●
As always with video intended for e-mail
or the Internet, avoid excessive panning,
which can cause visible light sources to
smear as they move across the screen.
Since the charm of video snapshots lies in
their spontaneity, elaborate lighting defeats their
purpose. Nevertheless, you can often improve
the lighting without making the scene appear “lit.”
Internet Lighting
In addition to video snapshots posted to
websites, many carefully produced videos are
published on the Internet. These programs
should be as fully lit as programs destined
for other delivery systems. Although many
sites now accept high-defi nition programs,
streaming videos can have limitations because
they are often intended for less than the full
screen area. Here are some tips for lighting
Internet videos:
●
Use classic four-source lighting (key, fi ll, rim,
and background lights) to model subjects
and enhance their apparent depth.
●
Pay special attention to rim (back) lighting
to separate subjects sharply from their
backgrounds.
●
Aim for high (or at least “medium”) key
lighting to deliver bright images. Streaming
video, especially when lower quality, can
turn dark areas muddy and lacking in detail.
●
Keep background lighting simple to avoid
shadow patterns and excessive modeling
that can compete with foreground subjects.
Backgrounds should be just dark enough
so that well-lit foreground subjects stand
out, Figure 16-52.
●
Avoid bright backgrounds and excessive
backlighting. If you can change your position,
move around until windows and other light
sources are out of your frame.
●
Look for good lighting. If you have the chance,
use the most expressive lights available and,
if possible, move your subject into them
(Figure 16-51).
A
B
Figure 16-51 Use the most expressive lights
available. A—In this candid video, the down lights over
the sink were turned on and the subject was moved
to take advantage of them. B—In very dark, contrasty
environments, you can sometimes position yourself
between your subjects and the available light sources.
Chapter 16 Lighting Applications 361