Negative Fill | Cinematography lighting technique

Negative fill uses non-reflective material like black cloth or Duvetyne to reduce the amount of light hitting one part of the subject. See another video example of how negative fill works to add more contrast to a subject.

Professional LED Light Panels for under $300

Neewer LED 500 Ultra High Power Dimmable Video Light with Built-in LCD Panel with Remote Control
$130-140
Mounts to a tripod
Color temperature is adjustable from
Remote control operation
Adjustable brightness (light output) from 10-100%.

Neewer Dimmable Bi-color LED with U Bracket Professional Video Light

$95-110
Mounts to a light stand with the included U Bracket.
Tilt adjustments
Color temperature adjusts from 3200-5600k
Includes a travel bag
CRI 96+ (provides truer color than cheap LED light panels)






Softboxes for LED lights
Use these reduce harshness and provide a high-end look for video interviews on a low budget.

Kamerar D-Fuse Large LED Light Panel Softbox: 12"x12" Opening, Foldable, Portable Diffuser
$30
This is "Amazon's Choice" for LED softboxes as of October 2017.
This LED softbox was a related item when looking at the above LED panels.
As of 10/24/17 it has 4.1 star rating and 28 reviews on Amazon.
A customer review from 8/27/17 confirms that this fits the Neewer light with the barndoors.




There's also a larger LED softbox made by Neewer that fits their 600 and 650 LED light panels.

Neewer LED Collapsible Softbox for LED 650 600 Light Panels, Foldable, Portable Diffuser
$27
Outer dimensions: 20 x 20 inches
Inner dimensions: 11 x 11 inches

LED Light Panels for Indoor Filming

On Camera or Stand/Tripod mountable mini lights (for a little fill light)

NEEWER CN-216 216PCS LED Dimmable LED Light
$43
weight: 16 oz (likely without a battery)
Battery: 6x AA batteries (not included) or NP-F550, NP-FM55H, NP-FH60 battery

NEEWER® 160 LED CN-160 Dimmable LED Light
$32

LED Light Panels for Indoor Shooting

Fancierstudio 576 LED Light Panel LED Video Light
$100

StudioPRO Photography Continuous Premium Daylight LED 600 Light Panel Aluminum Casing
$212
Daylight 5600K balanced light output

Dimmable, flicker free dial 

Includes diffusion filter 

Shipping weight: 7 lbs

Cinematography With Natural Light

Natural light can provide everything you need for exterior scenes, especially if you live in the Northern Hemisphere.  In places like Canada, and Montana, USA., the twilight hour is much longer than if you live further south.  This also means that the "golden hour" that provides cinematographers with beautiful, dramatic light is also longer.

The 1978 Terrance Malik film Days of Heaven was shot almost entirely with natural light.  The crew lit interior scenes and buildings with set lights, but the majority of their exterior scenes were filmed with natural light.  The Spanish cinematographer Nestor Almendros was often at odds with the Hollywood lighting crew because when the equipment truck was be opened, the lights were left behind.  Almendros went on to win Best Cinematography for 1979.

White bounce cards were used for fill light during some exterior scenes, but this is still a form of natural light.  Back lighting was also one of the key techniques used on Days of Heaven. 

Here are some examples of natural light taken during the golden hour. The first three images show light that is very similar to the look of many scenes in Days of Heaven.

Natural light at sunset in Paradise Valley, Montana.

Days of Heaven - lighting style

Sunset light in Livingston, Montana.

Dramatic natural light during a cloudy day, Bozeman, Montana

Sunset along a rural road, Bozeman, Montana

How to use C-Stands on your video productions

C-Stands are used for holding:

Lights
Reflectors
Flags (light blockers)
Microphones
Diffusion panels
Green screen

What to know about using C-Stands:

• If you're extending your the arm on your C-Stand, be aware that you probably want sandbags to stabilize the stand to prevent lights or gear from falling on your actors or your set.
• They are one of the most versatile pieces of grip equipment and most film industry professionals will recommend having your own if you do your own freelance video production.
• Hold microphones without extra hands.  Suspending microphones should be relatively easy with C-Stands as long as you remember to bring long enough audio cables.
•  Position reflectors.  Keep reflectors in the exact spot that you want them by attaching them with a clamp.
• Suspend overhead lights.  Suspending softboxes or other lights above your talent (actors) can mean achieving the lighting setup that you want.

Indy Video Lighting for $100 or less

Many low-budget and indy filmmakers like to build their own lighting setups.

With the wide availability and affordability of CFL lights, building your own lights is no longer a necessity since CFL bulbs are inexpensive for their comparative light output.

As of this writing (August 2014), the #1 selling continuous lighting kit on Amazon.com is a set of three 45watt CFL 6500K, Daylight Balanced bulbs with umbrellas and stands. This kit is only $47.95 and produces the equivalent of 600 watts of light output while only using 135 watts of energy.

 

Why use CFL bulbs for your indie lighting?

• Cheap.  CFL's cannot be beat for their price and light output.
• Will not produce excess heat.  CFL bulbs will keep your actors comfortable because produce very little heat and will allow you to take down/adjust your lights safer because they are mich cooler to the touch.
• Small form factor.  Pack your whole lighting kit in a bag and maybe a small box to protect the bulbs.
• Flexible.  Your bulbs can be swapped out for higher or lower light output.

CFL to incandescent equivalents for video lighting:
45w = 200 watts
85w = 300 watts
105w = 400 watts

The lighting kit I just ordered is the Cowboy Studio Softbox Lighting Kit, 600 watt output.  I chose this kit because it was inexpensive at $76, provides a 5500k daylight balanced light source, and includes softboxes with stands, which are generally more useful than umbrellas for video lighting.

If the two 85 watt bulbs (300 watt incandescent equivalent) provided in the kit do not provide enough light for my video setups, I can simply purchase standalone 105 watt bulbs from Cowboy Studio or LimoStudio to bump my 600 watt lighting kit to 800 watts for $30 or less.


Great Videos on Indy Lighting

How-to: Powerful DIY video light (800 watt equivalent) - YouTube (March 2012)

$60 DIY video light created by Griffon Hammon from Indy Mogul

85 watt CFL bulb provides 300 watts of traditional light.  Indy Mogul uses this for some videos.

Three Point Lighting example from Indy Mogul.

Color temperature scale.  5,000k balanced lights mix well with sunlight.

Setting up your lights/precautions

• Screw in your CFL bulbs by the base to avoid breaking them and releasing mercury vapors
• Know how to dispose of CFL bulbs in your area in case you break a bulb.

Standalone CFL Light Bulbs to expand your lighting kit:

LimoStudio 2 x Photo Studio Photography 105 Watt 6500K Day Light Fluorescent Full Spectrum Bulb - $18.46

LimoStudio Set of Two 105 Watt, 6500 K Fluorescent Daylight Balanced Light Bulb for Photography and Video Lighting, AGG878 - $28.50

CowboyStudio Set of Two 105 Watt, 5000 K Fluorescent Daylight Balanced Light Bulb for Photography and Video Lighting - $29.25

If need a 1K light (1000 watt) equivalent, here is one for less than $100:
StudioPRO 1000W Photo Studio Continuous Portrait Video Lighting Kit with Light Stand, Five 45W Daylight Bulbs, and Softbox - $71.95
-- this kit has five individual on/off switches for each of the light sockets.