---
title: 'How I Make My Videos Look Cinematic'
source: 'https://youtube.com/watch?v=4ixdMMD5ThA'
video_id: '4ixdMMD5ThA'
date: 2026-07-27
duration_sec: 777
---

# How I Make My Videos Look Cinematic

> Source: [How I Make My Videos Look Cinematic](https://youtube.com/watch?v=4ixdMMD5ThA)

## Summary

The creator shares his philosophy and practical process for achieving a cinematic video look, emphasizing that technical skill is less important than intentionality and personal comfort. He argues that the environment and lighting choices should reflect the creator's brand and energy, not just follow rules.

### Key Points

- **Video Purpose and Mindset** [00:00] — The creator explains he didn't need a degree in videography to get his cinematic look; he stopped stressing and found what worked for him.
- **Environment as Brand** [01:30] — The shooting environment is a key part of your brand. Example: Casey Neistat's recognizable office. Paint walls, add accents to make the space intentional.
- **Energy Transfer to Viewer** [03:05] — A comfortable, intentional space transfers positive energy to the viewer. The creator feels relaxed and speaks off the cuff because of his environment.
- **Strip Down Then Layer Up** [04:28] — Start by turning off all lights and covering windows. Then add lights one by one to control the scene fully.
- **Key Light Setup** [05:09] — Uses a Godox softbox dome (approx 32 inches) angled to one side for dramatic contrast. Wears dark clothing to reduce distractions.
- **Background Accents and No Fill Light** [06:54] — Adds Godox RGB tube lights in the background. Deliberately avoids a fill light to maintain a dramatic look, despite criticism.
- **Accidental Discovery: Color Temperature Contrast** [08:29] — Accidentally used a cool light bar with warm background. Used AI to explain why it looks good: warm creates intimacy, cool blue creates visual tension.
- **LUTs as Final Layer** [10:33] — Uses a LUT (color grading preset) applied in real-time or in post. Has a signature LUT pack available.
- **Framework Over Gear** [11:28] — The specific lights are less important than the process: strip down, layer up, trust your eyes. Your unique choices build your brand.

### Conclusion

Achieving a cinematic look is about intentionality and personal comfort, not following rigid rules. Strip down your environment, layer lights intentionally, and trust your eyes over traditional guidelines.

## Transcript

videos that I've been putting off for a while now. Not because I didn't want to, but because I didn't really know how to approach this. I get asked about my are you using? Where are you putting things? How are you setting stuff up?
gotten to the point where people book one-on-one sessions with me so that way I can help them set up their setup. But here's the thing, every time I go to sit down and and and explain this, it's almost like I'm about to disappoint
people. Because getting a look like this is not as technically complicated as you think it is. Like for myself, I spent years thinking I needed some kind of degree [music] or background or I needed years of experience in videography and
photography before I could learn how to set this up for myself. But then one day I stopped stressing about it and I found what worked for me. And I get criticized the point of today's video. So yeah, today we're going to go through how I
light my videos and get this look. But more importantly, we're going to talk about why I make the choices that I do. That way hopefully by the end of this you're not just walking away with a shopping list of lights.
shopping list of lights. >> [snorts]
>> This [music] damn microphone. Okay, before we even get into the lights, that's massively overlooked. And that's the actual environment itself. You see, it's not. And here's what I've noticed for a while now. When people get ready
to go set up a shot, you know, the shot that you're going to use constantly in all of your content, uh they treat it like a temporary decision. I'll set something up now and then clean it up later. The wall color or how close the
Oh, I'll just simply move stuff out of frame and then inconveniently, when the place where it needs to be. In my opinion, what so many creators don't realize is your shot, the environment around you in
your videos, it is essentially going to be your brand. So, imagine if all the time you were taking this version, this image of your brand, and you were constantly changing it around. But, when referencing a setup, a great example is
think of Casey Neistat. The second I mention that name, you know exactly what his shots in his office are going to look like. You know to a T what that space is. Even if you haven't watched him in years, that look, the shelves,
the clutter, but yet organization, that's not an accident. That's repetition building a brand image in your head over time. And I purposely did that with this. So, when talking about my setup, one question that people
always ask me, for example, is should I paint the walls in my room? And I know that's annoying, I know it can be a pain in the ass. I know it's a lot of work, environment as a creator seriously. Whether it's painting your walls, adding
accents in the background, getting a tool chest, putting up the core, whatever makes the space feel intentional, whatever it makes it feel And here's why it matters beyond aesthetics. When you take the time to
set up a space that you actually like being in, it shows. The energy is just there's a a sense of confidence, and the viewer can [music] feel all of that. That energy transfers into the videos you're creating. If the space feels
feel welcoming to the person that [music] you're making a video for. Example, right now, I'm pretty relaxed right now. I feel pretty good. I would only assume that that feeling is translating to you in some way, shape,
or form. It's what makes making videos like this so easy, because like right now, I'm not talking off of a script. I have some talking points on the side, but I'm just going off the cuff because I am comfortable in this environment. My
walls are black. I like the dark color. That's not by accident. That is by choice. It's setting the tone that I create and everything you're going to see me do with lighting in this video only works the way it works with these
black walls. You see the environment and the lighting together. I just want to thing that people just miss so much is just always think what's your camera settings, what light did you buy? What I like to do first off, I like to start
everything down. I know it's the opposite of what most people think of or most people do. But the first thing I do when I sit down to set up my shot for the first time and then [music] repeat it over and over again is I turn
everything off. Blackout curtains down, accent lights off, light bar on top of the monitor off, the monitor itself off. Everything in this room is off. Most there, the overhead light, the window, what's already in the room. I go in the
other direction. I eliminate everything so that way I can control and layer it the way that I want to. So when I strip everything down, the first thing that goes on is [music] my my key light here and you can see exactly how much you can
control that just by pivoting that light. I use a Godox softbox dome. I think it's 32 in I could let me wrong. That's how little I care. Like it's just it's it's the light that I picked over the years and I stuck with it. Point
here is that I angle it to one side away from the camera so that way it's slightly dramatic so you can see the contrast in my face. And by the way, if you haven't noticed too, I like to typically wear a dark color shirt as
well. Aside from supporting the boy today wearing a little lab culture, I typically just wear a plain black tee every single day I make a video. A big repetitive and less decision-making is it's easier to just focus on me. So,
light on, shirts, and a hat. I know that sounds weird to important for the videos that I make. Like a camo Peter McKinnon hat in a creative video, like what are the odds that maybe some other people that are
interested in a creative video around camera [music] and lighting would be potentially into Peter McKinnon as well. That opens the idea for creativity. On are super important in
>> in certain videos where I really want to get the hook, I'll use like a bright green or a bright blue cap to try to get that stop. Think how much the color stands out from the background. That hat becomes an accent color. It becomes a
part of the image, a part of the shot. So, yeah, when going to sit down a shot, I think about what I'm wearing before I hit record. Not because I'm trying to be a fashion guy, but because it does affect the visuals that I'm trying to
accomplish. So, key lights on, I'm positioned, I'm wearing what I want to building things back up. The next thing that goes on, the tube lights in the background. They're just a couple RGB lights from Godox. I got them on Amazon.
And typically in a lot of my videos, aside from my window being slightly cracked today, where it's adding [music] some fill light, I usually shoot like all. And I want to talk about this because in past videos where I've
explained how I set up my shots, I've had creatives criticize me for not to me that the shot was wrong because I don't have a fill light. This is what I can't stand about online social media. I don't use a fill light. I don't care to
I'm not saying that out of ignorance. I know what a fill light is, but I'm saying that because this is how I want it to look for me. And that's the great thing about being a content creator is doing the [ __ ] you want to do and
doing it the way that you like it. So, instead of a fill light, I have the accents back there, which just I think helps set up the scene in a dramatic way, in a way that I want for me. I always just find these conversations
interesting through the years because I seen so many people with degrees and backgrounds as a professional standpoint criticize those that are just simply doing in the aspect that they're doing things wrong. [music] All while those
creatives in of themselves aren't doing anything at all. Like dude, set up your shot, put on a goddamn fill light, and you go make the videos. How about that? Rules and guidelines exist. Understanding them is useful, but the
rules don't override your eyes. So, anyways, moving on. Key lights on, [music] two lights are on in the background, here's where things get a little interesting cuz this is even just
while now, I was trying to match this look where [music] this yellow here was the same yellow as the tube lights in it was like all warm. It was a very fire, as the young kids say, look. One
day, I accidentally let the the light bar on the monitor on its default light, which is this right here. And I looked at the shot on my monitor, and I better. And what's funny about this is I had no idea to explain why I liked that
look. So, I was just interested. I took a screenshot. I I put it into AI, and I said, why does this look better? Why does it look cleaner, and why do I like with. The warmth in the background creates intimacy and energy. Getting a
little Getting a little hot in here. Uh they feel inviting, like there's life in the space, which is just really good because I'm a lifeless piece of [ __ ] But when everything is the same temperature, it can start to feel flat,
where it really stood out to me. The cool blue bar creates visual tension. It's a contrast that makes the warm stuff pop harder. That contrast reads as
[music] sophistication without being pretentious about it. So, essentially, I I'm just trying to appear to be smart even though I'm not. But, the point I'm need to know color temperature theory and color theory overall. I discovered
and color theory overall. I discovered this thing by a happy little accident, which is the [ __ ] point of all of this. A lot of this [ __ ] is discovered. It's not planned. First time I ever went to go make a YouTube video in general,
it was like in a room with green walls. I had no idea what I was doing, but I over time, through upgrading, downgrading, upgrading, downgrading, moving office spaces, you fine-tune the things that you specifically like for
you through the habit messing around with [ __ ] I will say one thing that does go into this look that I got to give somebody some sense of credit that I'm running on my footage. So, a LUT is a color grade that you apply in
post or if you're doing like what I do and recording directly into your PC, in the moment. [music] So, this is before the LUT. This is after the LUT. What's cool about LUTs is you can have the same exact lights as me, the same
exact camera as me, but a completely different looking video. The LUT is just the final layer. And just like with lighting temperatures, LUTs can have different [music] variants and colors and contrast to them as well. That's why
I put together a signature LUT pack of a variety of my favorite LUTs that I've to use the LUT the one, which is what I'm using right now, you have freedom to do so. Or you can use one of the other ones that I did put together. The link
is in the description, available on my website. But, anyways, here's what I want you to actually take from today's video. I'm not saying go replicate my setup. [music] That's not the goal. I can make content in the future to break
down exactly what I have to a T, to the angle, the color temperature, the settings, yada yada yada. My setup works for my space, my walls, my vibe and energy. What works for you is going to be different. That's the point. Maybe
your background is more minimal and you want a bright, warm accent. [music] Maybe you love the dramatic, one-sided look and you want to push it even and you want a brighter setup. Maybe you don't want to use the one light, but you
want to use the creator signature light. Great, do it for you. The framework and blueprint today is not the specific lights in itself, it's the process. Strip it down first and then layer it back up like a a Photoshop file. But be
intentional about it. Trust your eyes. Add what makes you feel comfortable and characteristics. Because those characteristics, the environment around you, is what's going to brand you. It's what people are going to remember. Drop
a comment on what your current wall color is and what you would like to think it's a good idea. Also, just be sure to join Discord. We have a section setups. If this video is helpful, you know what to do by now. That's all I got
Deuces. >> [music]