Lighting for camera to make home movie look more of an actual film?

Question

Is there a light I can buy that I can attach to my camcorder or maybe a stand, that gives a movie that more realistic tone, rather than the flatness of a normal homevideo?

Answer 1

movies are shot at indoor studios so as to control the lighting. the look you are after is called 3 point lighting. The primary or key light is in front and above the subject, a kind of artificial sun. This will create harsh shadow around the nose and cheeks, so a softer fill is added but not so much as to make flat. The third is a back or hair light, illumination from the back of the subject to brighten the hair. NONE of these should be attached to the camcorder, light directly from the camera is not good. they will all have to be on stands, or in studios they hang from an overhead grid.