Lighting: the basics BBC Academy

This is the first of a four-part series of films that explain the purpose and positioning of the key light, the fill light and the back light in a traditional interview setup.

Its positioning has a big effect on how your interviewee looks. If you position it close to your interviewee's eyeline nearly all of their face will be lit. Moving the key away from the eyeline introduces more shadow onto the face.

Moving the fill closer to the subject lightens the shadows while moving it away makes them darker.

Separating your subject from the background gives your picture a more three dimensional look. The back light is usually placed behind the subject or diagonally opposite the key light.

He looks at how distance affects your lighting, how to use the spot/flood control and how gels can change the look of your lighting.

He covers which stand to choose based on the size of your lamp, he looks at the health and safety of using stands and the best method to keep crew safe.