One bit of technology that’s impressive is new LED production lighting. Everyone is familiar with LED (Light Emitting Diode) in one way or another. For years it was used for small indicator lights on all kinds of electronics and appliances. Only within the last 5-8 years, however, has LED become a serious alternative to traditional incandescent and tungsten lighting. LED fixtures are now being used in architectural spaces (offices, commercial, etc.), residences, and theatrical applications. And now LED is being used in video and film production lighting.

There are several advantages to LED that should cause any production company to take a serious look at using it for their next project.

Fewer Watts Used – Video and film production crews are accustomed to using fixtures that use high wattages in order to get the proper picture exposure. 650w, 300w, 1000w are common for interior locations. For exteriors one might see 1200w, 2000w, and even 5000w. However, LED production fixtures use much less wattage, but will emit an equal amount of light. So, instead of using 650w, an LED equivalent might use 80w.

Fewer Circuits Needed – One of the considerations that must be made while shooting on location is knowing how to patch in all of your lights to avoid overloading one circuit. This can be especially dicey when working in older buildings. LED production lighting features DMX control, which allows the gaffer to daisy chain several fixtures together, then load all of those fixtures into one outlet.

Daylight and Indoor Color Temperatures – If the video production crew is set up for an exterior location with a light kit consisting mainly of indoor-balanced lamps, the gaffer must compensate for this difference in color temperature by placing gel over all of the indoor-balanced lights. This is quick and easy to do, but you also lose light output in the process. For exterior shoots, this loss of light could be unacceptable for the Director of Photography. You could use a fluorescent light bank with interchangeable daylight and indoor bulbs, but this might not give you the punch you need for exterior applications. LED production lights can come with interchangeable arrays, so you can quickly change from interior to exterior color temperatures without sacrificing light output.

No Heat – Every production light we have ever worked with, even a small 300w fresnel, produces an enormous amount of heat. That’s due to the infrared wave lengths that are emitted when the light is working. Up to ninety percent of a 2000w fresnel output may be heat. Once a shoot wraps, grips must either wear gloves when handling the lights, or wait until they cool down. This is why television studios are kept at a very cool temperature. LEDs, by contrast, produce almost no heat, because they operate with far less wattage than traditional tungsten sources. Think of the energy savings for production and TV studios. Less wattage means a reduction in energy consumption. Less heat from the light fixtures means that a studio doesn’t have to cool the studio as much, resulting in a significant reduction in utility costs.

Retrofit options are also available for studios who have a large inventory of fixtures.

There are several good reasons for using LED in video production. In the coming months and years this technology will continue to have an impact on the lighting industry.

• Start out small. Video is more expensive to produce than written content so don’t try to bite off more than your advertising budget can chew. If you start out small and invest just enough to get you up and running you can easily see what works and what doesn’t work. Then, as you familiarize yourself with the process and you work out the kinks in your format, you can begin to invest more and more into the production and post-production of your videos.
• If you have a variety of video content than spans different themes, think about organizing this content into playlists or channels, to help viewers find what they’re looking for.
• Think about creating regularly scheduled programming so your viewers know when to expect newly released content. Much like a TV schedule, you can set up to release videos on theme #1 on Mondays, while Theme #2 is released on Friday. The more familiar your audience becomes with the schedule and with the on-camera talent, the more they will begin to relate to you, your people, your brand, and your topics.
• Video is an extension of your brand. It’s another way you can reach your potential customer. But remember that the quality, the format, and the value of the content will ultimately reflect back on your brand and will effect how the public perceives you. Think out your video strategy carefully and be diligent to produce the best possible content you can.

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The process of producing a video is more fluid and flexible. If you find yourself working with a video production company for the first time, this is an important distinction to make. You shouldn’t worry if the initial edit of your video isn’t quite what you wanted, because that particular cut is NOT the final version. Changes can always be made.

We, like many other video production companies, will always submit a rough cut to our clients to see if our approach to the project matches the client’s vision. So, don’t hesitate to tell the video production team what you like or don’t like about the edit. Give them your feedback. Ask questions. If there are certain things you would like to change, mention that to them and (most of the time), those changes can be made.

Video production is a collaborative process. Our job is to ensure that our clients are happy with the videos we produce for them. Nothing is set in stone until the client approves what he/she sees on screen. Post-production is a flexible, fluid, ongoing process, so don’t panic if you see something that isn’t quite right. Sit down with the producer and/or director and open up the lines of communication so everyone remains on the same page.

The concept for each video was basic: interview the partners and give them the opportunity to discuss the firm and its philosophy. Then, shoot b-roll throughout the office and use the acquired footage to create three brief videos for use on the web. We spent one half-day on location shooting each interview and capturing b-roll.

The first video centered on the firm as a whole – the history, overall mission, and what makes them unique. The second video deals more with the specifics of how they approach each case, and the third video provides the viewer with advice on what to do if they find themselves injured in a serious accident.

The video below is the Wininger Law Firm overview video.

As a regular user of social media, I recognize the value it can have to SEO. Tools like Twitter and Facebook are additional spokes in the wheel that can drive additional traffic back to a website. Therefore, I like to keep my contacts updated on the projects we are working on. I might write a blurb about our recent work in our e-newsletter, or post behind-the-scenes pictures to our Facebook page.

If you find yourself working with a video production company, the contract needs to state explicitly what can/cannot be shared during the course of production. I have a clause in our contract which allows me to promote the work in various ways to help market my business. However, that particular clause deals specifically with the final, completed video. Posting pictures, videos, etc. online while the project is still in production is a separate matter and should be clarified between the video production company and the client before the job begins.

My clients do not have issues with me posting behind-the-scenes content to my various online accounts, but usually they ask me to wait until after the video is complete or after the video has been posted/exhibited/distributed. Every client-production company relationship will be different, but in the era of social media where everything is instant, policies regarding video production and social media should be addressed early so that serious problems don’t occur later.

If you find yourself conducting interviews for your next video project, here are two things to keep in mind, which should help in your next interview setting.

The most important thing is to make your subject feel comfortable. Always tell your subject is that it is okay to mess up. Remind him/her that everything he/she says will be edited. Your subject needs to know that it’s okay if he/she stumbles or loses his/her train of thought. It’s just par for the course. Those things will happen. If your subject understands that he/she will not ruin the entire video will a verbal misstep, it helps increase his/her comfort level and confidence. And that will help your subject appear more natural on camera.

However, as a follow-up to this first point, you should always make sure that the subject regains composure before continuing. This will help you when you are in the edit suite, putting your video together. For example, if the subject flubs a line and starts laughing as a result and then goes back to what he/she was saying while still chuckling, you won’t have a good point on which to edit. Your final video will have a sound bite that (for some reason inexplicable to the viewer) begins with someone laughing. Have your subject regain composure, get settled, and pause for just a moment before continuing.

Observing these two points will really help improve the quality of your interviews, because you will capture clean audio of a subject who is comfortable, natural, and confident.

• It provides the viewer with context.
• It helps to explain concepts and ideas.
• It offers up visual variety.
• It holds an audience’s interest.

Despite its importance to the production, it’s amazing to me how so many people are willing to rush through the process of capturing b-roll. Shooting b-roll can’t become an afterthought. It needs to be an integral part of the shooting day. Here are a few things that need to happen to ensure that you capture great b-roll for your next project.

• Work it into the schedule. Give yourself and your production crew enough time in the day to set up, light, and shoot b-roll. The last thing you want is to rush around during the last hour of the day, trying to cross all the items off of your shot list. And that leads me into my next point…
• Create a shot list for your b-roll. Don’t wait until you get to the location to try and figure out exactly what you want to shoot for your b-roll. You will end up with a lot of footage that just won’t fit into your story. And that leads me into my final point…
• Make your b-roll relevant. Don’t just shoot the building because you think the architecture looks cool. B-roll should compliment and enhance the subject of your story. It should relate to what’s being said, either by those on camera, or the narrator.

B-roll can become a very stale and unoriginal aspect to a video, if not thought out properly. Or, it can be a visually striking element to the production and round out the story like nothing else. Its success or failure depends on how much attention to detail you give to the process during pre-production and production.