Filmmaking 101: Mastering Exposure

Stay tuned to the end for a chance to win a prize!

Exposure is probably one of the first things you learned when you got into filmmaking. Controlling the amount of light hitting the camera’s sensor is the key to having nice exposure. Exposure is a basic part of filmmaking, but there’s so much to learn about exposure beyond what the camera can control. Today on 4 Minute Film School we’re going to show you how you can use lighting to get perfect exposure no matter what situation you find yourself in.

In this video, Valentina from the A-Team will walk you through two very different setups and show you how to get great exposure in each one. First, she looks to see if there are any light sources in the frame that she can’t control. If there are, it might influence the way she lights the rest of the scene. Next, she makes sure the exposure on the subject’s face is good. This means balancing it with any other parts of the frame, as well as keeping it from being too bright or too dark. Next, she fills in the rest of the scene to establish an even exposure throughout the entire shot.

The main aspects addressed in this video are control, under exposing, and cameras. Control refers to being able to manipulate the lights in your scene. Having control of the lighting is extremely important for getting good exposure. Under exposing refers to lighting your scene intentionally darker than normal. There are benefits to this method over lighting the scene brighter than normal. The utilization of a camera naturally refers to relying on your camera (as a tool) in order to get good exposure. All cameras have limitations and lighting can go a really long way towards getting good shots.

You might think exposure is a basic part of cinematography, but you’d be surprised to see how easily good or bad exposure can completely change the way work is received! Bad exposure can make a professional look like a beginner, and good exposure can make the most inexperienced shooter look like a pro. So the next time you’re out shooting, pay special attention to the highlights and the shadows of your image so you can nail the exposure.

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Summary:
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.

[aputurelighting]

What's your favorite exposure tool? Let us know in a comment below with how you use it for a chance to win an Aputure M9!

[valentinavee]

To those wondering why I look different: I've been taking more care of myself in quarantine. Eating good food, taking long walks and hikes. It's been a positive change!

[andilematomela]

Valentina is a legend. Shout out to Aputure for making it possible. I've learned so much from these videos.

[tomn.]

Wow, you look great !!!! Very well done and helpful video !!

[filmingthedark]

I like to use a combo: an actual light meter to nail my ratios; false colour to check my work; and waveform/histogram for ensuring consistency between shots.

[smackdaddy]

Valentina Vee has always looked stunning. And this channel has always been fantastic.

[FrancescoBertoluci]

My go to is false color. I can see highlights, skin tones and shadows in a very intuitive way. Thanks for the episode!

[DeeanaJohnsonkati]

Awesome Vlog! I learn a new technique every time I tune in. Thank you and please keep those tutorials coming!

[sam.oates_]

Before I had a camera without false colour I didn’t know what I was missing, now I’ll never go back, it’s just so brilliant! It’s handy because you can also get a rough idea of your focus with it on too. I just love it so much.

[karliemorris]

Thanks for the teachings, and false color is my favorite exposure tool

[lukemccarthy]

I use histagram when i have a run and gun shoot. But my favorite is false colour as it allows you to dial in your contrast ratios perfectly.

[JessicaDudas]

I use Histogram to make sure my exposure is set up properly! I don’t have any lights yet so I sit with the side of my body facing the window and use a reflector to bounce the light to fill in the shadows on the opposite side. I close the blinds behind me and turn on my lamp to have more contrast. Worked really well in my last video as I felt that I blended in too much with the background in my previous videos. Always learning from Apurture 🙏🏼🥰

[paulscott]

False Color is my favorite exposure tool since it allows you to still frame your shot while also getting correct exposure which no other exposure tool can do. Out of camera my favorite tool is a light meter because you don't even need a camera at all!

[jodyb]

Zebras. I set one for skin and one for highlights and flick through when I’m setting up a shot. A quick and easy way to ensure neither are overexposed.

[SidsDrakon]

This is sweet. Thank you very much Madame so much knowledge. Now I have to shoot and put into pracrice this information.

[LeatherWindows]

I’ve come to really love using false color!
It’s been pretty nice for getting the general exposure of an image down and if I have time, then I bring in the light meter and fine tune.

[patrickhay]

My favorite way to expose is the false color on the Filmic Pro app, which makes it easy to avoid clipping the highlights. My camera, a Canon M100, only has a histogram though - it's a little tougher to read sometimes, especially when there are multiple practicals in the shot.

[thomasbuikema]

I love my waveforms. Shows if you are clipping and helps exposing skin tones. Never really got that into false color.

[clandresg]

False color usually, also a gray card or color checker in front of camera and histogram too.

[josephceschini]

I prefer false color because, just like a spot meter, it keeps my mind on the zone-system and off of the sometimes endless numbers that come with cinematography; it keeps my heart in the story. Also like the spot meter, it lets me really finesse / fine-tune the contrast, and also serves to visually reinforce what each tone looks like for future reference.