How do you light your videos?

Sammie Reads

Sammie Reads

I've Got It
Hey, friends! I just started making videos a few weeks ago! Photography is actually my first love so I'm very out of my element figuring out my setup for filming, but I know that right now I would really like to properly light my videos with something other than my bedroom lamp and natural light.

I would like to invest in a soft box lighting system but someone was urging me against it saying they are only used for photography? Are there different soft boxes for photography versus film?

Is there a certain kind/brand I should go for?
Any and all suggestions are welcome! :)
 
aw man I'm the other way around. I struggled through photography, but figuring out lighting for video is coming along with some trial and error. I have learned to avoid sitting/standing in a direct beam of light. I think that soft boxes would be ok - I guess that those are for diffusing light, therefore reducing shadow? That should be great for video. I use a very powerful lamp and try to bounce the light off of different surfaces, or when I'm at my parents house I sit facing the living room windows just after noon (see my YouTube 10 year anniversary video for how different that looks using the same cam I use for my other videos.) I don't know if any of this was helpful, but I hope that you can figure it out and then advise others!
 
Softboxes are great for videos, don't listen to that other person. Much like photography, it's based off a three-point lighting system. Your key light, back light, and fill light!

Key light is the direct light that is to illuminate your subject. The back light is placed behind them to remove shadows, and relays some nice depth between the subject and the wall behind them. Lastly, the fill light is used to remove any casting shadows on the subjects body, and is usually the softest. All you really need to remember is to get daylight, or natural light bulbs, and you'll be good to go. Search amazon, or other retail sites for cheap softboxes, and you'll be fine! Good luck!
 
LyfeWithDragons said:
Softboxes are great for videos, don't listen to that other person. Much like photography, it's based off a three-point lighting system. Your key light, back light, and fill light!

Key light is the direct light that is to illuminate your subject. The back light is placed behind them to remove shadows, and relays some nice depth between the subject and the wall behind them. Lastly, the fill light is used to remove any casting shadows on the subjects body, and is usually the softest. All you really need to remember is to get daylight, or natural light bulbs, and you'll be good to go. Search amazon, or other retail sites for cheap softboxes, and you'll be fine! Good luck!
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Thanks for the advice, super helpful! Since my channel just started I'm going to experiment with some different light sources, like you said, until I find what looks the best! I was looking at amazon and there are several different softboxes but hopefully they are all the same just different brands?
 
The standard is a three point lighting set up. This is one powerful light lighting your face another less powerful light to soften the shadows but maintain depth and finally one to light your background. You don't need top of the range lights because you can just buy a big bulb that's really bright. But if you want some nice lights get LED's they are a worth while investment.
 
astrotelecast said:
The standard is a three point lighting set up. This is one powerful light lighting your face another less powerful light to soften the shadows but maintain depth and finally one to light your background. You don't need top of the range lights because you can just buy a big bulb that's really bright. But if you want some nice lights get LED's they are a worth while investment.
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Dude, thank you SO much. I'm definitely going to look into all of this. Part of me wanted to just immediately buy all the things but I'm so glad I asked here first. I never would have thought about a light to illuminate the background. Question, should the background light be behind me facing the camera? Or did you mean something else by that? Thanks!
 
Sammie Reads said:
Thanks for the advice, super helpful! Since my channel just started I'm going to experiment with some different light sources, like you said, until I find what looks the best! I was looking at amazon and there are several different softboxes but hopefully they are all the same just different brands?
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Pretty much. You can usually find deals online where you can get two for $50 each, and they aren't bad. Actually, those are what I have, and they produce a fair amount of light. Since you are sitting, and just vlogging in that manner, you don't need anything super powerful. Two lights ought of do you just fine, just pick something around that price range, make sure the bulbs are natural/sunlight, and it'll all be good.

If you are looking for REALLY cheap. Go to hardware store, buy some eight dollar sunlight bulbs, three clamp lights for about $3 each, and use those. May want to use wax baking paper as a distiller though.
 
We don't get too fancy, these were fairly inexpensive. Some day I'll get some more professional LED's but these have been good for now.
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babyteeth4 said:
We don't get too fancy, these were fairly inexpensive. Some day I'll get some more professional LED's but these have been good for now.
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Can confirm. Those lights work great. :angelic: It's currently what I'm running with, but one of these days I should really consider getting a third one, as I only have two, thus can't do the glorious 3-point lighting system.
 
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