The Shut Up and Shoot Freelance Video Guide

WHITE BALANCE 201

Changing Mood with White Balance

In my lighting workshops, I often see young filmmakers put a great deal of time and effort into experimenting, switching, and finding just the right colored lighting gels and effects to set a certain mood. There’s nothing wrong with this, and experimenting is truly the only real way I know to effectively learn and master the craft of lighting. However, there is also an easier, cheaper, and faster way to dramatically alter the color and moods of any given scene that should be experimented with as well, especially when you are tight on time: manipulating white balance. By learning to effectively manipulate your camera’s white balance, you can achieve a variety of dramatically different feels for ...