What is Upstage Lighting? | Advanced Commercial Filmmaking 101

Want to create a cinematic commercial for any product? We're sharing a few tips on using upstage lighting techniques and utilizing natural sunlight. Use these lighting tips to add depth and contrast to any product commercial that you want to shoot.
Cinematographer Chetco Timmins shares his approach to creating the perfectly framed and lit holiday candle ad. He covers the basics of upstage lighting, and also shows us how to use a far-side key on human subjects and inanimate subjects alike. He walks us through 4 different lighting setups within the same location to demonstrate his go-to practices for filming a commercial. See how negative fill and creative light placement work together to pop the subject out from the background. Whether you call it a far-side key, reverse key, a 3/4 lighting setup, or upstage lighting, you can learn to utilize this simple concept on any project to create separation and visual interest.
We also discuss working with natural light in mind, and adjusting shot order according to when you have the best control of sunlight in order to get the best exterior shot. With these tips in mind, you will be able to use the sun as your primary light source without having a washed-out, overexposed image. No diffusion necessary! Also, see how Chetco uses blue light hour, and bokeh to his advantage for the final product shot.
Find out what other creative tips and happy accidents are revealed throughout the episode and let us know what you think of the final result at the end!
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Chapters:
0:00 - Introduction
0:32 - What is Upstage Lighting?
1:21 - Concept/Planning
2:12 - First Setup
2:49 - Hero Shot
6:01 - Outdoor Setup
7:15 - Final Setup
9:13 - Breakdown/Final Result
9:47 - Outro
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Summary:
Aputure's KZbin channel provides free high quality cinematography, lighting, and filmmaking educational content to help you take your film projects to the next level.

[@krisantoinette871]

Love when you guys do these, they’re so helpful and it really connects the dots and answers a ton of questions.

[@ddannh12]

I like overhead lighting like many of you i see below, but i also just picked up the lantern diffuser and I love the way that light spreads as well.

[@zachariahschrueder2156]

ive been watching this channel for a solid hour or 2 now. LOVE IT! keep up the great work

[@melanienolley]

This lighting was nice for a candle spot.

[@rowliv]

If we could have more planned Happy accidents😉 . Incorporation of natural light in the scenes is always a bonus.

[@gabrielcamargo2471]

I have no words to express how this content help's me. Thanks a lot !!!

[@aputurelighting]

Happy to help! Go make something great, Gabriel!

[@LianHammerDumas]

Always love soft light on a product with minimal but effective reflections. I also try using a contrasting color of the light depending on the product. Thanks for this!

[@aputurelighting]

Great tip!

[@ghostfury122]

I really liked the lighting vocabulary! I've learned a lot. Nice to still see Mr Timmins!

[@creatingaphotographer3187]

Firing a really directional light through glass objects to create shimmer for some depth between the foreground and the subject, to sprinkle in some personality. With the conventional lighting setups in the commercial vocab it's easy to just look like everything else, you need to make it your own.

[@lauddp1150]

Top down lighting is another excellent option for product commercials. Nice soft overhead light source, a bounce and a neg is a good formula :)

[@LangstoniusRex]

THE. SUN. MOVES. *i died* I dont know how many times i have to explain that to people...

[@killer66663]

Choosing and sticking to a contrast ratio!

[@AndreyXart]

Cool bts ! Thanks !

[@AmanGupta-di2md]

Top lighting with added motion to the light is a great technique for product commercials 🙌

[@aputurelighting]

Love it!

[@louisvanzyl]

I love chiaroscuro style of light to bring some mood and something different to a shot.

[@aputurelighting]

Dramatic lighting is the way to go!

[@thewildernesshiker-howtose4438]

I love your videos. Learning a lot.

[@chavalhickey1590]

Thank for good info about lighting.

[@jezersek_production]

I like using soft lights and complementary colors light.

[@rufaiajala]

Great!

[@smackdaddy9802]

Chetco! ANOTHER BIOLA UNIVERSITY ALUM!

[@richarddzisiewski7197]

Great piece ...always learning !

[@aputurelighting]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@drmatthewhorkey]

Thanks for this, I love all the tutorials

[@aputurelighting]

Glad you like them!

[@ronflores7]

Like always good video

[@ParminderSingh-fe6bc]

Thanku

[@orcsong]

Love these videos. So informative. Let’s check our lower third spelling though😉

[@thejuankurtis]

Thanks for another helpful video! Comment Question Answer: Using RGB lights to match the product colors; accenting those colors in the background.

[@aputurelighting]

Yes! Keep the brand's colors in mind

[@skolxmedia]

Stylistic lighting using brand colors!

[@createtolive5421]

I love overhead lighting probably because im overly dramatic lol but it just gives such a captivating feel to the shots

[@aputurelighting]

Soft overhead lighting is key!

[@createtolive5421]

@@aputurelighting definitely

[@husariaproductions4240]

And sirui anamorphic for the happy independent DOP win ;)

[@nextlevelcraig]

6:54 Tape a Polar Pro Filter to the lens. #Thuglife 😂

[@andyk2456]

My favorite for food commercials was to use a white plexiglass table, lit from underneath.

[@aputurelighting]

Seeing reflections of products/food can be really appealing!

[@sanilalkuttimon1755]

❤️❤️

[@gilvrgs]

I think overhead lighting is also a best choice for commercials. Just like Peter Mckinnon's sit down vlogs and Daniel Schiffer's commercials. 👌👌

[@aputurelighting]

It's the way to go!

[@gilvrgs]

@@aputurelighting 💯💯

[@clarkeemalarkee]

“Chetco what types of stuff do you shoot?” Chetco: Clouds. ☁️

[@tatuapu]

Great channel, good tutorials and awesome products. Do you have any car comercial lightning tutorial? if is not, will you think to do one anytime soon? Thanks!

[@aputurelighting]

Not yet, but that's a great idea!

[@mattesteron3059]

Chetcooooooo!!

[@ghostfury122]

Yeah I thought he was gone, but actually not so gone. And you, what are you up to?

[@mattesteron3059]

@@ghostfury122 Indeed. We're glad Chetco's still around in some shape and form! And I've been working on more internal Aputure like social media edits, but getting into some production design stuff too!

[@fmrlproductions9282]

could try to put a small light behind the candle to make it glow a bit more.

[@jej3films]

If you don't have an RGB light, color gels are a budget friendly way to get the look you're after!

[@rpierrelouis071]

When is the 120 II update coming ?

[@harry_films1]

your lights are some great quality. look at Petes video 😂

[@aputurelighting]

Thank you!

[@sijilo]

👍👍💐

[@PatrickBoberg]

Feels like there should've been a foreshadowing money shot after she comes in the door. Maybe a boom down when she is going to the closet to reveal the candle, with a second jump cut of her picking up the candle. Feels like there needs to be one more shot of the candle to clue it is the focus, not the girl. Also, instead of the establishing being outside at the start, why not start with a shot through the kitchen window; candle out of focus in the foreground girl exiting car in the back. You could even do a fast rack off the top from the candle lid to the car outside saying "House is here waiting and look who is finally home." Having fun thinking these through.

[@claraschonthaler2715]

At 4:41 you say that you shouldn't direct the light directly at the subject in order to make it stand out from the background, but then the second example shows a bright subject and a dark subject. How is this look achieved then? With a light bounced at the subject? If so, how do you control it so well that the background doesn't get lit as well?

[@drunzel]

Might a splash of light on the label, small white card maybe

[@dam55ian]

new aputure monitor?

[@vertusmatjaz]

Nice video. The candle on the end it's not straight.

[@dejffjed]

I don't like the geometry of the product shot. Anyway, thank you for another valuable tutorial.

[@PUMPADOUR]

Give a new nat to backlight and charge twise as much.

[@vortextmediaservices9090]

All that attention to detail...and the candle is crooked in the money shot🤦‍♂️

[@KiblerDesign]

That was killing me too. I just kept looking at it to figure out why it's so distracting... and the flicker from the tree lights. Not sure how I felt about that.

[@ChuckRiseUp]

@@KiblerDesign This was the most important shot it was completely ruined by these mistakes. Also, the logo (brand) on the candle was not lit at all. I was the client I would have been seriously pissed of by that. In commercial, one of the most important thing is that you see clearly the branding.

[@IIC4NCELEDII]

It was a little off putting, maybe they did it like that so a company wouldn’t use it and make money off this.

[@dylanyanes]

crazy because they totally lifted those shadows on the thumbnail

[@ginotarabotto]

Book lighting

[@DmakProductionsTempe]

Wow you talk about a lot of interesting tips in the video production space! We enjoy what you do, don't stop. Anytime you are in Arizona hit us up. If you'd like, direct message us @dmakproductions on Instagram and we can connect. We love what you do!

[@carlraetzsch]

I miss Ted

Lightning techniques : overhead lighting for commercials

[@alexanderashmore]

No! No! How dare you use Yankee Candle? I stock them at my work...but some of them do smell good :)

[@warner6495]

So many blown out highlights at the beginning. Loses the high end feel from the getgo

[@NickDelDuca]

And with only $5000 worth of lighting gear you can do this too!

[@Pablo-fx3kb]

very weak this time(

[@SmiraBro]

these glitchy text so annoying

[@italianinoslo]

all those UNNECESSARY glitches and SFX are extremely distracting