Lighting Video's

[Rich newby]

Hi guys, I did a search and could not find anything so here goes!

 

I have been asked by my director to do a small talk to a few teenagers, who are keen to be technicians. The best way I could think of doing it was with bright colours and videos. Problem is I'm not a big fan of videoing my productions, not sure why I just don't! I have managed to scrounge lighting vids for most of the category's, but I am stuck on a video of dance and gig lighting. Ideally I would like to go to extremes to really identify the differences, so for dancing probs lots of flashes and scans with movers etc and with gigs ideally again alot of flashes and background colours ect. Any vids you have or can find would be great!

 

Cheers

Rich

[merlin24]

I wouldn't say that showing people club lighting etc, is the best way to break people into what lighting is about.

I would be showing them the methods of lighting people which really is what its all about, ie frontlight, key light, fill light as well as back/top and side light, the basics of colour theory etc etc.

 

Andy.

[Jamtastic3]

I think making your own video would be a great idea. You don't have to be in it, more have a structure where you are able to talk along with the video and explain what is happening in the vid. I've done this with help from an old school tutor for his class where I set up alot of different lighting ideas (attributes of intelligent lighting, lighting scenes, colour mixing etc) and then we took some examples of shows we had done previously and talked about the techniques we created. It worked out really well.

 

In my own experience of looking at videos - the only one I've watched is the Pulsar MP 108 tutorial (to learn the desk)) which was a right laugh but highly interesting.

[Rich newby]

Andy , I understand what you are saying, but these guys have no clue about lighting, I am just convincing them that it is a good carer and if its the right one for them. If I show examples of different pieces of work they may appreciate it a bit more, and be able to see what can be created with experience and knowledge! I have no intention in showing them club lighting either, purely giggs and theatre.

 

Jamtastic, I don't suppose you have a link to the vid do you, I cant seem to find it on pulsar's website.

 

Cheers

Rich

[Tomo]

If you can get hold of a copy of a video of a Pink Floyd gig, that should do the trick.

 

I've only got PULS myself, and it's seriously good - would love to find some more!

 

(Does raise issues of copyright though - I've no idea where this would stand regarding being a public performance or not)

[Rich newby]

Ah pink floyd, as far as I'm aware I have every Cd and DVD that they have made! Both me and my brother are massive fans, but I would like something that feels more local, not huge gigs or the like, say a 2000 seat dance show or the like. A lighting rig that truly inspired me was The pet shop boys (don't laugh) At live8, not sure if it was shown on telly, but its on the live 8 DVD disk set. Anyway back on topic, just some fairly small size dance lighting examples.

 

Sorry for being picky

Rich

[Bobbsy]

The other slight problem I can see with your plan is that lighting for film and video is a different skill to doing it for a live event. Things that look great on stage rarely are as effective on video.

 

If your audience watches TV, I suspect they will already have seen lots of different examples of lighting, probably more spectacular than you could achieve. I'm with Merlin...break it down to basics.

 

Bob

[woody74]

The other slight problem I can see with your plan is that lighting for film and video is a different skill to doing it for a live event.

 

But it is also a good way to learn about that aspect of lighting; I use more of a film aesthetic in my theatre work, as well as some "standard" lighting, but I have found that film is a great way to think about how something was lit. Off the top of my head, Road to Perdition, Seven and Sin City and great examples of film lighting.

 

-w

[paulears]

If I understand Rich correctly, he wants to make a presentation on videotape about lighting. So is the query how to light the shoot, or what content about lighting to use? The key, fill and backlight tv lighting you need to get good pictures, is not a typical theatre or music video technique, but without it you get dull, flat and boring pictures. Don't forget cameras are simple rubbish at anything with contrast - domestic cameras ever more so, so dark backgrounds and a person is a spot look bleached out and dreadful.

 

Tell us exactly what the video is going to show, and how you're going to actually put it together. Editing? tweaking?, or just point and shoot. If it's for an assessment, it really would be better to do it live and not faff about with the video idea, unless you really know what you are doing.