Are you considering taking some fashion video to complement your photos? Here are some great tips by Kazu Okuda, a filmmaker who has produced videos for Nike, Vogue, and the MOMA. In the video, he shares how he lights, what the differences are between lighting a feature film and a fashion orientated video, and how to achieve it.
Frontal Key First
No side-lighting. Side-lighting otherwise known as Rembrandt lighting works for creating a mood in photography and feature films, but it doesn't translate well in fashion video. Light the important part of the video, the model, and the clothing.
Light for a Centralized Area
Fashion video is a lot more spontaneous and there is less "blocking" when shooting them. Stop down your lens to one stop smaller, so you give the model space to move without you losing focus. Leave some room for your model to move around.
Light for the Attitude of the Shoot
Is it happy or grungy. Are the colors darker, warmer, or more pastel. Is it a street brand or a high-end luxury brand you're shooting? Light for it.
Add a Catch-Light
He shows how to add catch-lights in the eyes by using a small LED light on top of his camera. It's smart and automatically adds some sparkle to the video.
Conclusion
These are practical tips you can use. I'm not saying I'm going to do exactly what he's mentioning, but it's good to know the rules for fashion videos before breaking them.
