What lights do I need to film a professional corporate video?

It entirely depends on your location: between no lights, a light to highlight the face or the classic three point lighting setup technique.

Let’s break it down.

Every corporate film is different.

As a videographer in Nottingham (UK), I believe that British corporate videos are often realistic looking and straight to the point – American corporate films (more often) are highly saturated and love a bright, clean look. Editors can do their best with colours, exposure settings and Luts but lighting makes all the difference.

No professional lighting?

You don’t need lights to film every corporate video! Perhaps you are shooting outside in the day, in a super bright office space or have a range of lamps available.

If you have one day till you film and don’t have a professional videographer like myself, or any lights at all – why not film it outside? Is it raining? A park or garden is a lovely setting!

A corporate video is about presenting the client how they should be perceived and making sure they get their point across. Lighthearted, clinical, spooky, inspirational – match the energy!

One – two professional lights.

This is my go to, I talk more about my own at the bottom of this article. For interviews in decently lit office spaces, you should never need more than one or two lights. It’s important to use the space and the lights available to have control over the best look. Remember, corporate videos don’t need to look like staged adverts. A natural look is great!

The Three Point Lighting Setup

Three point lighting is commonly used in film and TV. Your average mid shots of characters and interview shots are commonly lit this way! Back lights, key lights and fill lights..
It’s not an essential practice, but you must know the rules before breaking them!

It’s a lot simpler to watch a video about 3 point lighting than it is to read a blog post! I recommend watching this quick old video:

What do I do with my video lighting?

With my corporate filming work, I like to bring just one light with me. It’s an Amaran 60xS. I have the ability to utilize a three point lighting setup but it’s often overkill in bright office spaces and my ethos with filming interviews is to make sure every interviewee is as comfortable as possible. A crazy amount of video kit is not reassuring for a nervous speaker and sometimes it’s the little things that boost the performance. Smile when asking questions, reassure them we can retake answers, have a laugh and don’t shine three huge lights in their face!

It entirely depends on my setup where the light is placed. If it’s a bright room and background exposure looks different to the subject, I may light the face from afar with an umbrella to soften. This usually brightens their eyes and creates a homely yet clean look. You have to be careful not to go overkill as to not create a ‘torch effect’. If the difference is so subtle that it’s only a little brighter – that’s the sweet spot!

If I’m filming in a dark room, I may opt for a three point lighting setup or ask to film somewhere else. It always depends on what room lights they have available. In a corporate video, I want the audience to feel familiar and welcome in their space. This is why I don’t recommend turning their lights off to creating a cinematic look with your own lights – unless the topic is murder or something super dramatic!

Let’s get back to the light I use..

I recommend my Amaran 60xS. Here’s why I use it:

It’s light enough to hold.
It’s strong enough to survive a small fall.
It has colour temperature options (brilliant to get accuracy on a tight timeframe).
It has brightness options (essential for someone who often doesn’t have time to apply different filters).
It supports both V-Lock batteries & phantom power (outdoor, indoor, moving – no problem).