Getting the Lighting right for your Concert
Have you ever gotten your Concert video and it’s too dark in places, or parts of the stage are really bright while other parts are in dark shadow? Lighting for your Concert can be very frustrating, especially when it comes to the video
What colours to use?
Firstly, you can use any colour as long as the whitewash is there too. The colours need to come from behind. There should be no coloured lights on faces. See the difference having coloured lights behind the dancers and a wash on their faces makes in the picture on the left
If you have a spotlight, ask the lighting operator to make sure the spotlight is the same temperature as the wash, and only marginally brighter. This will ensure the dancers aren’t a funny colour and washed out.
Smoke effects are great, but just makes sure your lighting operator doesn’t go overboard. We have filmed concerts where you cannot see the dancers from all the fog. Clearly communicating your needs to the lighting operator before the concert will make the final product shine. Also ask your Video Company if they can talk to the lighting operator and hopefully, they can work as a team to deliver an amazing concert video.
How to get perfect lighting for your Concert
- Nice even wash on their faces
- Coloured lights from behind
- Avoid lighting too steep
- Keep it big & simple
Your concert is a crazy, hectic day, but if you put this one thing in place before the show, it will mean one less thing to worry about and make your video look great.
If you have any questions or we can help in any way, please feel free to give us a call on (02) 9620 1658 or email us.
Once they have this then you can add the effects behind the dancers, such as coloured lights, flashing lights, smoke effects and so on. If the base is there the whole time your video will show everyone’s faces clearly.
Some venues don’t have their lights set up for an even wash, and you may need to ask to get this done before the show. If you are not sure, ask your video company to check the lighting before the show starts, and if possible, make adjustments
Sometimes people think you must have it all really bright. That’s not the case at all, it’s the even wash that is important. A good videographer can adjust their exposure according to the brightness of the wash. However, if the lighting is uneven, or only coloured lights then you will have problems with the video
