Shoutout to the tour guide who called out my video lighting setup in Savannah

I was filming B-roll inside this old studio space in Savannah last month and a tour guide walked right up to me. He said my key light was too harsh for the exposed brick walls and told me to bounce it off the ceiling instead. I tried it and the whole room looked way more natural in like 30 seconds. It made me realize how many small studios just blast light everywhere without thinking about the environment. Has anyone else gotten a random tip from a non-creative that actually improved their workflow?

2 comments

2 Comments

elliot_harris257d ago

A guy at the hardware store once told me my gaffer tape was going to ruin my backdrop stand because it leaves residue. He was buying PVC pipes and just dropped that wisdom on me like it was nothing. Totally right though, now I only use paper tape on anything that isn't metal. Kind of embarrassing that a random dude in an orange apron knows more about gear maintenance than I do after five years of shooting. Made me wonder if I should just start asking strangers for advice instead of watching YouTube tutorials.

hugo377d ago

Nah, hard disagree with you there @elliot_harris25. Gaffer tape leaves way less residue than paper tape if you pull it off quick, and hardware store guys are just guessing half the time.