Lights, Curls, Action: BTS of My Latest YouTube Video

In my November blog, Healing Natural Hair Trauma, I spoke about the emotional struggles people may have when it comes to their natural hair. My latest YouTube video addresses some of that and includes a calming wash day filled with lots of affirmations and positivity to start the New Year!

It was so fun practicing a cinematic style for the introduction. Those two scenes were pretty simple, but I learned lots while filming. I absolutely love filmmaking and can’t wait to dedicate more time delving into this hobby. So, here’s the BTS + details on my camera, lighting, equipment, and what not!

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Behind The Scenes

I filmed exclusively on my Panasonic Lumix camera, paired with the Lumix S 50mm and 20-60mm lens. I used the built-in Real Time LUT feature throughout and made a few adjustments for the finishing look. (brightness, highlights, shadows, hues, etc.)

Scene I

Lighting & Equipment

Let me just say: the lamp carried this scene! It arrived a day prior to filming, and I absolutely love how it elevated my living room. To further light the scene, I used an Octa Softbox as my key light, literally right in my face. The atmosphere in this scene gave a very warm and homey vibe! Or maybe because it’s my home, it’s homey to me?! Whatever the case, I’m happy with the results.

If you couldn’t tell (yay), I’m wearing a braided wig, I got it from @zinnysglam on Instagram. And thank goodness I have it because I highly doubt I would’ve gotten braids solely for this scene, or anytime soon at all. They looked so cute though!

Scene II

Lighting & Equipment

For this scene, I used a C-Stand to place my camera directly above me. As you can see, my key light is right above me, angled. I later added a Black Reflector to create more shadows along my face. At first, I used the Silver Reflector side (it’s reversable) and it created this beautiful sparkle in my eyes, but I wanted to see how the Black would look and I loved the outcome much more! The scene felt more realistic and pleasing to the eye with the shadows.

Scene III

Lighting & Equipment

I actually planned to switch to my Sony ZV1 for the wash day scene, mostly because I was scared of getting the camera wet. However, I decided to go for it, and luckily all went well! I just filmed my usual wash day routine and the next day I followed up with additional shots to add more flow. (grabbing items, emulsifying shampoo, etc.) BTW I used a heavy-duty tripod to record most scenes.

Scene IV

Lighting & Equipment

My bathroom is pretty small, so this setup was a bit tight! I originally wanted to do a shot directly into the mirror, but it was challenging, so I changed the perspective and acted as if I was staring into the mirror. I think the alternative worked out just fine. My key light was angled above me and the only light source, besides the natural backlight.

The colors look so pretty. Gosh, I love how this turned out!