Elevate your footage with top-down lighting!

We take a look at some simple top down lighting techniques using the Godox KNOWLED F200Bi LED panel. This is one my my favourite LED panels and super easy to rig in all sorts of places - we'll also take a quick look at how it compares to the Amaran F22c.
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CHAPTERS
00:00 - Intro
00:48 - Bathroom lighting setup
03:34 - Creating the dark abyss lighting setup
06:07 - Motivating the light with a window
09:31 - Motivating the light with practical lamps
11:17 - What I like about the Godox KNOWLED F200Bi

[@EdProsser]

Get 10% off this light here: www.essentialphoto.co.uk/products/knowled-f200bi-flexible-led-mat/edprosser With code: EDPROSSER

[@EdProsser]

Check out my latest lighting tutorial: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oXnVXpuVndlpY5Y

[@hellionfilms2349]

Ed, I still come back to this video since the first time I saw it, and it's helped me loads - your content is top notch mate!

[@EdProsser]

Thanks man, this vid seemed to be a surprise hit! Cooked up during a very quiet period at the start of the year.

[@georgec89]

Rembrandt would be proud of you with that kiss on the cheek with the light! You are doing a great job!

[@EdProsser]

a kiss on the cheek a day to keep the shadows away!

[@siddharajk]

Thanks, I am going to and recreate these with my phone, a pocket led panel light and some diy light🔥🔥🔥

[@EdProsser]

Good luck! Practice makes perfect!

[@joenicklo]

Good looking shots. Every time I use an LED light mat on a shoot, it makes me want to pick one up to become a permanent part of my lighting kit.

[@EdProsser]

These are great, prefer it over the Amaran f22c and it's been coming out in all my shoots since they sent it to me, which I guess is the best endorsement it can get.

[@joenicklo]

@@EdProsseronce I’ve got my 600D x2 setup, this is next!

[@EdProsser]

@@joenicklo nice! currently looking into getting a high output light, 600d is probably going to be the one

[@codylarosa]

Thanks Ed grateful to have people like you on YT sharing vaulable info and resources.

[@EdProsser]

I appreciate that! Jan is always quiet - so a good time to knock out some lighting tests!

[@mattm7426]

Nice shots man 😎

[@Tahusaco]

Really love how you do all different setups!

[@EdProsser]

Glad you like it!

[@danielboulton922]

loving your work Ed. lots of really practical and useful tips!

[@EdProsser]

Thanks man

[@ethanormeo]

Bro your colors are incredible. Love you work!!

[@EdProsser]

thanks man, had a lot of fun making this one

[@BrendonKPadjasek]

love your videos man. Always learn a new technique or way of thinking

[@EdProsser]

Ah I'm so glad! This was a really fun one to make

[@decarlismadison369]

Awesome work !!!

[@EdProsser]

Thanks!

[@EdmundElijah]

This is the most inspiring video that you've put out.

[@EdProsser]

Thanks man! I enjoyed making this one

[@GideonNtxbeni]

Your Work is impressive, clean , cinematic and inspirational.

[@EdProsser]

Thanks for checking out the vid!

[@jamesroyall4088]

Love these images mate! Really like the bts so we can see how it's done and what barriers you worked around.

[@EdProsser]

Thanks for checking it out James! Had a lot of fun experimenting with these setups during the usual quiet January lull in work

[@rogrdotnet]

Lovely images, this can be achieved by bashing a spotlight or leko in to a white ceiling or bounce as well.

[@EdProsser]

It can indeed!

[@kevinciotta]

love to see your content! great inspo. Loved the macro shots with the black background!! cheers

[@EdProsser]

Thanks! Yeah I loved how well it turned out, such a simple setup!

[@kaizammit]

I really enjoyed this! Great little setups too and you've made me want to get an extra light for the kit room, thanks!👍

[@EdProsser]

Thanks! I've started taking it out on professional shoots now and love it.

[@darenvaldezvisuals]

Great Video!

[@stephantuta5534]

You’re the best man ! Thank you for sharing this

[@EdProsser]

No worries, hope it helps!

[@evayap_]

really beautiful practical applications!

[@EdProsser]

Glad you like them!

[@driftingTales2]

That's some top quality shots brother ❤

[@EdProsser]

Thanks ✌

[@Axel.Hernandez]

subscribed. great work!

[@essexvisualarts]

Another great video Ed, really useful info regarding ‘the dark abyss’ section! I'll be sharing this with my DP on the short horror film I mentioned🙌

[@EdProsser]

Good to hear, hope it's useful!

[@RobinSeifert]

Great lighting tips! Really great shots you created there. :)

[@EdProsser]

Thanks for checking the vid out!

[@jondoeslifestuff]

Ed! Really impressed with these scenes! Explained in a simple way so I can go practice! F200 Bi is looking sweet *french kiss*

[@EdProsser]

I really love this panel - it's very quick and easy to rig - they've got a few diff sizes as well

[@zacharydavis6736]

Dying to know if you meant chefs kiss?

[@jondoeslifestuff]

@@zacharydavis6736 we roll with it now!

[@EdProsser]

French chefs kiss

[@williamrodrigueez]

Very helpful bro thanks you

[@NostalgiaDigitalFilm]

this so informative! thank you!

[@EdProsser]

You're welcome!

[@NostalgiaDigitalFilm]

@@EdProsser im about to film MV thjs weekend. for sure will use your tips

Very very good content here! Gratitude, bro!

[@EdProsser]

Thanks man!

[@Yesiluvmarii]

The grading is fire !

[@EdProsser]

Thanks 🙏

[@Yesiluvmarii]

@@EdProsserabsolutely

[@mylohhernandez9011]

excellent content!!!

[@camnails]

Your example shots look great!

[@EdProsser]

Thanks a lot!

[@thehourshow2851]

thank you for this video, I was thinking of getting this light

[@EdProsser]

It's great - I've been using it non-stop since I got it! Do use the affiliate link if convenient!

[@thehourshow2851]

@@EdProsserthank you for all your help

[@persvanstrom]

Great lighting insights. I admit that I'm often to scared or conservative to use top down lighting in my corporate shoots, but hard not to be inspired to push the boundaries of my comfort zone after this video. Thx m8

[@EdProsser]

Maybe use a top down setup instead of your hair / backlight? Then still use a key to fill the face in? Always hard trying new things in professional settings, esp. when time is scarce!

[@persvanstrom]

@@EdProsser Good advice, thx. Also fun to push boundaries :D

[@LucasFerreira-om1gr]

Beautiful cinematography man, smooth as butter. For a minute I thought it was Tilda Swinton on the beauty ☺

[@EdProsser]

Yes I often get confused for Tilda Swinton

[@LucasFerreira-om1gr]

🤣@@EdProsser

[@estebanrestrepo9256]

I actually like the bathroom light. It feels like there's a window up above where the hotspot is.

[@EdProsser]

Yeah, it's not awful I think if I'd had time I'd have finessed it a bit more and tried to control the spill a little bit

[@ChevitosJourney]

Beautiful! - Thank you! SUBBED!

[@EdProsser]

Thanks for the sub!

[@thejosebravo]

I love how you light and frame your shots. Very useful lighting breakdown as well. I've been thinking of getting a panel light this, probably the Amaran F21c since it's smaller and will be easier to control.

[@EdProsser]

The Amaran is great - it's not as soft and needs a bit more diffusion, the control box is also a bit noisier with the fan

[@thejosebravo]

@@EdProsser Good to know, thanks for the advice! What always worries me about Godox it's the longevity of their products, I have the impression that Aputure products last longer but I'm not sure if that's changed now.

[@EdProsser]

in regard to these two lights, the Amaran light definitely feels more flimsy and "budget" - the Godox really feels well designed and put together @@thejosebravo - I can't comment on long term as I've only had this for about 6 weeks

[@cleverghostchili]

big fan of godox convenience, 8:47 probably my favorite setup

[@EdProsser]

Yeah it's a great light - just a nicer all round experience over the Amaran light, just a shame it's a bit bulkier to transport on smaller jobs - also glad you liked that setup - almost didn't include it

[@zanderwilll]

Not only am I sold on a light panel but I have to get some Vespids now

[@EdProsser]

Haha they're both great! Had the Vespids for almost 3 years now and they're still going strong

[@photorooster8865]

I've had this light some time now. I was using it mostly for table shots or when space was tight. I like the setups you experimented with in the video, I'll have to pull out the light now and try them. My only complaint about this light is I couldn't get the Godox android app to work. I'm considering buying another vs a regular panel light. Thanks for sharing the video👍🎬

[@DanielEarl]

Good to know I'm not the only person who does goofy stuff while practicing lighting.

[@EdProsser]

Haha yeah, it's fun isn't it!

[@chakk0]

Such nice frames man ❤

[@EdProsser]

It's fun how much you can squeeze out of a tiny flat!

[@chakk0]

⁠@@EdProsseryou should be super happy that your wife's doing that! My wouldn't be so happy to be my model 😊

[@EdProsser]

@@chakk0 yeah I'm very very grateful. It can be fun and try to make it collaborative, we both help each other out where we can.

[@e.conwaybryansr.8626]

Achieving that bathroom lighting in 10-mins, Wow! Those shots of the abyss sequence are my favorite…I want to learn a technique to produce those results, but I don’t know where to even start. Thanks for sharing. Peace.

[@EdProsser]

Yeah my partner was literally having a legit bath and she gave me a short amount of time before I got kicked out 🤣 Had a rough idea of what I wanted then a bit of fiddling, if I'd had more time I woulda perfected it!

[@e.conwaybryansr.8626]

Sometimes a tight deadline is a key motivator to get it done…and you did. I still want to learn the technique/a technique to achieve your lighting on the abyss section…cheers!

[@EdProsser]

@@e.conwaybryansr.8626 yeah for sure. The abyss set up was probably the simplest of the lot, generally overexpose it a little and then bring it down in post so you can get a deep black background and avoid noise in the shadows.

[@e.conwaybryansr.8626]

@@EdProsser Many thanks. Be well.

[@josefsaelzle]

Great video and really nice setups. I got the FalconEyes RX-818 and I really like those RGB-Lights and not just for the colors, but for the adjustment of Green/Magenta. Its great that you can match it to other fixtures like old fluorescents on the ceiling. I thought about switching to the Amaran F22C, because I like to control all lamps with one app on smaller jobs, but I think I'll wait till Aputure releases some Pro-Versions under the Aputure brand. The Amarans are nice, but the build quality is okayish. But those KNOWLED of Godox seem pretty nice.

[@EdProsser]

I hear the FalconEyes are great but never used one. Yeah the Amaran feels a bit "cheap" but it gets the job done and I've used it on lots of jobs now. It's esp. convenient for very small scale jobs on my own as it packs down in a nice portable case. App control is useful and a pain when you have lights across diff brands, I hope a third party can release an app one day that'll talk to multiple light brands... I won't hold my breath. The Godox KNOWLED definitely feels a lot more premium and production hardy. I love it!

[@Tijlliekens]

Another great and inspirational video. Would love to see you do a video on haze / atmosphere 🤙

[@EdProsser]

Yeah will think about that - esp. as I bought a stupidly expensive haze machine a few years back.

[@Tijlliekens]

@@EdProsser awesome

[@davidschwan]

Amazing Video bro

[@EdProsser]

Thanks 🔥

[@cubul32]

Hey Ed, just a thought, my 2c, get some black fabric/cine foil or even silver alu foil from the kitchen and cover the light so only 1x1 of it stays open (or a longer sliver that looks more like a tube, idk test it :) ) - or even less. I'm thinking that should reduce the hot spot on the tiles and will give you more of your original idea by keeping the light downward and more directional. Bring in the neg too if you need darker shadows. I have an F21c btw.

[@EdProsser]

Yeah I think that would definitely work! If Stef ever lets me interrupt her bath time again I'll try 😂

[@romain_do]

Great work my guy ! That new KNOWLED line up has really put godox on the map. I'm curious about the F600bi, but rentals around here don't carry it :(.

[@EdProsser]

I'd love to try fit that in our bathroom 🤣

[@romain_do]

haha @@EdProsser

[@auramediaas]

Wow.

[@burnerman2052]

You make me want to switch to Panasonic so badly

[@EdProsser]

😎

[@carloseduardomenjivar6262]

the s5iix do a god job, what difuser and lens do you use my friend?

[@EdProsser]

I generally shoot on the DZOfilm vespids, but on this example I was using the 18mm LUMIX S lens

[@bigsnap5]

The Luts you use, are they finishing Luts only? Or can you use them for shooting with as well?

[@EdProsser]

Yeah you can use them in camera, I just use the neutral look LUT as my rec.709 conversion and then grade the image myself. I've used them in camera to monitor too. They also have more creative looks if you want to push something more stylised.

[@bigchiefcinema9654]

amazing work. question, are you using any lens diffusion filter?

[@EdProsser]

I can't quite remember, I think mostly no. But on some shots there may be a 1/4 black satin.

[@bigchiefcinema9654]

@@EdProsser thank you for the feedback.

[@littletheatrefilms5825]

LOVE your videos. I just returned my f22 because the fan noise was too much. I’m debating the the KNOWLED but the fan noise is a huge concern. Did your camera pick it up much?

[@EdProsser]

I've definitely noticed the noise from the Amaran - there is a fan in the GODOX unit as well - but it seemed to be quieter during most of my use.

[@littletheatrefilms5825]

@@EdProsser Thank you. I’m not pro enough to deal with loud fans. It’s pretty limiting Also I absolutely love your lighting set ups and images. So grateful I found your page.

[@EdProsser]

ah I'm so glad to hear, which setup in the vid did you like the most?@@littletheatrefilms5825

[@littletheatrefilms5825]

@@EdProsser the bathtub lighting explained so much. But the scene of her on the bed with the window behind was just beautiful. Your images are so moody and subtle. I haven’t honestly seen a shot of yours I don’t like.

[@RomanianWatchGang]

Hi Ed, would you recommend this as a keylight for indoors only (KZbin + Product Reviews)? Thank you

[@EdProsser]

Yes absolutely! I now use it as my main KZbin key light (and have brought it on most of my professional shoots since I got it) If you go watch my LUMIX 100mm macro lens review you can see me using it for product videography in that!

[@RomanianWatchGang]

@@EdProsser awesome, thank you. I’ll get one for my bday as I need to level up my amazon £50 Andoer light.

[@EdProsser]

@@RomanianWatchGang awesome - and hope you have a fab birthday! If you want 10% off you can use my affiliate link!

[@PhenomenalPictures]

What Editing Monitor do you use, Because I know Monitor has a lot to do with the grade of the footage.

[@EdProsser]

I use my MacBook screen mostly but also have an LG Ultrafine monitor

[@RaffaeleSansone]

Hi Ed, I recently got a Lumix S5 with its 20-60 kit lens and I was looking into a good general purpose videography lens without breaking the bank. Do you have any suggestions for starting out?

[@EdProsser]

It depends what you want to shoot and how budget your budget is. Zooms are always useful, look at something from tamron (not sure if they do L-mount though???) otherwise the Sigma 28-70 looks like a great all rounder to start with

[@RaffaeleSansone]

@@EdProsser thanks for your reply! I would shoot mainly music related videos, so I was thinking about getting a fixed 35mm with a bigger aperture like 1.4-1.8, but I also wanted to stay within the 500€ mark. I'm quickly realizing that it's a bit hard to get quality lenses within this budget though

[@EdProsser]

@@RaffaeleSansone it depends if you want autofocus or not. The Sigma art line might be worth looking at. Or a budget cine lens like the NiSi Athena's or Meike?

[@RaffaeleSansone]

@@EdProsser thank you for the suggestions, I will look into those. I'm not too interested in autofocus honestly, especially if it shaves off the price. But it could be my inexperience talking

[@EdProsser]

@@RaffaeleSansone I never used AF until getting this cam... But for smaller shoots where I need to run around and work quickly it's great. I always prefer the control of manual focus though .

[@alexisferrenbach]

Hey, would you mind telling me what app you were using in the video to remotely see your monitor on the ipad ? Thanks :)

[@EdProsser]

This is the RED control app, only works with RED cameras - most other cam brands have an app but they're all usually awful!

[@alexisferrenbach]

Yep that's why I'm endlessly searching for one aha, thank you for the answer. Buying a Red cam for the app might not be the best solution for now :p@@EdProsser

[@EdProsser]

lol yeah! @@alexisferrenbach but if you ever do... it's a game changer - I can do a solo op job, sit down and run an interview and control the camera from my iPad - check focus (peaking, punch in zoom) etc. etc. or just hand it to a client / director for monitoring - it always impresses them!

[@tomaszbejnarowicz]

could you tell how are tyou using this wireless tablet with camera? is it possible with sony?

[@EdProsser]

This is using the RED control app, which is specific to their cameras, it's fantastic! I'm sure Sony has their own app, but I wouldn't know too much about it!

[@LFPAnimations]

Why are your blacks so lifted in the grade?

[@EdProsser]

Why not!? I didn't want to take it down to absolute black

[@user-id6gs5xj9b]

what is the diffusion cloth you are using?

[@EdProsser]

Unbleached muslin. Cotton cloth essentially. You can get a bleached white version - which is also good and avoids the warmer colour tone. Link in the description to buy, very cheap!

[@SamWelker]

How are you monitoring on the ipad?

[@EdProsser]

Using the RED control app - it's amazing !

[@thehourshow2851]

the tripod in clip 7:57. you have an link

[@EdProsser]

hey I think they've updated it since I got it - but this is the closest to it I can find - cvp.com/product/manfrotto-mvk500190xv-tripod-system?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAuNGuBhAkEiwAGId4aqH9avcNjnMpory9vqeMWAUKEK69AGnRqywy-Cr6zY7FYJ1mfN23eBoCA3sQAvD_BwE

[@vintagestairwellproduction2049]

what lenses would you recommend for this camera?

[@EdProsser]

I shoot on the DZO film Vespids

[@vintagestairwellproduction2049]

@EdProsser aww amazing! I've been looking at getting the 35mm but it's so expensive aha

[@stuartswindellcampoy8483]

Some colour tiles would have worked so much better, ofcourse I understand that you're not gonna retile your bathroom for the video hahab

[@EdProsser]

Once we get the bathroom re-done I'll be straight in with my camera...

[@stuartswindellcampoy8483]

@@EdProsser 🤣

[@abgehen6931]

Great work! Very cool lighting setups. But the video title is quite misleading

[@EdProsser]

How so?

[@juanenco]

Subtitles, please. Thanks ¡¡¡

[@EdProsser]

Hopefully KZbin will auto-generate them shortly! Otherwise I'll see if I can output a sub file from resolve

[@juanenco]

@@EdProsser okay, I hope. I thought the subtitles were available as soon as the video was published. I'm sorry.

[@EdProsser]

@@juanenco it can take a bit of time, usually I have the video queued up a little while before posting, but this is hot off the upload

[@take3534]

Does she ever smile? Like, ever?

[@EdProsser]

Only for me

[@take3534]

@@EdProsserExcellent answer

[@DeutschSultan]

It's obvious you used chat gpt for the title

[@EdProsser]

Nope

[@bandwagonbull]

Maaaaaaattteee 🤌🏻 I love them all, but the abyss setup was so good! So simple, and what you achieved considering what you had to work with. Was so close to pulling the trigger on the amaran, now I may need to reconsider 😅 (although the Sidus app is great). Does Godox have app control too?

[@EdProsser]

Thanks man, had a lot of fun making this during a quiet Jan. Yes they have an app too! Not as great as Sidus but gets it done! The Amaran is still great, it's just needs a bit more diffusion (it comes with an extra layer anyway). When I just need bi-colour I'll be using the Godox I think