Introduction to Video Lighting – New MZed Course by Ollie Kenchington is Available Now

by Mascha DeikovaJanuary 17^th, 2025

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We filmmakers work with a two-dimensional medium, just as painters and photographers do. Yet, we always endeavor to break the flat surface and make our visual stories immersive and engaging for viewers. One of the tools to achieve this is by designing light accordingly. In his newly launched MZed course “Introduction to Video Lighting,” Ollie Kenchington shows how lighting helps to achieve depth, support shot composition, and create an emotional response in viewers.

Ollie Kenchington is a seasoned filmmaker from the UK. His area of expertise spans everything from producing commercials to editing documentaries. With his company, Korro Films collaborates with major international clients like BBC, Netflix, Canon, and Apple. Apart from this, Ollie is a senior colorist, and as you probably know, lighting and color go hand in hand: Knowledge in one area enhances results in the other.

Introduction to Video Lighting: the goal

The goal of the “Introduction to Video Lighting” workshop is not to go through the technical specifications of each existing fixture or explore every nook and cranny of how lighting works. Instead, Ollie Kenchington shares his personal approach, providing a reliable foundation you can always fall back on, no matter the type of video scene you need to light. (Then, as the classic saying goes: Once you know the rules, you can break them).

This approach includes three major pillars: Depth, Composition, and Emotion. That’s where Ollie always starts.

Depth and how to achieve it

As a sneak peek into the course materials, let’s take a longer look at the topic of depth. Ollie Kenchington shows the class two pictures and asks the attendees about these forms.

Workshop participants respond with confidence: a circle and a sphere. And what would be your answer? Ollie smiles: Wrong. Both are circles, as they are situated on a two-dimensional medium. However, we learn at a very early age how to perceive visual cues, and it becomes part of our visual language. In the instance above, we know that shading on one side of a circle indicates that it represents a sphere. Thus, the contrast of light and shadow helps to achieve three-dimensionality even on a flat surface.

Painters have used this technique for ages. No wonder the classic concept of Chiaroscuro lighting comes from them and was popularized by Da Vinci and Caravaggio long ago. We apply it nowadays as well in photography and filmmaking. Creating clear contrast by using light and shadow suggests volume to our on-screen objects, and the quality of this contrast is the key to creating depth.

Ollie explains in the workshop that one of the biggest mistakes many beginning filmmakers make is adding too much light to create exposure and, therefore, eliminating all the shadows. But we need depth. Depth adds to the image immersion. It helps viewers believe what they see is real and connects with characters, places, and themes.

Other modules of Introduction to Video Lighting

The “Introduction to Video Lighting” course on MZed.com includes six modules with a total length of over one hour. Each lesson is part of a practical workshop, where Ollie Kenchington not only breaks down lighting examples from major films and his own practice but also shows small tips and tricks on how to set the light.

Here’s a brief overview of what you will learn in this course:

• The term “lighting design” and how to base your choices on three main pillars: Depth, Composition, and Emotion;
• The concepts of Chiaroscuro lighting and the Rembrandt triangle, including useful tips on shaping a beautiful nose shadow and adding a lively catch light to the eye;
• How to set your key, fill, and backlight in different scenarios, including a podcast shoot with multiple participants and cameras;
• The most common mistakes in lighting that filmmakers make when they are starting out;
• The compositional idea of lighting and science-based tricks that help to draw the viewer’s attention to specific areas or elements in the shot;
• The emotional impact the lighting can create and how to use it to enhance your storytelling.
  

Pricing

You can buy The “Introduction to Video Lighting” for $29.00 and own it forever. Or you can subscribe to MZed Pro and watch this course immediately as part of the MZed Pro subscription. If you are not an MZed Pro user yet, we highly recommend you consider becoming one.

What else do you get with MZed Pro?

As an MZed Pro member, you can access hundreds of hours of filmmaking education. Plus, we’re constantly adding more courses (several are in production right now).

Starting at just $29/month (billed at $349 in the first year, $199 from the second year, or billed monthly at $49), here’s what you’ll get:

• 60+ courses, over 800+ high-quality lessons.
• Highly produced courses from educators with decades of experience and awards, including a Pulitzer Prize and an Academy Award.
• Unlimited access to stream all content during the 12 months.
• Offline download and viewing with the MZed iOS app.
• Discounts to ARRI Academy online courses, exclusively on MZed.
• Most of our courses provide an industry-recognized certificate upon completion.
• Purchasing the courses outright would cost over $9,500.
• Course topics include cinematography, directing, lighting, cameras and lenses, producing, indie filmmaking, writing, editing, color grading, audio, time-lapse, pitch decks, and more.
• 7-day money-back guarantee if you decide it’s not for you (on annual billing only).

Full disclosure: MZed is owned by CineD.
Join MZed Pro now and start watching today!

And what about you? What approach do you use for lighting your videos? Which pillars would you add to the trio: depth, composition, emotion? Share your ideas with us in the comments below!