Lighting for Digital Video and Television, 2nd Edition

Preface

I participate in a number of Internet forums related to video production, and I often field questions about lighting issues. After a thread in which several of us explained to a beginner why he needed to light his videos, one wag posted:

“Remember, without lighting all you have is a black picture.”

Facetious, tongue-in-cheek, but true! The most common mistake beginning video shooters make is to overlook the importance of good lighting.

I’ve always been interested in lighting. In my earlier days it was theatrical lighting; I just loved playing with the light boards (I built one myself) and figuring out dramatic lighting effects. Then I became interested in video production. That was back in the days of the Sony PortaPak® — the genesis ...