20 YEARS DOWN N DIRTY HOW TO

Without further ado, please allow us to introduce Wistia’s down and dirty DIY lighting kit - all for under $150. While our DIY kit is not the be-all, end-all lighting kit, it is an attainable and reusable setup that will keep your subject looking sharp and well-lit on camera. Places like Home Depot, Lowes, and Ace Hardware should have everything you’ll need in stock. We wanted to see if it’s possible to put together a practical lighting kit with household items - and it definitely is! You can build almost an entire DIY lighting kit with items found at any hardware store. That’s why we conducted the Home Depot experiment. Sounds pretty fancy, huh? The thing is, a video lighting kit can set you back hundreds or even thousands of dollars. Light modifiers: A roll of black plastic that helps block unwanted light, modify a light, or control light spill.Grip gear: The critical parts your lights will sit on like basic light stands, C-stands, A-clamps, extension cords, gaff tape, and sandbags.Light reflector: A reflective surface - usually an umbrella or a round plate - that redirects existing light to help soften the shadows.Backlight: A smaller light source - usually the same as the fill light - that lights up the background.Fill light: A smaller light source that fills in the rest of the subject’s face with softer light.Key light: The biggest or strongest light source that shines directly on the subject.You would find the following parts in a typical kit: This setup requires a lighting kit that contains all the parts you need to make the magic happen. Three (or four) lights are strategically placed around the camera and the subject to achieve optimal lighting. The best way to get perfect lighting for a video shoot is to use a three-point lighting setup.

20 YEARS DOWN N DIRTY HOW TO

The result? A pretty decent lighting setup that gets the job done! Before we show you how to rig this DIY setup, let’s talk a bit about what goes into a typical video lighting kit. This is great news for businesses with smaller budgets or folks just starting out with video.Īs an experiment, we went to Home Depot and built a lighting kit with clothespins, clip lights, and LED bulbs for under $150. If you follow some basic lighting principles, you can get impressive results from even the cheapest lighting kit - or a DIY one. Here’s a secret, though: Good lighting doesn’t have to be expensive or complicated. Ask any filmmaker, and they’ll tell you that good lighting is one of the keys to creating high-quality videos.

20 years down n dirty