I produced a DVD in 2008 called Critical Skills for Streaming Producers, in conjunction with Streaming Media Magazine. The product is now out of date and off the market, but some of the videos included with the tutorial still have some real value. In particular, the five videos relating to lighting for streaming are still pretty useful.
So, I’ve decided to present them for free on the Streaming Learning Center. You’ll have to work through a ten-second advertisement for my new book for each video, but hopefully, you’ll find it a small price to pay for the knowledge in the video. Here are the videos presented in play list format courtesy of Sorenson 360. Beneath the video is a short description of what’s in each. You’ll also find links to worksheets for setting up flat and three-point lighting that should also be helpful, as well as a worksheet on shooting skills that covers setting exposure with zebra stripes.
Microwave some popcorn and pull-up a chair, and prepare to be educated. And hey, if you’d like to check out Video Compression for Adobe Flash, Apple iDevices and HTML5, click here.
Lighting Fundamentals - this starts slow, but is a good background for the material to come, including details like color temperature, hard vs soft lighting and lighting styles of the rich and famous. Give me 4:33 and we’ll speak the same language for the rest of the videos.
Flat or Three-Point Lighting - all the online tutorials say create shadows, but most broadcasters use flat lighting. This video identifies who uses which technique and why (OK, so this one is a touch dated).
Setting up Three-Point Lighting - made a decision? Now learn how to set up three-point lighting. Scroll down to see the worksheet on setting up three-point lighting.
Setting up Flat Lighting - ditto. There are at least two techniques for creating flat lighting, see how to implement both in this video, and the worksheet available for download below.
Checking Exposure with Zebras - Now that you know where to put your lights, how do you check if exposure? This video explains how. If you've never worked with zebra stripes, be prepared for a quantum improvement in your shooting skills. Download the Shooting Skills workout to print and take with you.