Introduction to Lighting Live Events for the Camera
Saturday April 25, 2026: 12-2pm, 3pm – 5pm. Synchronous Online.
One-day seminar on creating & adapting your lighting for the camera.
A LIVE online interactive course
Topics for this workshop include creating, adapting lighting for the camera, and interfacing with a video director, video engineer, and director of photography—plus metering lights, managing color for video, and working in both HD and 4K+ environments.
“My intent in this one-day workshop is to lessen the mystery of lighting for a camera. To give you the tools and knowledge of how to use those tools so you can apply your creative vision. There are no rules to lighting for TV, just as there are no rules for lighting for the live stage. However, there are techniques that I want to share with you that will allow you to apply your creative ideas. TV lighting has some cool advantages for the designer and we will talk about those opportunities. I will pause throughout each class and answer questions before we move on. As well as leave time at the end of the day to expand on anything you want to talk about. Throughout the day, we will use examples from real shows like the “Academy Awards”, “VMAs”, “So You Think You Can Dance”, “Super Bowl Halftime shows”, and many others.”
We will explore the difference between lighting for your eye and for the camera. In order to translate your design ideas to TV, we need to understand the simple difference between how your eye sees lighting and how the camera interprets it. Contrast levels, color rendering. How & why, we pick a color temperature and choose our exposure levels.
We will look at some TV light plots – key light & backlight angles – What needs to be lit – watching out for camera shadows in the light plot. We will look at and discuss the placement of lights. Key Light – Tools to make someone look as good as possible, when needed. What actually makes a “soft light” and no its not gel! Shadow pitfalls and reflection danger zones. Back Light – probably the 2nd most important light in your entire tool kit and my #1 favorite light to work with. We will also discuss lighting for scenery and lighting as scenery.
Breaking down the production design and pre-production planning, working with the producer, director, production designer, and talent. Probably the most important relationship throughout your entire career (outside of your department) will be the one with the Production Designer. We will break down many different set designs and then look at the final product.
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