Chapter 1: Preparing for the Installation
17
Painting the wall a muted color, such as beige or blue-gray, looks better on video than bright white or dark
colors. As a general rule of thumb, the brighter the room is, the darker the walls should be. For example, if
your room has no windows, dark carpeting, and the overhead lights are not extremely bright, you should
consider painting your walls a lighter shade, such as pale blue or light beige. If, on the other hand, your
room has some natural light, light-colored carpeting, and bright overhead lights, you should consider
painting your walls a slightly darker shade, such as tan or medium gray or blue.
If you want to test colors before painting the walls, try hanging fabric of various colors on the back wall to
see which color looks best on video.
Lighting
Your VidyoPanorama room should have evenly dispersed, ambient lighting. For the best lighting, use LED
lights. Although the upfront cost for these is higher, the long-term cost is lower. The direct fluorescent
lighting that is common in offices is not recommended because it causes harsh shadows on the faces of the
participants and because its brightness can vary considerably at different parts of the room. If you are stuck
with fluorescent fixtures, get full spectrum bulbs designed for video.
The ideal color temperature should be between 3,000
°
and 3,500
°
Kelvin, and about 70 foot candles of
intensity at the subject.
Lighting for video can involve as many as four lighting positions (which are explained below), with the Key
Light being the most important. For most multi-purpose conference rooms, a strong color-balanced Key
Light supported by additional full spectrum lighting in the room will work well. Just remember: you don't
want meeting participants feeling like they're in a television studio.
Here is some additional information about the lighting positions:
Key Light: Light shining on the participant from the front. These lights are generally placed high and
at the center, or to each side of the seating area if two are required. Aim them downward at a 45
°
angle to light the participants’ faces without causing their eyebrows to cast a shadow over their
eye-sockets.
Fill Light: Lights shining on the participant from the front, but placed at a low angle to soften
shadows under the eyes and chin.
Hair Light: Lights at the rear of the room, above the participants and aimed downward to help
separate the participants from the background.
Backdrop lighting: Lights above and (if space allows) between the participants and the background.
Two lights are usually required, each aimed toward the opposite half of the background to evenly
light it.
In addition, always ensure that no lights are pointing in the camera lens, and avoid pointing any lights
directly at the displays. If possible, you may want to hire a lighting designer and have the lighting
professionally installed.
