Review: The Power of Lighting Series
By Kendal Miller
Instructor: Bill Holshenikoff
Website: www.PowerofLighting.com
MSRP: $34.95/each or $139.00/4 DVD Set

Cinematography is essentially about controlling light. Here at FreshDV we break that control into two categories; Internal/Camera and External/Light Sources. Internal light control is accomplished by using camera or camcorder controls such as aperture, shutter speed, gain, etc to control light. Once you have maximized the control over your image using your camera controls the second realm of image manipulation involves external lighting control. This is where you actually begin to use lighting instruments to shape light before it enters the camera. Cinematographers and shooters should have a good grasp of lighting and light control if they want to deliver stellar images.

Director of Photography Bill Holshevnikoff, author of the Arri Lighting Handbook, has created one such series aimed to help understand the science of lighting. The series is a four-part DVD set entitled “The Power of Lighting”. Disc topics include “Lighting Faces”, “Lighting Interviews”, “Color Correction and Filtration”, and “Lighting Backgrounds”. Each DVD disc is approximately 45mins long and retails for $34.95, which easily places it as one of the more affordable series I’ve seen. Read on for review details and a few short video excerpts from the series.

Bill’s ability to communicate the principles of lighting goes far beyond simply explaining a certain setup or lighting demonstration. If you are looking to establish a solid foundational knowledge of light and how to manipulate it in a production environment, this series would be a good place to start. The series starts with the basics in Vol 1. and walks you through the more complex setups involved in lighting backgrounds in Vol 4. The production value was reasonably decent, although some of the illustrations seemed to a bit rudimentary at times. These DVDs contain enough general principals that can be applied in most production shooting environments…but it should be noted that most of the example setups would be most applicable in ENG/EEFP type applications. The pacing of the videos is nicely timed, usually fast enough to hold your attention yet measured enough that you can digest the information on the first viewing (in most cases).

This series will not give you a comprehensive knowledge of how specifically to light a set. However, it will give you a greater foundational knowledge of the science of light and how to manipulate image control beyond just the realm of your camera.

Bill has graciously allowed us to provide short snippets from these videos to show you. If you like what you see, then go buy the full DVD set.
Excerpt from the Power of Lighting
Disc 1 “Lighting Faces”

Excerpt from Disc 2 “Lighting Interviews”

Excerpt From Disc 3 “Color Correction & Filtration”
Balancing to Daylight

FRESH SCORE: 4/5

FRESH POINTS:
The material demonstrates an incredible grasp of the physics of light and how to manipulate it to the best of your ability. The material is presented in a clear and concise manner that is easy to digest and yet deep enough for more advanced users as well. The price is designed to not break the bank which is always a plus. I would love to see a course on lighting for cinema by Bill.

STALE POINTS:
Some of the diagrams and title designs could exhibit higher production value.