What Are The Best Lights For Video Lighting?

If you’re a filmmaker, all of the different lighting options available to you for video production can quickly become overwhelming, not to mention expensive.

So what’s the best value option?

Learning how to use natural light and manipulate it with reflectors will go a long way, but lots of times, especially indoors, you need more firepower.

LED Lights

LED lights are the most versatile, affordable, and easy-to-use studio lights out there. They’re lightweight, they’re safe, and they’re battery-powered, so you don’t need to worry about power on set. LED light panels are on almost every modern set in some capacity.

Most LED lighting kits have adjustable brightness and color temperature from daylight to tungsten (which means they’re bi-color and dimmable), and some even have full RGB color programming.

Traditionally only available as panels, there are now some great spotlight-style LEDs on the market as well, which can be combined with softboxes, diffusers, gels, and barn doors to create soft light.

Uses

A high-quality LED lighting setup can provide a variety of functions for a filmmaker. LED panels can make a great key light, fill light, ring light, backlight, or edge light source, making a three-point lighting setup possible with a single LED video lighting kit and light stands. These days, almost any continuous lighting need can be filled with LEDs and LED bulbs.

Most kits come complete with stands and a built-in carrying bag to make transport easy.

Summary

LED lights aren’t perfect for lighting every single type of situation, but they’re easily the best budget and best video lights for the average filmmaker (beginner or expert), and can be easily found online at places like Amazon. Because of this, good lighting and advanced lighting effects are within reach for any filmmaker or videographer.

Kevin is the Music Director and Lead Composer at Filmpac.