My light set up:
I'm using 4 different types of lighting equipment in order to create the right atmosphere, as can be seen on the picture, two of the lights are set on the floor, while the other two are higher to better illuminate the props on the table. I crossed the garage lights because I will not be using it while shooting. I decided to place a diffuser on 2 lights: the one I'm borrowing (Top one on the right) and the study light I'm using to help illuminate the background I built ( I want to illuminate the background so that it can be distinguished from the table with the props & show the depth of the room); to diffuse this one I decided to place a white china paper on top of it. I also switched out the light my garage had (top left) for a smart light that can change color; I control this light via my iPad, granting me full control over it's color and color brightness. I figured the more control I have over the set, the better I'll be able to emerge the audience into the story. The colors light on the floor (bottom left) is there to reinforce the color from the smart light above.
The lighting is KEY because it will help establish the mood of the experiment through the movie; however, shooting at too much low lighting could make for terrible scene composition. For this set, I decided to mix warm white light with blue light; the contrasting color hues symbolizing contrast and balance (similar to the Y7Y easter egg and the nature of the experiment). My biggest challenge using color is that pure blue light is very dark which makes it difficult to shoot in, especially without having to boost the camera's ISO and ruin the detail with a grainy look. If when shooting I find that lighting is simply too dark I'll change the set up to one more closely resembling the one I plan on using to record the file cabinet (I included a reference picture below).
I'm using 4 different types of lighting equipment in order to create the right atmosphere, as can be seen on the picture, two of the lights are set on the floor, while the other two are higher to better illuminate the props on the table. I crossed the garage lights because I will not be using it while shooting. I decided to place a diffuser on 2 lights: the one I'm borrowing (Top one on the right) and the study light I'm using to help illuminate the background I built ( I want to illuminate the background so that it can be distinguished from the table with the props & show the depth of the room); to diffuse this one I decided to place a white china paper on top of it. I also switched out the light my garage had (top left) for a smart light that can change color; I control this light via my iPad, granting me full control over it's color and color brightness. I figured the more control I have over the set, the better I'll be able to emerge the audience into the story. The colors light on the floor (bottom left) is there to reinforce the color from the smart light above.
Lastly, the light set up is meant to help reduce the number of possible shadows the camera can pick up. The faint shadow of me with the camera that's cast by the color light is contrasted by the warm white light given off by the other two lights.
Using Color:
The lighting is KEY because it will help establish the mood of the experiment through the movie; however, shooting at too much low lighting could make for terrible scene composition. For this set, I decided to mix warm white light with blue light; the contrasting color hues symbolizing contrast and balance (similar to the Y7Y easter egg and the nature of the experiment). My biggest challenge using color is that pure blue light is very dark which makes it difficult to shoot in, especially without having to boost the camera's ISO and ruin the detail with a grainy look. If when shooting I find that lighting is simply too dark I'll change the set up to one more closely resembling the one I plan on using to record the file cabinet (I included a reference picture below). 
So... Funny Story:
Boy, do I have a funny story about today! As I was playing around with my lighting set up to take some set pictures (like the one above) some lights began to flicker. I didn't pay much attention to it, I probably should have. I had used a series of sort extension cords to connect all the lights together, and since I'm spending so much time in there anyway, I decided to charge a couple of other equipment in the room including my phone, 2 cameras, the iPad, and a speaker for convenience. I'm a smart kid, I should have known better than to overload the circuit. You probably know where this is going... I blew a fuse (◉_◉)... Or so I thought, the garage lost power and my stomach dropped thinking "Did I blow a fuse? What is even a fuse? How in the world am I gonna tell my dad that I blew a fuse?!? Especially when I'm in charge of Christmas lights?!?! I'm supposed to know better than this!" Then I remembered my house doesn't have fuses at all!! It's a box of circuit breakers! (This is just proof that I need some sleep) I just reset the power! I learned my lesson though, I unplugged some stuff and moved them to my room, and quickly transferred everything to a big heavy duty extension cord and a power strip. THAT WAS CLOSE! This taught me I need to think of EVERYTHING when setting up a set, not only aesthetic and technique but technical too.
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