ABSTRACT
The most common need for almost any video shooter is the basic interview setup. It’s the core of documentary work, of legal videography, industrials, news, and so on. The author starts off with the basic three-point lighting setup. This is usually a key light, a fill light, and a backlight. In the “standard formula” for television, the key and backlights usually have equal power, and the fill light is about half the power of the other two. First, soft lights are much more forgiving than hard lights in terms of placement. Second, they are flattering to our subject, something that most folks appreciate. Third, they look more natural for most interior interviews. Light emitting diode softbanks are the exception, though the quality of the smaller, more easily transportable units is less soft than larger, more cumbersome units.
