Lights Film School Blog

5 most common mistakes Made by Independent Filmmakers:

Over the next 5 days we’re going to be adding new blog posts outlining  the most common mistakes made by independent filmmakers. Today our post covers… White Walls Over the years we’ve been asked by our students what the “1 thing” we think they need to improve in order to make their films stronger. Well, usually when mistakes are made in film or video, it’s not just 1 mistake that’s made (especially when you’re first starting out). There are thousands of possible mistakes to be made i...

Lighting Tutorial For Independent Filmmakers

Watch the video below to  learn more about lighting for film. This introductory video will guide you through the basics of molding light around a subject's face. Learn about back lighting, front lighting and side lighting. We'll also show you how to use cheap reflectors (i.e. white foam core). You can see all of our public videos on our YouTube Channel

Latitude & Dynamic Range: Filmmaking Advice

Understanding “latitude” is such an important part of the digital filmmaking process. As filmmaker I hear the topic of dynamic range and latitude come up often amongst veteran filmmakers who are use to shooting on film but are now embracing new digital technology. The reason being is that film stock generally has a much easier time handling latitude than digital video cameras. In old Hollywood classics you will see couples sitting in front of a window and you’ll be able to see some of the de...

How to Light a Documentary Interview

If you’re shooting an interview for your documentary you will be using either natural light sources or studio lighting. This blog post will outline how to properly use indoor or studio lighting to optimize the production value of your documentary. If you’re shooting indoors or in a studio, the basic 3 point lighting technique is a favorite amongst filmmakers. It fully exposes the facial expression and emotions of your subject as well as isolates them from the background and hides unwanted sha...