Better Lighting for Your Videos: Flags, Bounce, Diffusion
Вставка
- Опубліковано 26 чер 2024
- In today’s episode, we cover some techniques and affordable tools you can use to improve the quality of your video lighting: Flags, bounce boards, and diffusion.
#Bounce #Flag #Diffusion
If you’d like to learn how to make great dialogue audio for your film and video projects, please have a look at my courses at school.learnlightandsound.com including processing dialogue audio in Adobe Audition and DaVinci Resolve/Fairlight, recording sound, how to use the Zoom F4, F6, F8, and F8n, and how to get the most from the Sound Devices MixPre series of recorders. Our latest course is Sound for Live Streaming with the ATEM Mini.
Super Flags and grip heads - www.battletestedfilmgear.com
Gear used or mentioned in this episode. The links below are Amazon.com, B&H Photo, Sweetwater, Pictureline or other affiliate links. As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases:
- C-stands - B&H, Amazon geni.us/8a8tt
- Impact Light stands lightweight - B&H, Amazon geni.us/iLMC2VP
- Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera 6K - B&H, Pictureline geni.us/uK8UqB
- Sigma 24-70mm F2.8 ART Lens - B&H, Pictureline, Amazon geni.us/bhOWVlW
- Aputure 300x LED Light - Aputure, B&H, Pictureline, Amazon geni.us/LBXWV
- Aputure Light Dome 2 soft box - Aputure, B&H, Pictureline, Amazon geni.us/AuMKRr
- Aputure Nova LED Panel Light - Aputure, B&H, Pictureline geni.us/TFVUy
- Panasonic GH5 camera - B&H, Pictureline, Amazon geni.us/InspOl
- Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8 OIS Lens - B&H, Pictureline, Amazon geni.us/gr47
- Lupo Superpanel 30 Full Color Soft - B&H geni.us/B1fGixX
Take your films to the next level with music from Musicbed. Sign up for a free account to listen for yourself: geni.us/G7by
Copyright 2020, Curtis Judd
Index:
00:00 Start
0:11 Summary
0:22 Overview
0:54 This Video’s Setup
1:01 New Cameras vs. Better Lighting
1:39 Tools for Shaping Light
2:07 Diffusion
4:32 Bounce Boards
5:43 Light Positioning
6:10 Blocking Light
6:50 How to Source Gear
9:45 Please buy my courses
I've been telling people "Spend as much on your lighting setup as you spend on your camera setup, and you'll be in a visually great starting place"
Spot on advice, Tommy! 👍
Over the past five years I’ve spent well over $10,000 on lighting and grip and I’m still getting absolutely amazing results out of my iPhones! I still don’t have that camera and lens...lol
@@tompfeiler1426 👍
Preach!
Just bought a Godox UL150 after more than a year of shooting with Fuji X-T3, hope it'll make a big difference over 4 x 17w home led light bulbs on cheap stand that Curtis mentioned. (although I still don't think my videos look like they have bad lighting).
Curtis has my favourite "teacher's tone". Kind, yet authoritative. :)
Thanks Jesse!
Excellent video! Your channel is basically a college master class in audio and video production. Keep up the great content!
Thanks peacesellsprod!
I guess im asking the wrong place but does someone know a way to log back into an instagram account??
I was dumb forgot the password. I would appreciate any help you can offer me
@Denver Elisha instablaster :)
@Cristiano Ramon I really appreciate your reply. I found the site through google and im in the hacking process atm.
I see it takes a while so I will get back to you later when my account password hopefully is recovered.
@Cristiano Ramon It did the trick and I finally got access to my account again. I am so happy:D
Thanks so much you saved my account!
True, 90% of the stuff people buy... they actually don't need it in first place. Thank you for being so down to earth & keeping a great job. Salute from Poland!
Thanks Wojciech!
It's really cool that hardware is being 3D printed now. I can't wait to try this.
Yes, also nice to be able to use lighter stands. 👍
I was a stills photographer and video maker for over 40 years. But I have still learned a lot from this video. Many thanks Curtis.
Thanks 48snapper!
@1:04 Curtis Judd saying the things that need to be said! Love it man.
👍 Thanks!
You are definitely a good friend Curtis. Thank you.
Thanks Vik.
Nice video Curtis! I really like using those black/white sound blankets you recommended in a video a year or two back to either add or subtract light. Also they are a nice dual purpose solution for rooms with echo. I need to add some nice smaller flags like those ones to my kit to finesse things even more. Thanks for sharing!
Hey, thanks Griffin! Yes, the sound blankets are great for double duty! Thanks for watching!
Very informative content, Curtis! I like to say light is the paint, and modifiers are the paintbrushes. So many more important things to consider before you upgrade your camera ;)
Thanks Tyler and that's a great way to think of lighting design!
I've watched so many videos on the topic of lighting, but somehow only your explanation helped me finally achieve the look I have always wanted for my videos. Thank you!
👍🙏
Great advice, Curtis! I have never regretted money I've spent on lighting and light modification. Cameras, on the other hand...
Hahahaha! I agree!
Good one, Curtis. It’s always nice to see more about the theory of “how & why” than the “what” about the camera. Camera operators are technicians. Directors of photography are artists. And the Grip World they make use of is full of wonderful tools to control and shape the light that is recorded by a camera. No light, nothing to record, no need for a camera.
Thanks Kent - appreciate the feedback!
This is incredible helpful! It really show's how much experience and knowledge you have.
Thanks, Bryce.
These lighting tutorial videos are very helpful Curtis, learned a lot on this one. Thank you!
Thanks Michael!
Thanks, Curtis love the video man!
Thanks JBS Films!
What a fantastic, educational video. Thanks, Curtis!
Thanks 👍
Thanks for sharing Curtis!
👍
This was one of the most thorough and thoughtful videos I’ve seen on the subject. I’m gonna check to see if you’ve got any videos about shooting outdoors and boutcing light, but if not I would love that from you! Thanks so much and cheers!
Cheers! I have a really old piece on bouncing light outdoors as I recall: ua-cam.com/video/s6Al9drXb04/v-deo.html
Awesome content as always Curtis! Great lighting and sound trump the latest and greatest camera any day. 👍🏽
Thanks Matthew!
Always great video. Thanks a lot!!
👍
Another great video!! Really like your detailed explanation.
Thank you.
Legendary great info as always. Many thanks!
👍
Thank you, great video and a welcome break from the ubiquitous product review videos.
Thanks - it was a nice break for me too.
Very helpful. Total beginner to lighting
Glad it helped!
For awhile I had some trouble understanding how flagging worked. This was really helpful. Thank you!
👍
Great advice Curtis. So many people think camera, camera, camera when they should really be thinking, lighting, lighting, lighting. And these days with so many great high output yet low wattage LED options out there - you really don't have to worry about blowing fuses anymore (or sweating). So light it up!
🙌 Light it up!
Always helpful, sir! Thanks.
Thanks Nathan!
Thank you Curtis.
You’re welcome.
Thanks Curtis, this was great!
Thanks!
Thanks', I enjoy your low key style, and solid information.
Thanks David.
Brilliant. No pun intended. Thank you very much Curtis.
Haha! Thanks Tom!
great video as always!
Thanks Jordan!
Great tips! Taking your advice on investing in lighting
👍 Happy lighting!
This was great Chris. Thank you!
Thanks!
Great video Curtis, very simple, clear and to the point, really got a lot of it. Would love to see you do a follow-up video of using these tools in a few various creative setups, you've helped immensely for an interview type setup, thanks
Thanks and thanks also for the suggestion.
Very helpful video. Thanks!
👍
thanks for your vid. it was very helpful
Thanks!
Hi Curtis,
I never realized how busy you are: UA-cam videos, gear reviews, tutorials, a sound guy, and corporate videos; that's just what I know about!
Busy, indeed! I just taught an all-day course on cleaning recorded audio using Izotope RX.
Great explication, you deserve more views and subs!
Thanks!
Excelent video. Thanks
Thanks Carlota.
Wow, I really needed your bringing up the hazard of double shadows, Curtis - never thought about it, so it's probably on some of my interview videos!
I would highly recommend newer people (like me) test out everything Curtis says about diffusion. This will give a person an idea of what a modest camera and inexpensive lighting is capable of. Then you'll have a foundation for knowing what needs to be acquired.
For me, starting out, my downfall was relying on the soft boxes that came with lighting kits. The diffusion that sticks on the front with velcro still gave a hard light that made the talent look like they were in a tv soap opera or sitcom from the 70s (instead of the filmic look I wanted). That's because the distances were in reverse, I think one could say: the diffusion that is on the soft box was very close to the light and very far from the subject. Solution: I took off the diffusion screen and instead hung a large scrim (that interior bit of a cheap 5-in-1 kit) closer to the subject. Curtis had explained diffusion a bit in an earlier video; that's the only reason I even knew to try it. Problem solved at little cost - a dramatic improvement not only in the result but in my understanding of how lighting works.
Thanks Teacher of Teachers!
Got back to this video for some more input on softening the light, also watched your videos on interview setups as well. Loads of great tips and my filming job this week went great, thank you sire! I couldn't take any bigger setup than 3 Aputure Amarans 672C with me, but with those optional Aputure softboxes plus a difusion module out of a simple 5 in 1 photography set, I've got beautiful lighting on the talent. It's another thing when I'm trying to lid myself while livestreaming teaching guitar from home. You're getting this nice and soft light on you with the Aputure 300 + the dome, some 1,5 m away. I have a Godox UL150 and the accompanying dome of basically the same size as yours (mine iz 92cm) and it's a tricky thing because I need to lid my whole upper body holding the guitar. At the same distance as you were showing here, some 1-1,5m I'm quite OK if I place it slightly to the side and from above (specially to avoid the glare from the guitar), but I need to deal with hot spots on my forehead as well as trying that light not to splash over to the background. Then the scene isn't as nice. I'm also using the fill - and hair lights from those Amarans 672c and damn, it ain't easy haha. Your videos are always a great inspiration!
Congrats on upping your lighting design!
Excellent video and advise as always. In school I was always told that the last thing you should worry about buying is the camera, since many other things rhat add production value remain useful for a lifetime instead of being replaced by new tech after a couple of years. I also enjoy the fact you provide diy or low budget alternatives since many of us watch from countries where much less is available that in the US.
👍
Excelent Curtis, thanks a lot
Thanks José
Awesome!
Thanks Dan!
Great video, thanks!👍👍👍
Thanks.
light is art
Agreed!
Totally agreed that foam-core makes a very nice lightweight bounce board, especially if you paint it a good neutral-white shade (the paper surface "as delivered" is usually a little yellowish and can add a small color cast). I always keep a couple painted sheets around that I can cut to shape as needed, and paint the reverse sides black to serve as trimmable flags in a pinch.
Along similar lines and for more permanent/durable uses, I've also used painted GatorFoam (a foam-core-like material in which the faces are a wood-epoxy composite instead of paper) to make bounce boards and flags.
Thanks Patrick - especially for the info re: GatorFoam.
Very helpful!
🙏
Thanks for sharing.
-Will
You are most welcome!
Good video Curtis, I've become much more interested in Gripology in the past few months.
Gripology 😀
Great video, new subscriber really enjoying the content
Thanks Parrott Bro's!
Nice work.
Thanks.
You‘re the best!
Thanks Marvin!
I just finished upgrading my lighting to a 120d II with mini-dome as my key and 5-1 bounce for fill. I using the Godox SL-60 for my background and hairlight with barn doors. It is so nice to have the soft light gradient on the face and catchlight in the eyes. Today has been the first day using it and I can tell my clients have already noticed the difference, it has made things much more personal and like I am human and in there in person.
👍 Congrats on the new lighting setup - such a difference!
@@curtisjudd previously I was using $30 led panels off Amazon bounced off the wall to soften them, it was brutal.
Curtis! amazing video! I've never heard of Super Flags before until now! I will have to look into this for sure!
Thanks JSH Films! Happy lighting!
@@curtisjudd ordered some last night. I’m excited to see how they work!
Hello, fellow Utahn. Didn't know until this video that you were from here.
Hello Neighbor!
Thank you, I had recently purchased a lamp with 5 lightbulbs capability to be turned on, now I have two of them. But I see how lighting must be used for the effect. I'm using a green screen and in this shot the light must have the same as the image's lighting, it's fun, but it is an art! 😁
An art, indeed!
I checked out the super flags. I like their ideas, not just beginners, for enthusiast photographers/videographers as well. The fun can fade quickly if you have to travel with a few heavy stands, lights and modifiers for your family vacation, passion projects or simply hobbies. I don't see much effort in the market to develop some kind of solution, like a single light stand to support both a travel light and a diffuser/reflector, with a decent compact bag to carry on the shoulder. And then time can/should be spent on taking courses and go out practicing :-)
Neat idea!
nice information.
Thanks.
Great video, lots of quality information. could you give me a recommendation for high quality tripod-style light stands? Something more substantial the typical, cheap ones in lighting kits, but less bulky than a C-stand. much appreciated
The Impact stands linked in the description are decent.
such a great and informative video. You covered so much important information and pieces of gear. Almost any camera these days will give you a great photo or video footage. it's rea;;y about knowing how to expose and shape the light. just like you said.
Thanks Jean-Pierre!
Cool video
Thanks
What a superb recommendation. Thx so much! Will invest to some light, not a camera.
Not only will the aesthetics improve, with more light you can use a higher aperture in order to keep your focus deeper; this in turn sharpens your corners and helps make the image appealing.
Good call and happy recording!
So true. There are really few poor cameras. Anything from MFT or up looks good, even on the big screen. Spend more on lighting, sound, and story
Spot on!
Grrrrreat!
👍
your face looks so good with broad side lighting. that looked so good to me for some reason. 6:07
👍
Hello! Wow great video, do these superflags work with regular c-stand grips or do you need to purchase the mini grips advertised on their website? Thanks!
Yes, you can use these with regular grip heads.
Great video on lighting, Curtis. I am about to start content creation and want to decide on which light to use (I´m kind of on a budget) as a keylight (I already have 2 Elgato key lights, and 2 Neewer led panels). What´s your take on the GVM 80W led light with bowens mount along with its softbox (same measures as the Light Dome)?
Hi Gerardo, thanks. I haven't used the GVM 80W, but I found their panel lights to be pretty good for the price. Best wishes!
id love to see a video of how you travel. As a lone corporate videographer my kit has got to where its a pain making 4 trips with a little wagon to and from my car to get different lights/stands/diffusers along with all my other gear.
I use a Rock'n'Roller Stealth cart plus my Sound Cart Mini to move my gear.
Curtis, excellent video as always. Your comment about cameras hit home - but I am in a unique spot as I do not yet have a 4k capable video camera and have been borrowing a Sony A6100. I have to shoot indoors and outdoors for auto detailing - so lighting isn't always a viable option outside competing with the sun. I do have some LED panel lights and stands. Any tips on camera/lens approach under $3,000?
The Panasonic GH5 is worth a look if you're good with m4/3 sensor size. That with the 12-35mm f/2.8 is super versatile.
@@curtisjudd Thank you very much!
great video! very useful. Your buddy does not seem to sell the corrugated plastic flags any more - his website is kinda dead. But these can probably be home made anyway.
👍
Hi Curtis,
I disagree with telling people not to buy Century Stands; C-Stands are worth there weight in Gold! I used to buy Impact, (B&H Brand), C-Stands; I have 10 of them. They are okay, but they don't nest properly. I am switching to Kupo C-Stands; but I would recommend any of the top 3 brands: Matthews, Avenger, or Kupo.
I also noticed something that NO youtuber ever covers when talking about light Quality: Soft & Hard Light. Let me tell you a little story. I used to be a fan of Peter Hurley, who is a New York, headshot photographer. He liked to light with 1'x3' LED Lights, but he would shoot his subjects with his lights in the frame, because he wanted the soft light, and he knew that his retoucher would remove the lights. I saw that and wanted my lights just outside of the frame, because I wanted to be able to shoot video. So, I looked for a video lighting solution and I found a booklight. I can now build a 6'x6' booklight in my studio, just out of frame and get softer light than Peter Hurley. The reason this works is because my booklight is both bigger and father away. If I wanted to pull my booklight farther from my subject I would have to increase the size of the booklight. For me the next step up is a 8'x8' booklight, and a couple of feet further from my subject. To bad an 8'x8' booklight won't fit in my studio!
Mathew
Thanks for the insights, Matthew. I believe that it depends on the context. I, too, own about 10 c-stands, mainly for use in my studio. Often I'll transport them to location for shoots where I'll have enough time to schlep them in or there's budget enough for enough crew to get them to where they need to go. As a corporate shooter, there have been some occasions as a solo shooter where I simply need to work lighter - such as a straight-forward one shot interview or talking head when I need to do one after the other in different locations and I don't have a crew to help. So yes, I'm a big supporter of the value of c-stands, but I also understand that there are cases where they are less practical than lighter weight, quality travel stands like a set of old Manfrotto aluminum stands I have from the early 90s.
Also, good news! I have covered the topic of soft light as it relates to size of the emitting surface relative to the subject. So at least one "UA-camr" has covered it more than once. 😉
@@curtisjudd Can you provide the link for your video on increasing the size of a light source as you increase the distance to maintain the quality of light?
Hey Curtis! This is great as always. I'm wondering if you could recommend a first real light. I've got a couple of cheep YN lights that work in a pinch but cast a lot of bad color into my shot. I'm wondering if it would be worthwhile to get a Godox SL60W and build a kit around that brand. I'd like to keep it around 200 for a decent key and diffusion. Thanks!
Hey, good to hear from you! Yes, I think the Godox lights would be a good choice. Color quality wise they're pretty good and the newer models have made a lot of progress in terms of fan noise. I like them.
@@curtisjudd Thanks, Curtis!
Is that a concrete wall behind you? I'm looking for ideas for how to create a background out of cloth, paper, plastic, or some other material, beyond the black, white, or green piece of cloth. And thanks for an amazing video, as always.
Hi Raja, that is a concrete wall, yes.
Can you also tell us about the microphone placement in every different scenarios
Good suggestion, thanks.
Curtis: Is that link in the description correct for the Smart Flags company?
I wasn't, but is now corrected. Thanks!
It seems to me the audio is extra crisp for this video. What boom mic did you use? And the EQ is the same as your previous video?
On another question, what would be your recommendation for a wireless lav for a Rode wireless go, and if so how would I connect it to the unit without the locking pin? I've been looking at the Deity W. Lav Pro. Do let me know your thoughts on this. Thanks for your input Curtis!
I used the RODE NTG5 to record this one, no EQ. The W.Lav Pro seems like a good option. It will work - the locking nut does not prevent you from plugging it in all the way. Here are my more specific thoughts on the W.Lav Pro: ua-cam.com/video/4-kM_xN5sPA/v-deo.html
@@curtisjudd Oh it somehow seemed extra clear. Not sure why. But thanks so much for your advice!
Have You ever used Nagra digital recorders?
Unfortunately, no, I don't have the budget to buy one.
Can you help me understand your set up? On your main (intro, middle, ending) setup, looks like key light is on your right and angled so doesn't spill on wall behind you. Is that correct so far?
But how did you create the nice catchlight in your eyes without the catchlight light spilling onto the dark background? Looks like catchlight is right in front of you but somehow did not spill behind you.
Hi Alex, that is correct - The key light is approximately 45º to camera left. I use a flag between the light and background to prevent the light from falling onto the background. That same key light creates the catchlight in my eyes.
Curtis - are the gobo heads from Super Flag 3D printed? The images on the website seems like they are printed. If so, how has their performance been?
Yes, they are 3D printed. The originals didn't hold up but they came up with a new design which has been rock solid.
@@curtisjudd Great to know. The price points are good too. Thanks!
Like before watching. Lol.
👍
That Shot Designer app is fantastic, eh?
Yes - super helpful!
Hello, another quick question. I don’t have diffusing material in my city, can use suggest which type of clothes or ordinary papers can be used as diffusion materials ?
White translucent fabrics - nylon is typically what they use for diffusion.
@@curtisjudd thanks
So can a white bounce always double as diffuser? I found that a bit counterintuitive...
Hmm, no. They both soften light but in different ways.
@@curtisjudd I got confused with the last example in the video, thinking it was a bouncer when it was a diffuser contained in the 5 in 1. Thanks for your response
What is the diffusion square/card you're using?
That's one of the super flags. Link in the description.
5:10 what sound blankets are those.
Producer's choice sound blankets: ua-cam.com/video/uzyEaVYCk3s/v-deo.html
Yeah, Curtis, I currently use an original EOS 6D to film. I *need* a new camera.
That's still a good one if used right.
Possibly. What's your lighting gear situation. If you don't have much there, you can still get more mileage out of a lighting upgrade than a camera upgrade. But if you're set on lighting, then I agree - a camera which is easier to work with could be worthwhile.
Why is there more background spill at 6:03 when all you did was putting the key to the side of the camera? I thought all it would do would be to just swap the dark with the bright side of the face?
More spill hits the back wall.
7:36 is that a 3D printed gobo head? (The blue one)
Yes. Good only for smaller flags.
where did the other video of 'how to light an interview' go??
There are several: ua-cam.com/video/ReVrNeUe46k/v-deo.html ua-cam.com/video/boXkf9T1_ro/v-deo.html ua-cam.com/video/FjxrIyfWzno/v-deo.html
whats that spigot with plexi glass holder ?
Are you talking about the square diffusion in front of one of the lights?
Curtis put info in the description: Smart Flags and grip heads - www.super-flags.com/
Thomas Donalek it’s actually
super-flags.com/
@@CammonRandle oh its 3d printed
Eclipse Sound Patches yah 3d printed and then filled solid with resin
Just FYI: Your link to the FLAG site is wrong. You have it as SMART-flags when I believe the site is SUPER-flags
Fixed, thanks.
In general, how are people unaccustomed to being on camera with the lighting and other gear at distances of 1 or 2 meters? I've yet to do an interview with lighting and camera at those distances. My past work has been more "relaxed" let's say, even outdoors in a garden using natural light and zooming with the camera if necessary. I know I've got at least one subject coming up that might think this is really unnatural and in his space.
The camera is almost always much farther away than 2 meters where I shoot, it is the light which is around 2 meters. I talk them through it and they generally do fine. It is hard for anyone to be on camera for the first time, but with practice, almost everyone gets more comfortable with it.
Does that company still on the market? There is a website, but there is no response on the live chat. Also, there is no access to Web login to create an account.
Yes, still there. Basically just a guy making these in his garage as far as I can tell - very, very small company.
@@curtisjudd I want to place an order but there is no response. Could you tell him if are in touch with him. Thanks.
@@opqrst7 Done.
opqrst7 hey man. Sorry, I don’t know what is going on with the site. But let’s start talking and see what we can do for you . Cammonrandle@gmail.com
opqrst7 or you can find me on Facebook or message me on IG. CammonRandle for all of them
This entire video, all I could think of was...
"You're neither. You're an errand boy. Sent by grocery clerk's. To collect a bill."
LOL!