How I did camera and lighting (cinematography)

Published on October 18, 2016

Cinematography & Filmmaking

Camera, Cinematography, Lighting

Last weekend was super fun. The local production company Flashbackx hired me for the cinematography for a promotional video about a train museum in Belgium. In this video we show some behind the scene footage together with several tips on the camera work and lighting.

Productions like these have to be prepared well. We visited the location several times and created the storyboard in the museum. With a small DSLR camera we shot the takes we needed. Then we edited those rough handheld clips to create a general idea of what the result will look like. It was the first time we’ve done it that way and honestly I believe I’ll be doing that more in the future. When you’re not a good drawer or have trouble visualizing a place you haven’t seen much, then this is a great way to create your storyboard.

We had two shooting days, so we limited our self to 15 shots per day. It might not seem much, but it is! We started everyday at 8 AM and worked straight until 6PM. The less shots you have, the more you can fine-tune them with lighting and special camera moves.

If you like to add a certain emotion or mood to your scene, you need to calculate at least 20 minutes to prepare your shot. In the video we show how we created color contrast with soft warm key light and hard cold back light. Making sure we accomplish the right effect and that no lighting or stands are in the shots.