How to avoid flickering lights when shooting video
May 17, 2016
John Aldred
John Aldred is a photographer with over 25 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter – and occasional beta tester – of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.
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Anybody who’s ever shot video indoors will, at some point, have come across the issue of flickering lights and scanlines moving up and down your image while trying to record.
Well, Jonas Stenstrom of Rob & Jonas’ Filmmaking Tips is here to help, explaining exactly what causes this and how to overcome it, even when your frame rate doesn’t match the electrical frequency of the country in which you’re shooting.
While one or two graphs and charts are involved to detail exactly what causes the problem, Jonas explains them in a very simple to understand way which will allow you easily conquer this bothersome issue.
If you don’t have the patience to watch the whole video, which you should, because it’s only four minutes long, here’s a handy chart listing the frame rates and shutter speeds which should help you eliminate fluorescent flicker, no matter where you are.
When it comes to portable battery powered solutions, especially with something like LEDs, the frequencies may not be the same, so some experimentation will be required, but at least this gives you some indication as to your best options for getting rid of flicker when using mains powered lights.
John Aldred
John Aldred is a photographer with over 25 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter – and occasional beta tester – of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.
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Abdul Majeed Nazeer