Getting the Lighting right for your Concert
Have you ever gotten your Concert video and it’s too dark in places, or parts of the stage are really bright while other parts are in dark shadow? Lighting for your Concert can be very frustrating, especially when it comes to the video.
Getting the lighting right will totally change not only the live experience but also make your parents happy because they can see their kids.
So having videoed dance concerts for over 20 years, working with many different venues and many different lighting operators here’s an attempt to give you some key points to help get the lighting right, and reduce the frustrations when you watch your concert video.
Even Wash
The first thing to talk to the venue about is to see if the lighting can be set up so you have a constant even wash of white light on the stage. It must be even in brightness all over. So that means the brightness on the edges, or the back of the stage must be the same as the centre of the stage. This wash must not be flashing, but can be turned up or down for different moods.
Once they have this then you can add the effects over the top, such as coloured lights, flashing lights, smoke effects and so on. If the base is there the whole time your video will show everyone’s faces clearly.
We have been working with Josh from Luminous Entertainment for several years now to perfect the balance between having great lighting for the video and a great live experience. At Action Dance’s Concert last year they nailed it. Have a look at some of the excerpts from the concert to see how good lighting will bring life to the performance.
Some venues don’t have their lights set up for an even wash, and you may need to ask to get this done before the show. If you are not sure, ask your video company to check the lighting before the show starts, and if possible make adjustments.
Sometimes people think you have to have it all really bright. That’s not the case at all, it’s the even wash that is important. A good videographer can adjust their exposure according to the brightness of the wash. However, if the lighting is uneven, or only coloured lights then you will have problems with the video.
What colours to use?
