In my last blog I researched how to set up testimonial shots and how to create them in this blog How to create/ set up testimonials, I learnt a lot such as using depth of field, where to position the client, where to have them looking and how to get them to say what you want them to say naturally. So in this blog, I now wanted to learn about how to light testimonials and how to get good audio so I am going to be looking at Robin Hood Studios videos as he gives some good tips.
In the video above he speaks about lighting more specifically the three-point lighting technique that is used in interviews/ testimonials. First of all, he uses just the light in the ceiling to light the scene so the whole subject is well lit but he then says if you want to make it brighter you need to add amplitude or you need to add emphasis if the lighting isn’t where you want it to be. He then says you generally light from above because like the sun you expect the light to come from above he also says if you light from below people can tell you used artificial lighting. The aim of the three-point lighting setup is to go around the person you are interviewing and make sure there are no shadows on the persons face and to make sure the three lights are equally well lit to there are no shadows. The reason he recommends using an exterior light is because it makes the background look dark, so having an extra light above or in the background helps make it brighter and more appealing in my opinion.
he then says if you don’t want to use the exterior light then you can move the 3 lights around so you have one key light which is a front-facing light towards the person. Then you have two either side of the camera pointing towards the person from above.
I now want to look into how to mic loan interview which is another video on the Robin Hood Studios YouTube Channel.
He suggests getting a lavaliere mic which luckily I have one he says these are good because it helps you get the audio of the person you are interviewing which is what I want as I don’t need my audio of me asking questions. He says to not clip it too close to the person’s neck because if they move their head closer down to the mic it will peak were if you just have it lower down on the persons chest it’s still close enough to pick up good audio and you can’t tell they have moved there head. Then you run the wire on the inside of their top so you can’t see it in my case, it will then be plugged into the camera however he has a reliever so he just puts his into his pocket. As I am using a lavaliere mic I don’t need to take advice on how to set up the rest of the microphones.
Now I have watched these videos on lighting and audio I am going to practice these before I shoot the actual video so I can get them right whilst on set.
YouTube. 2018. How To Get Good Audio In An Interview | How To Use A Microphone. [online] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-B2YzvApJg> [Accessed 23 March 2020].
YouTube. 2018. How To Light An Interview | Three Point Lighting Tutorial. [online] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhFVcPlURc0> [Accessed 23 March 2020].
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