Chuck Peters takes us into some of the core techniques used in lighting the faces of talent on camera. Topics covered are 3-Point Lighting, Hard & Soft Light, Difficult to light subjects, and lighting the whole shot, not just the subject.
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By Chuck Peters | View Source
A lot of good editors struggle when it comes to creating top-notch titles. The good news is that formatting fonts isn’t difficult if you follow a few simple rules. Whether you design graphics for TV, the printed page or projected presentations, these five tips will save you from the perils of faulty fonting.
1) BE BOLD
When it comes to finding fonts, go for big, thick and bold (instead of small, thin and swirly) for one simple reason: readability. If something is important enough to reinforce with text, it needs to be presented in a way that’s clean, clear and legible (Right). For television applications and often for presentations, become a serif sheriff: Sans serif fonts are thicker, bolder and less swirly than fonts that stand on serifs. For the printed page, serif fonts are often the way to go (pull just about any book off your shelf and see for yourself).
2) CHOOSE COLORS CAREFULLY
Choose a font color that contrasts well with your background (Right). Certain font colors work well, while others can make you look like an amateur. White text on a dark background is almost always Okay. Bright yellow might be an acceptable choice if you need to draw special attention to a word, phrase or phone number. Dark text on a very light-colored background is fine, but it can be hard on the viewer’s eyes if overused for TV or in presentations. Some colors should simply be avoided at all costs. Avoid using bright florescent green, baby blue, pale yellow and Pepto pink. Watch out for reds in broadcast video applications. Red tends to smear and bleed on screen.
3) GO DEEP
Use drop shadows and outlines to pop your text off the background, create contrast and add an illusion of depth (Right). Shadows and outlines are great ways to make your titles look better, but they also make text easier to read in most situations. Make sure all of your shadows all fall in the same direction. Shadows are almost always black and have the same level of partial transparency, too. The distance of the shadow from the font causes the text to appear closer to or farther from the background, but close is usually better than far. If the shadow is too far from the font, it just looks silly.
4) BE CONSISTENT
If you’re working on a project that uses multiple pages of graphics with text, be wise and templatize. Pick a look you like and stick with it for the entire project. If your fonts change in size, color, position and style from page to page within a project, you will definitely look amateurish. The key to looking professional is consistency. To avoid errors, copy and paste your original and use it as the foundation for each new graphic.
5) STOP SHORT
Be brief. Don’t write out long sentences or full paragraphs. Hit the highlights. Emphasize key points. Star Wars fans take note: The long “Lucas scroll” is not a good choice for most of your productions. Do any of us (besides our hardcore Jedi readers) remember anything beyond “…In a galaxy far away?” There are two exceptions to this rule: if you need to type out (1) a direct quote or (2) a disclaimer. In either case, it is proper to have a narrator (or live speaker) read long titles verbatim. Long textual titles accompanied by silence make viewers very uncomfortable.
In the end, you can apply one simple principle to all of your graphics: Every graphic you use should enhance your message and not be distracting. As soon as the audience stops listening to the message and starts squinting at small text, cringing at the ugly colors or reading paragraphs of text instead of listening to your message, you’ve got a problem. The best way to learn to build better graphics is to become a student of other people’s work: Don’t be afraid to imitate good design when you see it.
Chuck Peters is a 20 year veteran in media creation. He has worked in Television, Video Production and Publishing and is an Emmy Award Winning writer and producer. Having produced commercials, sports, TV talk shows, broadcast news, corporate, weddings, and instructional programs, CP has made a lot of video. Chuck currently works as VP of Production at Rivet Productions in Nashville, TN, where he oversees the production of Kidmo videos — high-energy, media-driven children’s Sunday School content/curriculum, consisting of both live-action and cartoon animation. Kidmo series include Lil K (for Preschoolers) and Johnny Rogers (for Elementary-age students)
