What tends to separate what people see as professional documentary work from those who approach the art form with a “Do It Yourself” ethic is the setup of the interviews. One of the most important, and most difficult, aspects of doing a sit down interview for digital video is finding a way to light it effectively and dramatically. Each situation has its own sets of principle and challenges, but the “studio” set-up is the most controlled and usually the best for those new to this type of work.
What the “studio” means is that it is a room
that has satisfactory acoustics and in which you have control over all aspects. This could be just about anywhere from a professional news studio to the tool shed in your backyard; all that matters is how you dress the location that you are in. Rooms with carpets are often great because it cuts down on the amount of echo you will get in your audio, but if you are dealing with wood or tile just put down blankets around your subject.
You are going to want to use a portable light kit, but if you have no
access to such equipment you can use certain home lamps for each light
that would be in the light kit. Set up two chairs, approximately two
to three feet apart from each other. Have one of the chairs close to
the wall, and the other chair with a large distance between it and the
background. That chair will be where your subject sits, and it is
advisable to get as much distance between it and the background as
possible. Place the camera on a tripod to the left of the interviewers
chair, and a small Tota light to the right of the chair. This is a
small square light, on a stand, with about a 600-800 Watt power
reading. It is advisable to secure a white sheet umbrella on the light
to soften the glow. Raise the light slightly above the subject’s head
so that the reflection of the light will be in the upper-right area of
the subject’s pupil. A strong lamp will work as long as it can be
pointed in the direction of the subject’s face. You will know that the
light is in the correct spot if you can see the shadow for the
subject’s nose is perfectly in line with the crease that occurs from
their nose to mouth.
Next you want a fill light. A white card, or a white poster board, is
best for this. You attach it to a stand and place it on the opposite
side of the subject’s face. You bring this white card close enough so
that the skin tone on that side of the face is illuminated enough to
see but far enough away so that it will not be in the frame of the
image on the camera.
What really sets amateur and professional lighting apart from each
other is the use of a backlight, or kicker. This is a light that is
placed behind a subject and illuminates the back of their head. You
are going to want to use a strong spotlight, ranging from 800-1000
Watts. You want to bring this light off behind the fill white card,
pointing at the back-left of the subject’s head. You want to make sure
that the back of the head is illuminated but not overly “hot,” so angle
the light so that it is just graced by the light but not overly
bright. The light should be in a direct line to both the camera and
the total light.
The last light you are going to want to use is the same type as you
just used for the kicker, and you are simply going to use it to
illuminate the background. Place that kicker directly behind the other
and point it at the background. Make sure that the background is
colorful but that it is out of focus and does not have any readable
text. That will only distract the viewer from watching the subject.
This is a quick and easy way to set up a studio lighting that will
transform any home digital video project into looking like a
professional documentary.