New training DVD teaches news-magazine style interview lighting techniques for LED lights
EAST GREENWICH, RI, April,3rd, 2012 – Vortex Media, a trusted source of in-depth training for video professionals, has announced the release of a new interview lighting instructional DVD entitled: “How to Set up and Shoot Awesome Interviews with LED Lights.”
Presented by well-known instructor and Director of Photography, Doug Jensen, this 90-minute training video teaches both the fundamentals and advanced techniques of shooting excellent news-magazine style interviews — with an emphasis on utilizing the latest LED lighting technology.
Interviews are the foundation of video and television production, and are essential to almost every type of program. For today’s high definition productions, the quality of interview lighting is more critical than ever.
The lighting equipment choices available to TV and video professionals have expanded quite a bit in recent years, and Vortex Media’s research shows that more and more high-end crews are now replacing their tungsten and fluorescent lighting instruments with state-of-the-art LED lights. Jensen explains, “Now that there are several sizes of LED Fresnel lights available to use alongside the standard flat-panel LED lights, I am certain that LED lighting for interviews will quickly become the de-facto standard.”
The move to LED is inevitable, Jensen says, because “LEDs simply have too many benefits for professionals to ignore. I now light all my interviews with nothing but LED lights. My light kit, which consists entirely of instruments made by Litepanels®, allows me to work faster and more efficiently, haul around less gear, and, if I choose to, run all my lights on batteries. And unlike tungsten lights, LEDs generate virtually no heat so the talent and crew stay nice and cool. However, as great as LEDs are, you can’t just use them like other lights and expect to get impressive results. ”
In “How to Set up and Shoot Awesome Interviews with LED Lights” Jensen not only presents viewers with the proven interview lighting principles that he has used throughout his 30 year career in television production, he also demonstrates new techniques and methods for getting great results with LEDs.
Topics include:
- Selecting the right types of lights
- The advantages of LEDs have over tungsten and fluorescent
- How to select a suitable shooting location
- The most effective ways to position the camera and talent
- Techniques for minimizing depth-of-field regardless of type of camera
- Multi-point lighting setups
- Creative use of white balance for better skin tones
- How to determine the proper exposure
- How to create a pleasing composition
- Proven ways to make the talent look their best
- And much more
Jensen’s first interview lighting instructional DVD, released in 2006, “How to Setup, Light, and Shoot Great Looking Interviews”, broke new ground by going beyond typical three-point lighting and addressing all the elements that are required for shooting great interviews.
“How to Set up and Shoot Awesome Interviews with LED Lights” has a suggested list price of $60 and is available direct from VortexMedia.com and many video/film equipment resellers worldwide. To see an online preview trailer, please go to: www.vortexmedia.com/DVD_LEDDVD.html
About Doug Jensen:
Doug Jensen is the owner of Vortex Media, a cameraman, producer, director, editor, consultant and trainer with over 30 years of video production and post-production experience. Jensen combines his extensive production experience with his teaching skills to bring a wide-ranging, real-world perspective to his independent DVD workshops and live seminars. As a member of Sony’s Independent Certified Experts (I.C.E.) team he has taught high-definition XDCAM classes for Sony around the world. Each summer he teaches several courses on lighting, directing, and camera operation at Maine Media Workshops. Doug owns several cameras, including a Sony PMW-F3, PDW-F800, NEX-FS100, PMW-EX1, and Nikon SLRs.
In recent years he has directed and produced several popular training DVDs and books including: “Vortex Media’s PDW-700 & PDW-F800 Field Guide”, “Mastering the Sony PMW-F3”, “Mastering the Sony PMW-EX1”, “HandsOnHDV: A Complete Guide to the Z1U and FX1,” “A Guide to Shooting with the Sony XDCAM HD F350/F330 Camcorders,” and “How to Setup, Light, & Shoot Great Looking Interviews.” His credits and clients include: NBC News, ABC News, CBS News, Fox News, CNN, PBS, BBC, NHK, EBU, TNT, Discovery, ESPN, E!, A&E, HGTV, WGBH, Food Network, NASCAR Images, MLB Productions, Travel Channel, History Channel, Sundance Channel, and NBA Entertainment.
