Butterfly, Rembrandt and Other Creative Lighting Techniques

Here at SC State we are stepping up our lighting game after our previous two lessons with a reflector disc and three-point lighting. Using this video as guidance along with some handout material, we captured images using the following lighting techniques: flat frontal, side, butterfly and Rembrandt. And then we had a little fun with the students giving their best scary face!  Here the results: 

FLAT FRONTAL LIGHTING

Communications students Sharlene Luke and Lawson Danley pose for our "flat frontal" example. Here only one light is used, the key light that is placed at eye level next to the camera. It's not a bad look on these two good-looking young people. I think this one is first on our tutorial list because, as explained in this photography link, "Basically, flat lighting is lighting that produces very little contrast in your scene. Flat means there's very little difference (contrast) between the highlights and shadows in flat light." 

Delighting with Three-Point Lighting!

In my television production class at SC State University, we are spending a few weeks on lighting. We covered the use of reflector discs, now we are looking at a mainstay of photography, videography, film, and television: three-point lighting. See this YouTube video for details and tips. 

Essence Adams (right) is at the center of this popular, widely-used lighting concept. You see the video camera's position in front of Essence and the three lights surrounding her. 

Here is another perspective of the lights from behind Delano Whitfield (left). The light in the center, under the clock on the wall, is called the key light.

On the left side of this photograph is the fill light. And the light behind Delano, along the right side of the photo, is the backlight. 

I will explain and show how the lights work in tandem to create a high-quality image of the subject, whether for a yearbook or LinkedIn picture, a TV interview, model shoots, and other scenarios. 

Lighting it Up with a Reflector Disc

 

This handy production device can, in a flash, rescue a low or poor-lighting situation. 

Reflector discs, like the one held by Sylvester Brown, folds down to the size of frisbee and fits in a carry bag. It's a vital tool to have among a video producer's cameras, microphones and lights. 

This short video from YouTube shows a disc reflector in action.

Last week, after explaining the how and why of reflector discs, my television production students and I went outside for a demonstration. 

Sometimes you cannot avoid taking photographs or shooting video into the sunlight. This can shut down the camera's iris and make a person's face look darker than is desirable. 

Here is Sharlene Luke's "before" photo. 

Now we see her after the reflector disc is deployed. Note the improvement. 

(For Sharlene's blog post for this assignment, click here.)

Here we see the choreography of where the video camera and disc are positioned. 

New "Action Sequence" Starring Amauri Allen

I fun project that I like to have students do in my television production classes is one I call "Action Sequence." In it, a student videotapes a classmate leaving or entering the classroom. There needs to be at least 10 shots of the subject entering and leaving the camera frame. I feel the project is instructive in terms of videography, directing and editing. I ask that music be included in the finished product along with an opening and closing slate or title and credits. 

As a demonstration, I shot this piece with communications major Amauri Allen.

The music is catchy right? I found "Surf Shimmy" under the "bouncy' genre in the royalty-free music site Incompetech. Check it out! I've been using this site for years. 

In editing this piece I sought assistance with a couple things: changing the background color of my title and closing slates and creating a fade-to-black effect. Click for the awesome "Adobe in a Minute" tutorials on YouTube. 

Here is a link to a few other "action sequences" from several years ago. 

Adobe Premiere Pro: Scale to Frame Size and Cropping Clips

 In Adobe Premiere Pro if your video clip doesn't look right when you put it in the storyboard, then right click on the clip and scroll down to "Scale to Frame Size." 

If a clip will look better if it is cropped, do the steps shown in this brief tutorial to crop the top, bottom and sides as you see fit.

Here is my brief demo video showing how these tools are used. Thank you to Delano Whitfield for use of his back-to-school clip! 

Here is a screenshot showing show the process to do this. 

Interview Shots- Good and Not So Good

 

On Sunday, Sept. 11, Patrick McEnroe on ESPN interviews the runners-up after the 2022 U.S. Open women's doubles final. Americans Caty McNally (center) and Taylor Townsend lost to the Czech Republic team of Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova.

When McEnroe first speaks with Tayor Townsend he, in my opinion, awkwardly steps in front of Caty McNally and he is holding the microphone with his outside hand when it would look better if he held it with his inside or left hand. 

The camera person soon zooms in on her from the awkward wide shot. So the tip is that if the wide shot looks off then quickly zoom in on the person speaking. This close-up of Taylor looks good and we see the top of the microphone, which is fine. 

Here is the shot when McEnroe interviewed McNally. The composition looks OK, though it looks a bit off or odd to see part of McEnroe's arm in the shot. He should be holding the mic with his inside hand. It is good that we also see her smiling partner in the two-shot. 

Patrick McEnroe, in my opinion, did better when he next interviewed the winning doubles team from Czech Republic. This time, after interviewing (right) Katarina Siniakova, he asked her if he could step by her so he could speak with her partner Barbora Krejcikova. This looked much better than his previous interview with the Americans. 

This is a live interview conducted by Fox News meteorologist Janice Dean on Monday, Sept. 12. Notice that she is holding the microphone, appropriately for the setting, with her inside or right hand. The three-shot composition is comfortable. We see everyone from the waist up and we also see the background environment, which is good. 

When Janice Dean goes to speak with the woman, the shot stays wide and remains very comfortable to the viewer in terms of not being distracting in some way. 

Types of Feature Stories: Profiles, Trends, Seasonal and More

To be able to write feature stories it is important to know what feature stories are and how there are many different kinds of these "soft" (as opposed to "hard") news stories. This post will "feature" examples of nine types that I talk about in my Feature/Magazine Writing class at SC State. 

1. PROFILE OR PERSONALITY FEATURE

This is a good example of a profile feature. Is about Austin Johnson, who is the caddy to his famous (and rich) golfer brother Dustin Johnson. 

The article appeared in the Summer 2022 issue of College of Charleton Magazine, the flagship magazine of CofC. Austin is a CofC graduate as his wife Samantha who is also featured in the piece.

The headline is a catchy one: "Every Step of the Way." 

2. HUMAN INTEREST FEATURE

In that same College of Charleston publication is this really nice story about another graduate, Alex Jackson. As a young child he was badly injured and paralyzed in a car accident with his mother. 

The feature covers Alex' life with the many challenges he has faced and overcome to become a public affairs specialist with the Naval Information Warfare Center Atlantic in Charleston. "Man on the Move" is a great headline for this feature. 

Alex earned two degrees at CofC and I am proud to say he was a student years ago in a television journalism course I taught back then.