Video Production 101: The Importance of Lighting

Lately we have been focusing on social media on the blog, but for October, we want to shift our focus a bit. Part of what we do here at The Digital Shore is make compelling digital media content for our clients, which means that we spend a lot of time creating graphics and videos. With this in mind, we’re going to focus on video production for the month of October. No matter whether you’re creating social media content, videos for your website/presentations, or even creative content, there are some basic shooting principles that will help you to create high-quality pieces. 

The first important shooting aspect we want to highlight is lighting. So, let’s talk about why lighting is important to the filming process.

1) Basic Visibility

The first reason is the most basic. You want your audience to be able to see the subject of your video, whatever that may be. If places are not well-lit, the footage becomes too dark or grainy, which will make people quickly lose interest unless it’s a stylistic choice. Of course, we understand that sometimes lighting cannot be controlled, especially if you’re in a public space. However, even if you can’t bring your own additional lighting options, try to find the most well-lit places that you can. 

2) Sets Tone/Mood/Atmosphere

Outside of visibility, lighting can be used to create the mood, tone, or atmosphere of your video. Poor lighting can easily change your intended tone for a video. If your video is meant to be something light-hearted or comedic in nature, you probably want a brighter atmosphere with lots of light. Something dark would dim the mood for your intended audience.

3) Highlights Certain Elements

Lighting can also be used to draw attention to certain elements within your video. For instance, if you have someone speaking directly to camera, having a main light on them will further highlight them from the background. Conversely, you can use lighting to convey the importance of a prop or something within the background. Pinpointing lighting leads viewers to put their attention on a certain element or person. 

4) Establishes Perception

Interestingly enough, the use of lighting can impact our perception of what we’re viewing, especially within creative, story-based content. If your environment is well-lit and brighter, viewers tend to think of the person within that environment as more likable and trustworthy. On the flip side, a poorly lit or darker scene makes us associate anything within it as more untrustworthy or even dangerous. 

At the end of the day, lighting is a tool at your disposal. You want it to enhance what you’re already trying to convey in your video without being distracting. In our next blog post, we’ll talk about some key vocabulary associated with lighting and some specific tips you can use to enhance lighting on your productions, so stay tuned.