Three-Point Lighting

• Before getting into advanced lighting techniques such as gels, practicals and special effects, it's important to know the absolute basics of illumination in video production. Whether you're shooting on film or digital video, for television or the silver screen, romance or adventure, three-point lighting is a great place to start.
  
  You'll need three lights: a key light, back light and fill light. The key light should be your strongest light, and will be positioned approximately 45 degrees to the subject's right or left. This will be your primary source of illumination, and should be placed whatever distance from your subject you find appropriate. Placing the key light too close to your subject will result in a washed-out appearance.
  
  The fill light should be positioned on the opposite side of your key light, also at a 45-degree angle. This will serve to fill any shadows left by the key light. The fill light should be somewhat dimmer than your key light, though if all of your lights are equally bright, you can simply place it farther away from you subject.
  
  Finally, the back light should shine on your subject from behind, and will serve to provide definition between the background and your subject.
  
  

Special Effects

• Once you have a basic three-point lighting setup in place, it's time to experiment with some special effects. Although the words "special effects" sometimes bring to mind high production values and soaring budgets, you can achieve a lot of simple effects for relatively little money.
  
  Colored gels provide an excellent way of creating a mood in your scene. These are simply plastic, colored filters that will slip into the frames in front of your lights. A red filter on your key light will provide the feeling of warmth. If you're shooting a scene and want the room to appear cold, a blue gel will do the trick. Combinations of different colored gels in various lights can achieve more complex moods and textures in your scene.
  
  Additional layers of complexity and realism can be achieved by simply removing one of the three-point lights and replacing it with a "practical," such as a lamp or fire. For example, if you're shooting a scene with a lamp in the near background, try removing the back light and leaving the lamp in the shot.