses - Part III

In our last couple articles, we discussed the importance of planning, prep and organizing your elements. Now you're ready to create some of these elements into production. This article will get you thinking about some of the video setup you’ll need if you are going to shoot video for your course.

Fundamental Lighting Techniques

One of the most powerful elements in visual communication is lighting. Light is the element that brings everything else to life. Because light is always around us in one form or another, we sometimes take for granted the key role it plays in mood, tone and emotion. Where film and video are concerned, lighting sets the stage for all of the other elements in the production. In this segment we will discuss some basic lighting principles that will help you achieve a comfortable image when creating successful video-based training materials.

A corporate training setting does not typically require dramatic impact or powerful emotion. However, successful illumination of the trainer will help bring the presentation to life and positively influence the reception and retention of the message.

Light Sources

When setting the stage for videotaping your presenter in a simple training environment, there are three basic light sources you should consider: Key Light, Fill Light and Back Light.

Key Light: The key light is the dominant source of light. It sets the mood, and is generally the first light put in place.

Fill Light: The fill light is a softer light source that helps “fill” in the shadowy areas created by the key light. It is generally positioned opposite the key light and is usually closer to the lens of the camera.

Back Light: Back light illuminates the subject from behind and helps separate the subject from the background.

Positioning

A conventional video lighting set up uses a triangular pattern surrounding the subject. The key light is positioned on a 30 to 45 degree angle from the invisible line that connects camera to the subject. The key light should shine on the side of the subject’s face furthest from the camera lens.

The fill light is placed on the other side of the camera so that it fills in the shadows on the front side of the face (the side closest to the camera lens.) The effect is to soften the front side image while highlighting the subject.

Back light is placed behind the subject and is generally placed a little above and slightly off center. By positioning a back light above and behind the subject you create a glow around the rim of the subject which separates the subject from the wall or background. Be careful to put just enough back light to create a simple rim of light on the shoulders and hair of your subject. Backlighting is one of the key elements that will distinguish your footage from amateur “room lit” video.

Working with what you’ve got

If you don’t have a professional lighting kit, you can work with the resources you have in the room to help establish a similar effect. You’ll need to be careful how you position your subject in relationship to windows. The light from the sun is much more powerful than typical room lights. This can hurt or help you depending on the room situation. In general, avoid positioning the subject in front of a window as the sunlight from behind will wash out the background and create a dark look on the subject’s face. If you don’t have any powerful lights to offset the natural window light, position the subject so you can use window light as your key light, then use other light sources for your fill and back lights. In some rooms, existing overhead lighting with additional portable fixtures to provide front or side fill may

Additional tips

Another element that will help ease your lighting woes involves the color and style of clothing that your subject wears. Extremely light colors, especially around the face, will make it difficult to make the subject’s face “pop” in the camera. Very dark colored clothing will absorb all of the light, and can create empty or “dead” space. We recommend your trainers wear rich vibrant colors with limited patterns. Avoid too much red and stay away from thin lines or patterns that tend to cause havoc with video lenses.

One final thought, keep a few shades of face powder handy to tone down shiny spots and help cover blemishes and perspiration.

Lighting for film and video is an incredible mixture of art, science and technique. Understanding the intricacies and wonders of lighting can take years and years to master. There are many tools and methods you can use to change the mood, improve features and create different emotions, and we hope you explore the possibilities in more detail. By applying a few of the fundamentals we’ve described, your training presentations can take on a whole new look.