Music video lights are crucial for shooting a great video. By creating unique visual effects, they can be used to achieve the desired mood and tone for video producers or filmmakers.
The following 5 setups will show you some fresh methods to light both inside and outside for a big band or a solo performer. Let’s experiment with one of the setups and give it a try.
Choose suitable music video LED lights
A perfect gadget is the first and foremost step to set a great scene indoors and outdoors. When it comes to lighting for live music or music video shooting, LED can be used in various places. Some can be positioned around the set, while some can be mounted on the devices.
For example, the COLBOR CL60M, which offers studio music video lighting, can be carried around wherever you want. Or if you prefer to add some colorful mood or dreamy atmosphere, RGB strip can meet your needs.
|
Type |
Position |
Use |
Benefit |
|
COB LED |
Vertical to the middle of the background Horizontal across the background |
Add side lighting or floor backlit Use as key or fill light |
Constant power for continuous brightness |
|
LED Tube |
Lay across the floor |
Use as key, fill or background light |
Easy operation Flexibility & convenience Multiple color options |
|
RGB LED |
Vertical to the middle of the background Horizontal across the background |
Naturally create the vignette |
Form different shades and multiple colors |
|
RGB Strip |
Around the scene Holding on performers |
Use as props for performers |
Can be cut to size and connected to LED strip together General standard brightness |
Set up a cinematic music video lighting
This kind of setup is suitable for indoor shooting where you have a flat background or wall behind your subject so as to allow the fill light to spill onto it. Besides, this method will contribute to producing the right silhouette for choreography shots.
Modern music videos are not the same as the traditional ones because they have gradually evolved into microfilms, documentaries, or stories. To make it easier for the audience to immerse themselves in the storyline, video producers intend to place the lights on music video in the background so that they can cause shades in the scene, and the edge of the video will be darker than its center.
Furthermore, if you want a magical and cinematic effect, add a little fog to your set. The fog serves to transport the light across the scene, instantly brightening it. But in this part, you would prefer to get LED lights for video at bi-color color temperature to soften or harden the tone. This is ideal for more cheerful videos or club scenes.
Add top backlits
This setup is one of the most simple music video lighting techniques because it breaks the rules in that it only uses a single light source, but only with a methodical approach will you achieve stunning results. For this set, you will only need one main light and a solid flat background, which should be a brighter hue for the source to bounce off it.
Like background music for battery powered video lights, you can place your gadget behind your subject and set it slightly toward the background. This will provide a great silhouette of your subject as well as a nice ambiance for choreography or full band wide views.
Take advantage of natural light
This setup is ideal for outdoor shooting as you might even don’t need the best LED light for music video. Therefore, you will want to make sure you have the right temperature settings and white balance. However, if you are shooting during the middle of the day, you may want to work with reflectors and diffusers to bounce the sunlight onto your subjects without using any additional devices.
Use soft light box for music video
Because certain music video lights are incapable of dimming and filtering bright source, it is crucial to diffuse the hard light. These sources are help for shooting or recording high-contrast, gritty situation like noirs or dramas. However, you can soften, control and diffuse them with a barndoors of softbox.
Use two-point setup
When it comes to studio photography, the sky is the limit. Some may object to using intricate configurations of multiple devices to achieve professional lighting for video, so they would like to get a two-point setup, which is simpler than three-point lighting.
- Fill: Place more to the side of your subject
- Key: Opposite the fill and a little behind the subject.
In addition, a diffuser is also required to soften the atmosphere, and don’t forget to play around with various colored gels.
[If you want to start your cooking video career, you can check the article How to set up lights for cooking videos?]
Addtional tips to make a video plan
Besides the aforementioned music video lighting ideas, planing a music video clearly is also the fundamental step throughout the process. You should take the three factors into consideration:
- Application: You need to figure out the time and place you want to shoot. Indoors or outdoors? Day or night?
- Storyline: A short MV should convey your thoughts or concepts to viewers or crew members via any second of the scene.
- Listing: You should organize and write down a list of the music video lighting equipment you need, ensuing that you record smoothly.
The setup of music video lights mentioned above is just some kind tips. It will give you a wonderful starting point to record the next music video. You can set up one according to your preferences and your desired outcomes.
Please do not be limited. Try it, and break the rules!