How do you light a UGC video at home?

Why does lighting matter more than the camera for UGC?

Lighting decides whether the product and your face look like themselves, and a phone can't fix flat or muddy light afterwards.

A modern phone films sharp video, but in a dim room it brightens the picture by adding grain and smoothing detail, so a label turns soft and a texture shot loses what made it worth filming. Good light also keeps your UGC looking like an ordinary post rather than a studio advert, because it comes from the same windows and lamps the viewer has at home.

Before you buy anything, read the UGC equipment worth buying to start. Light is the cheapest thing to get right, since the window you need is already in the room. If you plan shoots in a two-column script, note the light for each shot in the column for what the camera sees.

How do you set up window light for a UGC video?

Stand or sit facing the window, with the phone between you and the glass, so the daylight falls straight onto your face and the product.

• Face the window, not away from it. With the window behind you, the phone exposes for the bright glass and your face goes dark.
• Move close enough that the light is soft on your face but far enough that one side isn't blown out. Shuffle a step at a time and watch the screen.
• If the sun comes straight in and throws hard shadows, hang a thin white sheet or a sheer curtain over the glass to soften it.
• Turn slightly so the window sits a little to one side of the phone. A small shadow on one cheek gives your face shape without hiding it.
• Film at the same time of day for every clip in a job, because daylight changes colour and strength over a few hours.

Tap your face on the screen to set focus and exposure, then lock it if your phone allows, so the brightness doesn't jump when you lift the product into frame.

What is mixed colour and how do you avoid it?

Mixed colour is two light sources of different colours in one shot, and you avoid it by switching off every light that isn't doing a job.

Daylight is cool and blue next to a warm ceiling bulb, which looks orange. When both hit you at once, one side of your face turns blue and the other orange, and no edit makes both look natural. The product suffers too: packaging the brand chose carefully can come out the wrong shade, which is the kind of thing that ends up in a revision note.

How do you light a UGC video at night with a lamp?

Use one lamp in front of you and slightly to one side, softened so it lights your face evenly instead of making a bright spot.

A desk lamp or floor lamp works if you aim it at a white wall or ceiling in front of you and let the bounce light you, which spreads it out. You can also hang a white tea towel or baking paper near the bulb, as long as it doesn't touch the hot part. Keep every other light off, so the lamp is the only colour in the room.

If you film a lot after dark, one small light made for video is worth more than any other purchase, because you control its brightness and colour. Pick it the same way you would pick a window: soft, in front of you, and the only light on.

What lighting mistakes should you check before you film?

Check for the light behind you, overhead light, mixed colour and reflections, because each one is easy to miss until you watch the clip back.

• Overhead light alone puts dark shadows under your eyes. Add light from the front, even if that means filming nearer a window.
• Shiny packaging can reflect the window or lamp as a white glare. Tilt the product slightly until the glare slides off the label.
• A screen or monitor behind you adds its own blue glow. Turn it off or out of frame.
• Glasses can catch the light. Raise the lamp a little or tilt your head until the reflection moves out of your lenses.

Film a short test, watch it on the phone at full brightness, then fix one thing at a time. If the brand wants clean, unedited clips, the guide to raw footage in UGC explains why good light at the shoot matters even more, and filming UGC on a phone so it looks good covers framing and sound once the light is right. Add the lighting for each clip to your shot list so every take in a job matches, and keep the brief open in case it names a look.