How to Light an Interview | 5 Quick Easy Setups

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Learning how to film a high quality interview is critical for any cinematographer who wants to go into documentary production, corporate video, live events, or anything else. In today's episode of Ask Aputure, we go over five interview lighting setups you can use in your next film project. These quick & easy setups can be done on any budget and can help take your interview lighting to the next level.

🎥Interview techniques covered include book lighting, low key lighting, Rembrant lighting, topper lighting, and silhouette lighting.

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Summary:
Filmmaker Nerris Nassiri teaches five interview lighting techniques that can be used by cinematographers, filmmakers, and ENG shooters working on documentaries, corporate interviews, short films or episodic television that includes interviews, news projects, or anything else, to help elevate their cinematography and lighting. Aputure's YouTube channel provides free high quality cinematography, lighting, and filmmaking educational content to help you take your film projects to the next level.

#cinematography #interview #lightingdesign

[MichaelDHead]

If you're subject is sitting in a very small room with light colored walls, bounce a light off of the wall - it becomes a large, soft source. If you want more contrast, hang a black bounce (negative fill) on the opposite wall (out of frame) and you get more contrast across the face. I've used this a lot when conducting interviews in small offices.

[LuisGarcia-pqvn]

I honestly like split lighting a lot for some reason. To me it gives the viewer a sense of mystery and wanting to see more of the subject in the portrait. It also gives them a awesome dramatic look that always looks good in black and white

[JamesMcKinven]

I am a huge fan of the book light! I really like my subjects to have the softest and most natural light possible & this achieves this nicely. The best sort of lighting for me, is the lighting that people don’t notice, it just looks natural.

[jasonchua]

One of my favorite lighting techniques is a simple double diffusion. Usually involves taking an open face and shooting it first through something like a 4 by frame of diffusion (lee 216 for example) and then a 6/8by frame of another layer of diffusion - my favorite go-tos being 216 or quarter grid.

[KVNL]

I like having the light go through window blinds for a film noir type of look. For an interview setup, I’d just use that technique for the background using harsh light while a soft diffused light is used for the subject.

[JulioSanchez-jrs]

First I bounce a light off the ceiling for some fill and general room ambiance, then use a strong key light with a soft box and grid to draw out the face and eyes, then finally add a hard hair light for some separation.

[neil]

I think my favorite is the rambrandt lighting. Just because it is really dramatic and can be used in many cases and with less gear than a real complicated lighting setup.

Good luck to everyone!

[thiendam]

one of my favorite lighting technique is checkerboard lighting (when the background is brighter on the darker side of the face vice versa). I love giving my image a dimensional feel to it and this type of lighting does the job!

[colbybarrios]

Love the softness of the Rembrandt style. It gives a nice contrast ratio and highlights skin tones really well. <3

[filmspark]

I always love these videos. Keep up the great content!

As for another interview lighting technique, what can also be a great option is incorporating gels into the setup. Similar to the last technique in the video, gels can be used for that super stylized look if they are used to light your talent, but they can also be used in more subtle ways in the background. In addition to creating contrast between the subject and the background using luminance values, gels allow for additional contrast using color. Perhaps one of my favorite setups would be to light the subject with a daylight-balanced light and adjust the white balance in the camera accordingly, light the background with a colored gel, and give the subject a kicker using another gel of the same color. If the interview calls for it, it can be a really pleasing way to have your subject stand out.

Looking forward to more tips!

[casualking]

I like to use large frames (8x8 or 12x12) angled at a 45 degree angle with the talent seated under the high edge and the camera positioned on a tripod underneath the low edge. This gives a beauty lighting/clamshell type effect, but with extremely soft and flattering light. I then add kickers to each side to break the subject off of the background; occasionally making them colored if the client wants a more stylized look. I then add a final light onto the background to get my exposure where I would like it.

[OkorieIfeanyiDarlington]

My favourite is Rambrandt light coz of the shadows to one side and that triangle on the face it just gives it a dramatic look awesome 😍😍😍

[tonygarcia]

I like the double diff. Diffuse key light like 300D through a 4x4’ open frame with Lee 216 set about 3 feet away. Then another 3 feet is a 6x6 or 8x8 silk, muzz or 1/2 grid. Creates a large (wrappy) key no need to fill. Create separation with color contrast or just contrast with something dark. One light!!

[mrstein]

I use a three pack of Amaran 672s for a lightweight setup. I put two side by side with D-Fuse pop up soft boxes to get a 36"x18" softbox to light their face and use the third Amaran for a rim light. Portable for one man crew jobs.

[imagemediaresource]

My go to for interviews is loop lighting. I key at about 45 degrees and slightly above angled down. I do the same on both sides, with the fill about 50% power. Then I rim light from above and behind from one side.

[mcdrobert]

I'm really into Butterfly lighting for interviews at the moment. A bit over the top in some cases but man it makes your subject look amazing! Simply top light with a kino at about 6-7 foot high, pointing downwards into a white 4x4 poly underneath their chin. It sometimes helps to diffuse the Kino to soften the cast on the face. Get your talent to stand right in front of the poly, slap a 50mm on at f2.8 and ND until you get the exposing goodness!

I used this recently on a corporate which required 8 interviews done in 4 hours. We had the butterfly as a master and a B-cam running a BTS style backup for inserts. Worked like a treat!

[Grantz]

I love rim lighting, it creates a really cool dramatic look.

[garyknowles]

Shane Hurlbut's creative lighting applications are so cool!

[DannyBarnesVideos]

Large windows as a ambient light. Then a light off screen by the windows to feel like a natural hair light. Then a 120d as a fill light with a soft bounce on the opposite side.

[bigslatemedia]

Love using natural light from large windows early in the morning or on a cloudy day!