Thank you for the input, isn't it always funny how it seems like lights can look fake when they're really just the lights that are there?

One thing I had wished after i looked at it, was that the light hadn't quite sliced through the back of her head like it did, I probably should have just dropped another light across behind her, in general.

Oh Well, Quick = sloppy (most of the time).

Dave

I wish you could come here and light what I'm shooting today. I am being interviewed by a Chicago sports station. They can't send a crew to California, so I've volunteered to answer their questions on camera and they'll intercut it with the questions. I have a lighting kit that was purchased by my father in 1935 that I'll be using (honest, this is the truth). I understand the basic three light setup for an interview, and have done it before, but I always envy what you pros can do. There is a sense of artistry with light I see in most stuff posted here that I just plain don't have.

It will be interesting to see if they use it.

As to your shot, I rather liked the idea of using the accent lights. It made it feel less like a studio shot.

First I like it.

Desk lamp: use a dimmer or smaller wattage bulb. You see a hot spot on the
shade.
Twinkle in her eyes: fantastic!
Font: too big. On a waveform monitor is it same overall level as subject?
I like it to be less important it distracts the viewer's attention.
Don't want the banner to fly up and hit subject in face, I hope no motion.
Couch on right: move it out of the way, too dark. Let the light falloff from the
paneling.
Overall lighting: bounce a light off ceiling to lighten scene up a TINY amount.
Contrast is good as sets mood.

ditto on dimmer on lamp - way too hot - out of everything, my eye first goes to the hotspot on the wall behind her.

possibly a pattern on background, breaks up the blah wall -

lower third doesn't work for this - font is way to large (and plain) and title should be a bit smaller maybe italicized - I'd suggest a color other than grey - maybe from the palette in the frame. maybe some transparency to the lower third graphic too.

shot is too wide. Unless you've got text / graphics coming in on camera right, I would move in much closer on her - make her the subject of the frame. It almost looks like it could be framed for a two-shot.

lamp also looks like the shade is poking her in the head.

small areas are tough though. hard to work with sometimes.

I think it will look fine if you have different Shots to Cut to.
This particular shot to me seems that their should be a bit more Ambient light to show the wood grains and couch patterns... just because it is so wide. As it stands, it looks really Dark & Sad. (this may be what you're going for) If it were a bit Tighter to where I couldn't see the furniture it wouldn't matter.

All in all though... I think it will work especially well when cut with other Shots (CU's & B-Roll)
-Hopefully this isn't the only Framing/Shot you have.

When I do interviews I tend to Push - Pull when I'm asking the Question so that I always have a different shot to cut to. If I'm just the Cam Op and not asking the questions I will do slow Push - Pulls during certain answers. Seems to evoke emotion & helps to keep the piece moving as often times Interviewees are a bit Boring.

Lots of good input guys ( don't think I can dim the bulbs in that lamp though, i don't even know, it's not mine :D ). I think this was done in about 10 min for set up, just one big soft box light on the right moved close enough that I thought it was going to light and bounce off the wall some. Lamp was there, and I remembered what someone said to me about how they like to see the light source in the shot to allow people to know where the light is being generated by. So, while it's quintessential 1987 interview, I just grabbed the lamp that was right there and tossed it behind the subject (she moved over during the shoot and impaled herself which I didn't catch until I already had the good take) and hit one of the bulbs in it and while I knew it was a bit hot, the whole thing was done in a hurry.

Great stuff guys - keep em coming - I'm always a fan of hearing what folks like/don't or think / don't about the lighting - I mean light is all we're recording, so it's a good thing to get right :) .

Dave

Do you have other different Framings or is this the Only shot throughout the interview?
Is your interview cut with B-Roll?
What's the Topic?
How long is it?

Dave, as already pointed out earlier framing the shot is critical, but also is the content, ie. secondary content of the scene. Complex color patterns in the background or in the corners can draw viewers focus away from the subject at the wrong time. ;) You can in post add a soft blur or soften the colors on the corners if you can not remove items directly or roto them out .

But what really matters in a closed viewing is that client is happy with the shoot regardless is it too busy, etc.... ;-)

Hey Sync,

It's just a short informational/promotional 60-90 sec, video with plenty of B-Roll/cutaway. It's low budget, which is why I didn't spend more than 6 hours from shooting through delivery on the project. Client was very pleased, as always. I do a lot of different work for the group that hired me to do this vid.

I pretty much specifically market myself here to non-profits within the Metro area - pays less, but I like to put the talents I have to work on things that make a difference to something more than my wallet. Not that I don't do other work as well, but having gone to school for sales and marketing, and been in photo/video for the last 13 years, (professionally for the last 10 or so), I have a wide enough range of talents, that I can fill the needs of these groups at a cost they can afford while getting a product that hits within quality requirements.

Dave

Dave,

In terms of a video, my first priority is to assess the purpose of the video and then to do everything possible to concentrate on producing a video that meets that goal to the fullest.

So, if it is an interview, the audience wants to hear what the person has to say and concentrate on that and form an opinion about that person. My considerations in terms of the lighting and composition are:

1. Does the lighting flatter or detract?

She looks great to my eyes. No harsh contrast for dramatic (artistic) effect at the expense of the video's purpose. I can see her eyes (very important). Her skin tone looks nice.

Nice job Dave.

2. Is the focus entirely on the subject?

The lamp shouldn't be in the shot in my opinion. It is a distraction.

John

A scene close to a back wall is always a tough lighting. You need more distance...

I like the natural character of the lighting on your subject.

Maybe a simple heavy frost may have been installed inside the lamp to avoid the inelegant hotspot. ?

Some very good points brought out here

I agree with the text being too big you need the neg space around the type so that it becomes an easy read
I am busy with a project that has the type butted top and bottom on transparent panels the transparency is great but not the butting of text it looks claustrophobic

The lamp shape is like a giant arrow taking your eye out of the scene or a sharp thing poking the subject in the head….remove it
And a difficult one already mentioned cutting the arms off

This is being very critical but that’s what makes us better

But the lighting is great something I battle with so good job

Practicals can be dimmed with a small pocket-size dimmer unless they use typical fluorescents (which can be replaced with the tungsten bulb you have in your other pocket :O).

The shade poking the subject doesn't affect just the visual. It also affects the subject emotionally (even if they can't see it). That is Feng Shui 101, and I have had opportunity to confirm this many times.

There is a reason most of the world's largest companies, including top U.S. corporations, use Feng Shui (discreetly) at their headquarters especially. It is one of three factors that determine the success of any human enterprise, the other two being natural (but predictable) cycles over time and strength of will.

I can't comment technically and will defer to the more experienced videographers here. But I do have some preferences'.

Her face looks flat to me so I would move the light to more of an angle (right in this case). This would just give a bit more relief to her face. The light also looks cold where the rest of the light in the room is warm. Perhaps a slight amber gel on your main light just to give a more warm light to match the room.

Another option to the lamp in the background is to move it up if possible. This would get the shade out the frame and light the background more. This could possibly prevent needing the dimmer on the table lamp.

The text on the lower third is too large.

This is not really a critique as I always have trouble doing light for video but just an overall impression. Good job though as I know all this is easier said than done!

Dave,

Are you familiar with Blackwrap? It's black aluminum foil, you can use to control light. You can put right close to a light source without it catching fire. You could have put it in the back of the lamp shade and that would have let the light fall on her hair, while keeping it off the wall. Your softlight probably would have been enough to light the background. Or if completely blocking the light would be too much, you could poke/cut small holes in the foil and make interesting shadow patterns, while keeping the light down. That works well to if you have diffusion on the inside of the foil. You can reuse it too. For guerrilla filming like this where you don't have a full light package, it's very useful.

If you're doing a lot of shooting, it might be useful to get some for your kit. Some film quality diffusion too.