Most filmmakers would agree that if you want to make your film look professional and cinematic, one of the most important aspects that you should get right is lighting. That's easier said than done, of course. There are plenty of challenges when it comes to lighting, but one that a lot of beginner filmmakers tend to overlook is color temperature and the meter used to measure it. In this video, Jay P. Morgan of The Slanted Lens goes into depth about why you might want to start using one to make the light in your scenes more even and accurate.


Getting the right color temperature in a shot is important if you want your images to not only look aesthetically pleasing, but match other shots as well. Morgan names five scenarios in which measuring color temperature would be most beneficial and necessary.

  • Outdoor shoots
  • To average the practicals
  • Match LEDs to the light in the room
  • Make LED light more consistent
  • Match strobe to ambient light (not really applicable for filmmakers)

You probably know a lot of filmmakers that don't really use color meters—you might actually be one—however, as the video points out, there are many benefits to measuring the color of the light on set. Not only is it important for making your images more pleasing to look at, but it also helps you control what your image looks like in the end.

Morgan uses a color meter that was just showcased at NAB, the Illuminati Light and Color Meter, which sends readings straight to your phone, making the process a little easier. But regardless of which color meter you use, it's certainly worth the effort to measure the color of the light in your set.

Source: The Slanted Lens