"How to Setup, Light, & Shoot Great Looking Interviews" |
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Why get this video?At least 95% of the time a video crew breaks out the light kit, it's to shoot an interview or some other kind of head shot. If you can plan, setup, and light nice looking interviews, that's just about all the lighting know-how most people will ever need. Not so long ago people could get away with just putting up a couple of umbrella lights and calling it good. But, times have changed, and the standards for interview lighting have risen sharply in recent years. It doesn't matter whether you're shooting for a major network news magazine, a live shot, a documentary, local TV news, or even a corporate video with your CEO - today's audiences have come to expect interviews to look a lot better than they did in the past. And, there's no reason why they shouldn't look great, because shooting a good interview instead of a mediocre interview barely takes any extra effort. But the first thing you need to understand is that good interview lighting doesn't have very much to do with the equipment. You know the old saying that, it's not the tools you have, it's how you use them. Well, that certainly applies to good lighting. With 20 chapters of detailed explanations, examples, tutorials, and tips, this DVD demonstrates how to get great results -- without getting bogged down in jargon and unnecessary information. It will show you exactly what you need to have in your light kit, and then take you step-by-step through the process of choosing a location, setting up the lights, and solving common challenges in real-world situations -- NOT in a studio.
Customer Comments:"I have bought literally 30 books & DVDs so far on sound, lighting, video, making documentaries, etc.. and out of all of them there have only been 2 really worth the read, your DVD makes 3, you have the only good one on lighting. hope you consider following this up with some other work.. you have a talent for it." "Well, my order arrived today and I just finished watching the DVD. It was just what I needed. What made me decide to get your DVD instead of any of the others on the market was the depth of your experience. You've been shooting the kind of interviews that I've watched on network news and news magazine shows for years. Now with a little practice, I can learn from you how to achieve that look. The DVD is well paced, clear, concise and easy to follow. And compared to what it would cost me to drive two hours to attend a lighting workshop in Toronto, your product is a real bargain. Plus I can use it as a reference tool until I get it right. Thanks for creating "How To Setup, Light & Shoot Great Looking Interviews." "I'm just getting into the video arena, and I'm always surprised when I see a "professional" training video & there may be some good info on it, but it's done badly. I appreciate the quality of this video - the information, the sound, and of course the lighting - everything done professionally." "I purchased your DVD "How to SETUP,LIGHT & SHOOT Great looking INTERVIEWS." It is a great video. I learned a lot." "What a WEALTH of fantastic information is contained in there. Last night I went online and bought several of the items in the suggested 'light kit' which I realized were missing in my setup. All in all, the DVD has proved incredibly valuable to me, specifically in terms of the original intent, "Setup and Lighting for Interviews". I could NOT be happier. There is absolutely no doubt the quality of my future projects will prosper as a result of this DVD." "DVD arrived yesterday on Lighting Interviews. Watched it in one sitting and I have to say it is by far the best DVD in it's class that I've seen in many years; just brilliant. You encapsulate everything one needs to know about interview lighting in 60 minutes very nicely. I picked up a few gems that I was not familiar with. 5 stars out of 5." "I have to say it's a very well done, thought out video. After 18 years doing this,I was still able to learn a few new tricks. For the beginning/intermediate shooter this is an invaluable learning tool. Even 20 year pros could use this, as a $1500 light kit really does cover 98% of the situations. Adding the section on makeup was a great idea, as most guys (at least me) don't have much experience applying makeup." - Richard Campbell "Congratulations on a useful product. Even editors should know the difference between and a backlight and a kicker. I like how you boil the toolkit down to hard-working, multi-use essentials. Takes years to develop a shopping list like that, and to show each item in action was effective. It was particularly refreshing to have you as narrator rather than polished radio talent." "I just wanted to let you know what a fantastic job you did on producing this video. The same co-worker who sold me on WarmCards, suggested that I "check out this great DVD on lighting interviews". He was right, and I'm going to suggest to our Chief Photog that he buy one for each of the full-timers. Even if someone has already seen it, I think it should be reviewed every 6-12 months, just as a refresher -- it's very inspirational. " "We bought the lighting DVD about two weeks ago and are blown away at how simple amazing lighting can actually be! I just wanted to thank you for making such a great DVD and sharing your insight! Also, having all the exact items you use made it so easy for us to order everything. My husband (and business partner) and I were up late last night experimenting with everything while your DVD was in the player as a reference. Between the DVD and the gear, this is definitely a great investment in our business and I know it will help us get bigger and better jobs and I want to thank you for that. :) My only regret is that I didn't know about it earlier since we had a multi-city shoot with tons of interviews. I wish I could re-do that job. Just wait until they see next year's footage with the new gear and knowledge we have now! Everything else I've ever done now looks totally icky to me...and it's interesting watching TV and seeing the differences...even though I've had my own videography company for 8 years, I just never really paid as much attention and always thought good lighting was WAY over my head. But your DVD really made it so easy to understand. Again, thanks so much for sharing your experience with others...it's a really a gift!" "Even though I’ve never shot an interview, I now feel that given the equipment suggested by Doug, I could. I am confident that I would actually understand what I was doing… and why. I now know, for example, the difference between backlighting and lighting the background. I know which side to put the main light on and how high to place it. I have some ideas about how to deal with glasses so as not to get reflections. I know why the right chair is important. The stuff that Doug teaches is very practical and down-to-earth. Never did I get the feeling that I was being talked down to and at the same time, never was anything over my head. Heck, I now even know what a cucoloris (sp?) is. (I think grips refer to them as “cookies”.) Doug demonstrates what each light does and now it adds to the shot. Early on Doug points out that his way of lighting interviews is not the only way, but it is a way that has worked for him on thousands of interviews that have appeared on all the network tv stations. He uses many examples of good shots and of poor shots so that you don’t make the same mistakes that others have. He suggests a basic lighting kit for interviews that will probably cover about 90% of all the situations you will run into. The cost of the kit is about $1500 (I checked B&H Photo prices and his cost estimates are right on as of the time this is written). Anyway, he suggests that you don’t buy a pre-assembled kit because the kit won’t contain everything you need and you will end up paying for several items that you will likely never use. He suggests buying different items from different manufacturers as no one manufacturer makes everything you need. Hence, lights from Lowel, stands from Avenger, a softbox from Photoflex, a reflector from Flexfill, and so on. " "Don't hesitate just buy it! This product has great information for shooting and lighting interviews. I highly recommend this DVD. If you're new to shooting and lighting interviews, this DVD is great! This DVD also gives you a list of what equipment to buy. The only con is they don't tell you how to light multiple people at once." "VERY instructive! I bought this dvd to learn more about three point lightning and I've learned a lot. As the title implicates this dvd is not only about the actual lightning, but also about the setup, the best angle, the equipment etc." |
About the Instructor:
Doug Jensen is the owner of Vortex Media, a cameraman, producer, director, editor, consultant and trainer with over 25 years of video production and post-production experience. Jensen combines his extensive production experience with his teaching skills to bring a wide-ranging, real-world perspective to his independent DVD workshops and live seminars. As a member of Sony's Independent Certified Experts (I.C.E.) team he has taught high-definition XDCAM classes for Sony at NAB, Japan, Hollywood, New York, Boston, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh. He owns several cameras, including a Sony EX1, Sony EX3, Ikegami HL59 Betacam, Sony Z7U, Sony Z1U, and a Sony F350 XDCAM HD. In recent years he has directed, and co-produced several popular training DVDs including: "Mastering the Sony PMW-EX3", "HandsOnHDV: A Complete Guide to the Z1U and FX1," "A Guide to Shooting with the Sony XDCAM HD F350/F330 Camcorders," and "How to Setup, Light, & Shoot Great Looking Interviews. His credits and clients include: NBC News, ABC News, CBS News, Fox News, CNN, PBS, BBC, NHK, EBU, TNT, Discovery, ESPN, E!, A&E, HGTV, WGBH, Food Network, NASCAR Images, MLB Productions, Travel Channel, History Channel, Sundance Channel, and NBA Entertainment.
REVIEW at DV User Magazine
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