Best lighting for camera on a live stage

[Jayme McColgan]

Hey guys! What's your approach for lighting someone on stage for TV or brodcast

What level of CTB and diffusion do you use? Favorite fixtures?

The setup is a corporate conference type setup in a ballroom with flown lighting.

 

[robmerow]

Depending on your throw, I'd say 750w - 2000w fresnels with L203 and barndoors is a decent place to start. Front & back wash at the very least.

 

[JonCarter]

Second what Rob said. Key light: 2k Fresnel from 45 deg (say) left & 45 deg above, Fill light: 2k Fresnel from 30 deg (say) right & 30 deg above & flooded out, Back light: 2K Fresnel back 30 deg (say) right behind speaker (opposite key direction & high angle), Backing: 2K Fresnel @ flood on BG from wherever convenient. All w/same color temp lamps. Coordinate w/video operator for key/fill/back ratios (adjust key to fill to back intensities by flooding/spotting), let the video operator white balance on his grey card & trey scale.

 

[JonCarter]

And if you don't have the juice for 4 2k's, scale down proportionately.

 

[Judge]

Dont bother with CTB unless you are trying to balance with a discharge light source or daylight. You will just lose a stop of light. Go with open white and get cameras balanced to that. Light positions, good advice above. If anything, put a bit of 1/2 CTB in backlight just for a bit of cooler definition. But get WB off keylight.

 

[FMEng]

No dimming. Run the lights at full to avoid yellow shift.

 

[techieman33]

No dimming. Run the lights at full to avoid yellow shift.

If you do need to dim them you'll want to use neutral density gel, it will cut the output without having an effect on the color temperature.