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We all want a winning combination of video cameras, components, lighting and audio equipment, and a well-trained technical staff for producing excellent videos. Of these factors, though, good lighting has to be the MVP (Most Valuable Piece) that transforms mediocre video into superior video. In this article, you'll learn:

• General lighting principles that will improve every video you make.
• Tips for indoor video lighting.
• Tips for mobile or on-location video lighting.

Regardless of where you are recording, the first and seemingly most obvious principle is to make sure you have enough light. Even though the imaging sensors used in today's digital cameras (charged couple devices, or CCDs) are much more light-sensitive than yesteryear's film technology, a lot of ministry video footage simply does not provide enough light for the face of the speaker, singer, or preacher. Hint: If you can't see the sparkle in their eyes, you don't have enough light.

The second principle is to remember that the light youre providing is for the camera, and not for the human eye. No video camera technology approaches the incredible capabilities of the human eye, especially when dealing with contrast ratio. Knowing this, you should always light scenes by referencing the image with a video display device such as a video projector or monitor, and not by looking directly on the scene. Very often the human eye distinguishes details in scenes with extremely high contrast ratios that a video camera, regardless of quality, is not able to distinguish.

The third lighting principle is to avoid mixing incompatible light sources. Indoor lighting has a different "color temperature" than outdoor lighting. The goal is to always send a single color temperature to the video camera lens. Determine which light source will work best for your situation and eliminate or control all other sources to avoid sending mixed color signals to the video camera. If you don't, you could end up with some very unpleasant images.

For example, while I was reviewing the plans for a brand-new sanctuary in my hometown, I noticed there would be a huge amount of sunlight pouring into the sanctuary through the many windows along the eastern exposure. Since the leadership was committed to having both the benefits of natural light (when desired) and the benefits of high-quality, in-sanctuary videotaping, they wisely installed electric window blinds allowing them to control the incoming sunlight when necessary. In the majority of cases, man-made lighting is best for indoor videotaping, and God-made lighting (the sun) is best suited for outdoor videotaping.

The fourth general principle is to backlight your subjects. Video is a two-dimensional medium, but through the use of effective backlighting the camera will display (and your viewers will experience) a much more three-dimensional and realistic video image. Backlighting is designed to separate the subject from the background, and is focused on highlighting the back and top of a subject's shoulders and hair. The backlight does not need to be as intense as the key (primary) lighting.

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