[4/6] Lighting tutorial: Learn how to mount your spotlights on stands

Knowing how to light your work is important. If you know where to place your spotlights, you're well on your way to making superb corporate videos. But what if your lighting system breaks down? Do you really want to pay for new LED panels? Don't worry, the customer success manager, Boris, is in the place.

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Breaking an LED panel means two things:

1. We need to buy a new one.
2. It was poorly attached to the tripod.

You know Boris, the man who trains you in lighting to enhance your corporate films. This time he doesn't explain anything about lighting per se, but focuses on the question of installation. The aim is to save you money on spotlights by installing your lights correctly on the tripods designed to prevent accidents.

1. Safety is important ‍♂️

The first step before opening your tripod is to choose the right location. The main area anyway. It doesn't matter if you don't get it right the first time, as you'll probably have to move it once you've got video feedback. Bear in mind, however, that you shouldn 't move it once the projector has been attached to it, as these are not easily handled objects once assembled.

We can't stress this enough: fasten your seatbelt and tighten the screws on your LED panels. Because, yes, a seatbelt can save as many lives in the car as a well-tightened screw can save headlamps. It's up to you to make sure, before you reach for your smartphone to shout "ACTION!", that there's no play between the lyre - the base used to screw the panel - and the tripod rod. Also, spread each leg as far apart as possible to optimize weight distribution. This will ensure that your masterpiece is firmly anchored to the ground.

2. Top tips

Of course, Boris mentions one or two. But once your light is where you want it, there are still a few parameters to consider if you want to make life easier.

We recommend that you orientone of the three feet in the same direction as your projector. The main movements you'll make with your equipment are likely to be limited to moving it forwards or backwards to work the intensity on the speaker's face. LED panels are equipped with dimmers, but this is rarely the case with other light sources. By matching the tripod axis to the beam axis, you reduce the chances of tilting it to the side pointed by the latter.

You can also save yourself a hellish battle with the projector plug. After all, it's unlikely to hold, given the weight of the power supply to which it's connected. Nothing could be simpler. As Boris has already demonstrated, you can wrap your cable around one of the tripod's butterflies. It's a bit like relocating the weight of the power supply to the knot you've made.

If you're still having trouble setting up your lights for any reason, you're welcome to ask your questions in the comments. Ciao!

While you're waiting to get back to your creations, take a look at the other EasyMovie tutorials: 

Assembly glossary

Chromatic transition 

The close-up