Three-point lighting for interviews

Natural light, depth, cool lights and keeping it simple. It’s our go-to formula for setting up consistently good lighting for traditional sit-down interviews.  Here’s a snapshot of a lighting set-up we did recently for a client shoot.  It wasn’t an ideal location but it was the only one available so we made it work.  Below I explain how:

1. Key Light: The key light should be positioned on the side of the face that is looking toward the interviewer.  So if the subject is facing toward the right, the key light should be on the right side.

2. Reflector: The reflector is positioned opposite the key, bouncing soft light on the other side of the face. If the topic of the interview is heavy and dramatic, consider using less reflector so that the lighting on the face is similarly dramatic. Use more if the subject of the film is a bit lighter in nature.  But for most people, some level of molding is flattering, so avoid evenly lighting the face.

3. Back Light: We use a back light to light hair and shoulder so that the subject is outlined and distinct from the background.  This is especially helpful if the subject is wearing clothing or has hair color that matches the background.  Be careful with folks that are bald as you don’t want to highlight a shiny head!

4. Pepper: A pepper spotlight can be used to provide some shaft of light to offer drama to the background or light an otherwise dark corner. Sometimes we use a filter to play with a warmer tone, somewhere between daylight and tungsten just to offer some contrast.

A still shot from the final interview

Using Natural Light – OR discovering interest in the uncontrolled.

Many filmmakers set-up traditional interviews by closing all the blinds in the room then setting up the lighting they can control. We do the opposite.  The first thing we do when we enter a room is look for the natural light. Can it be controlled using blinds, shades or curtains? How does it fall across the room and what will it look like at the time we plan to do the interview? The Sunseeker App  on the Iphone is particularly useful in determining where the sun will be at a specific hour.  If it’s a bright day, we’re okay with the window looking blown out although we prefer some sort of patterning, whether that’s blinds, a flowering tree or the panes on a window.  Natural light offers interest to the setting, helps the interview not look overly produced and it tends to keep the tone of the interview, well, light…. no pun intended.  The risk with using natural light is that it cannot be controlled. The clouds can clear and the sun can get brighter in a matter of moments. So you have to be conscious of these changes, stopping the interview if necessary to adjust the blinds, change the aperature, and increase the key light.  For us, the payoff of using natural light is worth the frustrations.

Depth – Establishing a foreground, midground and background.

The second thing we look for when scouting or setting up a location is if the room is large enough to give the interview some visual depth. Is there a mid-ground that can help provide interest and draw the eye across the frame?  The setting we used this day wasn’t particularly interesting nor relational to the subject of the interview, so we wanted to keep the background pretty blurred. The risk with using a shallow depth of field is that if the interview subject is in sharp focus and the background is blurred, it can look as if you’re using a green screen and digitally inserting the background. Let’s face it, that looks just plain cheesy.  So having a mid-ground can help further separate the subject from the background so they don’t look so pasted in.  In this room we had a long shiny table, which served as a perfect mid-ground and also reflected some of the window light, which helped to add visual interest to an otherwise dull space.

Cool LED Lights– Keeping your interview subjects comfortable, non-sweaty and happy!

We use LED lights by the small US-based company Cool Lights USA.  As both individuals and business owners, we like to be conscious consumers. So when a small business comes along with a great affordable and environmentally-friendly product, we jump at the opportunity.  These products are light in weight, never blow a fuse, are low on energy, don’t require expensive and highly breakable bulbs, and best of all, they are cool!  That means that they don’t warm up the room, causing the subject to sweat. And you don’t have to use gloves to touch them for fear of burning your hands as you do with Tungsten lights. Another benefit is that they are daylight balanced. Since we use natural light so often, this helps to keep the tone of the light in the interview balanced.

Keeping It Simple – The benefits of portability are huge!

For many reasons (the environment, lack of parking in the city, gas prices, insurance, etc.), we don’t own a car. And as much as people tout the benefits of owning a car and are shocked that we don’t use a van for work, we feel that being carless has actually improved the quality of our personal and business life.  We also do a lot of our shooting in the city, where parking is limited, walking is usually mandatory, and spaces are tight. Oh, and I’d like to use my back for another 60 years. For these reasons, we have kept our lighting, sound and shooting kit highly compact and portable.  For example, we looked specifically for light stands that would snap together and save room and bags with inserts that we could custom-arrange. After a lot of planning and maneuvering, we have condensed all of our sound, lighting and tripods in three bags that sit on a small cart that can fit in the trunk of a Crown Victoria Taxicab.  We simply roll the set out the door, pop it in the trunk and roll into the shoot location. No hassle, no back-breaking lifting, no extra hands needed, and little to no hassle with security. And a reduction of these types of stressors makes a big difference throughout a shooting day.