lighting Articles

Lighting or illumination is the deliberate use of light to achieve a practical or aesthetic effect. Lighting includes the use of both artificial light sources like lamps and light fixtures, as well as natural illumination by capturing daylight. Daylighting (using windows, skylights, or light shelves) is sometimes used as the main source of light during daytime in buildings. This can save energy in place of using artificial lighting, which represents a major component of energy consumption in ...

How to Use Light Diffusion Gels for Soft Lighting [ReelRebel #39]

Giving your video production value means using professional lighting. However, that professional lighting brings with it an additional problem: harsh lighting that is uncomfortable to your subject, sharp shadows, and makes your subject look unnatural. Diffusion solves that problem.

How to Plan for Your Shoot: Storytelling the Stillmotion Way, Part 3

Part 3 of the Stillmotion's series on Vimeo's Video School talks about all the preparation you need to put into a shoot before you actually go out there: storyboarding, shot lists, preparing the essential gear, and of course, keeping it simple when it calls for it.

The Benefits of Using Neutral Density (ND) Filters & Gels in Video Production [ReelRebel #29]

In a previous ReelRebel episode on video lighting tips we taught you how you can utilize gels on your lights in order to keep your color temperature correct to get the best look for your shot.  In this episode Stephen gives an overview of neutral density ...

How to Shoot Video with a Pure White Screen Background [Reel Rebel #21]

If you've been watching our weekly video tips series, you've probably noticed that we often choose to shoot against a solid white screen background.  Shooting against a solid black or white background is a popular choice for web videos as it helps create an intimate ...

How to Manage Color Temperature Effectively to Produce Better Looking Video [Reel Rebel #17]

On this week's Reel Rebel video production tutorial, Stephen Schweickart provides an overview of color temperature.  Understanding how to adjust and balance color that is captured from different lighting sources can ensure that you get the appropriate look for your shot and help minimize the ...

7 Tips to Stand Out as a Video Contributor on HuffPo Live

Recently, we had the chance to talk to Manoush Zomorodi about how to look good on camera.  She is currently drumming up interest in her e-book, Camera Ready: How to Present Your Best Self and Ideas On-Air or Online, which covers some things that are ...

How to Plan for Optimal Outdoor Lighting: The Golden Hour Calculator Review [Reel Rebel #15]

This week on Reel Rebel, Stephen Schweickart talks about and gives a brief review of the Golden Hour Calculator.  The Golden Hour Calculator is a cool and simple tool for videographers and photographers to use for planning video shoots at the optimal time in order to take advantage ...

The Three Point Lighting Technique - Add Dimension to Your Videos [Reel Rebel #11]

On today’s Reel Rebel video production tip, Stephen Schweickart discusses the importance of good lighting for video and gives a brief overview of one tried and true lighting technique called "three point lighting".  Using a good lighting set-up will help you make your online videos graduate from looking ...

Video Lighting Basics for Beginners: Introducing Reel Rebel Episode #1

The following is the first episode of a new weekly video series that we're launching in conjunction with our friend and host, Stephen Schweikart of Vscreen.com.  Our goal with this new series is to expand the instructional content that we offer to not only focus ...

How to Make a Video Lighting Rig for Under $100: Tutorial

Without light, there is no video. Or rather, with not enough light there is crappy, unprofessional video. So wherever you are, you need adequate light, sometimes, even outside, if the weather isn't fully cooperating. We found this great tutorial from IndyMogul that shows how you ...

11 Tips for E-Commerce Demo Videos That Drive Conversion

From rants to reviews, product conversations have shifted away from brand-sponsored websites and into the blogosphere. Blogs are increasingly where people go for useful how-tos and deep product dives from respected sources. But not all companies are taking this shift sitting down, and the smart ...

5 Tips For Building An Audience & Making Your Videos More Popular

So you're a marketer or a small business or indie producer and you want people to watch your videos. Making a video go viral is probably out of your control, but making it good isn't. For any brand or Web series producers, here are five ...

11 Tips For Planning A Green Screen Video Production

Previously, I wrote an article discussing the benefits of a green screen video production. However, once you have determined that green screen is the way to go - how do you plan for it? Well, do not underestimate the importance of Pre-Production when shooting green screen. It's easy ...

The Benefits of Using A Green Screen For Your Web Videos

So, youʼve been awarded a contract to shoot a company video. Awesome. But now you need to find a location to film your video. Not so awesome. If your client is like most clients, their office or corporate boardroom probably provides a wide range of less-than-desirable options - ...

4 YouTube Tips For ReelSEO Subscribers - The Reel Web Creator TIp #23

This week I dug through the channels of over 3,000 YouTube subscribers to ReelSEO and identified a few common mistakes that being made that could help you all improve your videos and presence on YouTube. I also picked out a few of my favorite channels ...