Corporate Videos: Lighting Options »

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Corporate Videos - The Various Options to Light A Scene »

There are plethora of lighting options available today with the director and producer of any corporate or business video.

This in blow post we will be exploring various options that are available in Mumbai market for the professional as well as budding film makers.

As one of the best corporate film makers in Mumbai; with 10+ years of experience and expertise in delivering 100+ videos, we have experimented and learned from our hands-on experience as well as through understanding of lighting principles.

The production stage of a typical corporate video involves:

• Video shooting of the manufacturing unit/s. These may be spread across the nation or a single location.
• Interview of the top management.
• B-role shots of the office premises / staff working / interacting / CSR activities undertaken by the company etc.

Check out corporate films FAQ, for an in-depth answers to various queries, that we have encountered in our 10+ years of corporate film making experience.

From lighting purpose, there are broadly three options: tungsten, fluorescent and LEDs.

As the technology keeps on evolving, so does the lighting systems and options. A decade or so back, the LED option was almost on the horizon and today it has evolved into a main lighting system for some film makers.

Various manufacturers are offering several options for the each of the systems.

Let us dwell deeper into each of them.

Tungsten Lighting »

Since the invention of the Incandescent light bulb by Thomas Edison; this artificial source of light has been the main stay for over a century.

In modern times, we have the same principles of lighting with tungsten in various shapes and sizes like: halogen lights and flood lights.

The halogen and flood lights are used in the following scenarios:

When we require to light up a large area. This may be a corporate office / ware house / factory / assembly line etc.

There is no close contact between the light source and the people. Since, these lights can get very hot with high temperatures, these are best used to board lighting.

Combining diffusers with these lights is very common; so that we do not end up with harsh shadows.

For the filament based tungsten light, we have two options: see through umbrellas or silver coated reflector type umbrellas.

Depending on the situation, we deploy either of them; but never both!

The typical colour temperatures of these light is in the range of: 2500K - 3500K

Here are some popular 'heavy duty' lights that 'fill' a large area and results in soft and almost shadow-less video.

Advantages of tungsten lighting:

• Bright light
• Easily portable
• Economical
• Easy availability

Disadvantages of tungsten lighting:

• Heavy and delicate
• High power consumption
• Generates lots of heat
• Chances of fusing are high

Fluorescent (CFL) Lighting »

The CFL lighting is most popular in scenarios that require soft lighting and less distance.

An ideal situation is the interview of executives, CEOs, chairperson, managing director etc.

We have conducted 50+ corporate interviews, student testimonials etc. with this type of lighting.

Advantages:

• Soft light is easy on the subjects
• Portable
• Durable
• Reliable
• CFL bulbs are easily available.

Disadvantages:

• Cannot be used for covering large areas
• Light output is adequate for interviews

Another option for fluorescent lighting is tube lights, that have been arranged in form of banks. These are typically two or four in number and very popular with some film makers.

LED Lighting »

This relatively new kid on the block has gained massively over the 'traditional' tungsten and fluorescent lighting systems.

Practically, all manufacturers are offering some variant / option of LED lighting.

LED lighting can in form of LED bulbs, panels and tube lights.

Advantages:

• Power efficiency – LEDs consume by far the least power.
• Output – The output of light (measured in lumens) surpasses the other two options
• Quality – The light emitted is a fixed wavelength. This allows the manufacturers to provide a perfectly day light balanced source of light or in specific colour range.
• Dimming – LED lights can be dimmed to any lower value of output. This allows the filmmaker / photographer to precisely control the results.
• Cool light – As the temperature of LED does not increase with usage, it is ideally suited for flood filling / interviews.
• Lifespan – LEDs have a typical lifespan that ranges from 10,000 to 15,000 hours!
• Shock Resistant – LEDs being solid state devices, can survive falls / jerks and rough handling more easily compared to the fluorescent and hot lights.

Disadvantages:

• High Initial Costs – LED systems typically cost much more than the other systems.
• Voltage – LEDs require a constant source of voltage; that does not fluctuate and causes equipment failure.

Conclusion »

With a vast range of options available to the corporate and industrial video maker, it becomes challenging to decide on the 'best' option.

Hence, this short guide on selection, pros and cons of each system that we hope will be a good source for everyone.