PCI Videographer, Jason Fowler, On Lighting:

What is the easiest way to improve the lighting of a shot?  One of the easiest ways to improve the lighting of a shot is to control all of the lights in the room.  If you are in an office setting try to shut off all of the over head lights and light everything with a purpose.  You will be able to create flattering lighting for your subject, distinguish the subject from the background, and create some shadows and depth.  You will be able to transform a plain conference room into an interesting background or setting.

If you could only use one light what would it be?  The one light I always use is a Kino Flo Diva 400.  The Kino Flo Diva is a versatile light that can serve many functions.  It has everything you need for a key light; it is a soft source, has a built in dimmer and does not put off a lot of heat.  In addition, it can also serve as a back light and is a great source for shooting B-Roll.  Since it is a fluorescent light fixture it blends in well when shooting b-roll of many true life situations.  You can bounce it off a ceiling or just open the face up to brighten up any room.  Finally, one of the best features of the light is its ability to change the color temperature.  By changing out the tubes you can raise the color temperature to 56k and use it as a daylight balanced source.  This has helped eliminate the need for an expensive and heavy HMI in a lot of situations.

If you had to pick one lighting accessory to always have what is it?  It may sound silly, but the one lighting accessory to always have is a C-47, a.k.a. a clothes pin.  You can have all the gels, diffusion and black wrap in the world but unless you have some C-47s to hold them in place they are not worth much.  Clothes pins are so versatile and not just for pinning material to lighting fixtures.  You can use them to pick up hot objects such as a scrim out of a light; you can pin a person's clothing back to make them look more presentable and you can use them on a cookie to create more specific shadows on the background.

For Q & A with Jason or to share your own ideas on lighting join the discussion on our Facebook page.