The Nate Lopez Interview

Coffee & Gaff Tape

Welcome to a brand new season of Coffee & Gaff Tape! In our first episode of Season 2, we’re talking to freelance lighting designer Nate Lopez!

One of the first things we recommend here at Resi, when someone asks us how to make their videos look more professional, is to start with lighting. This is why we’re super excited to talk with Nate about his thoughts on lighting for video, how he found his passion for making the lights go blinky-blink, and how the rest of the production community can better understand the impact of a great lighting design.

Here’s some of what we cover:

00:03:47 • Who is Nate Lopez?

00:04:52 • How did you end up in the shadows of production?

00:10:46 • Do you go all out with Christmas lights on your house?

00:12:13 • What don’t other aspects of production understand about lighting?

00:16:05 • Set design and lighting.

00:18:35 • Where would you start when trying to build a lighting rig?

00:25:48 • What’s the difference between ‘showy’ lighting and enhancing an environment?

00:30:41 • What does a typical day look like for a freelance lighting designer?

00:35:32 • How has lighting changed with the influx of virtual and hybrid events?

00:41:48 • What’s one thing we can all do to improve lighting for video?

00:49:50 • Nate’s heart.

What a way to kick off Season 2 of Coffee and Gaff Tape! It was such a privilege to have Nate join us in-studio and share his story with us.

Alright, AirPods at the ready?

P.S. If you’re looking for an LD or just want to talk shop with Nate Lopez, feel free to hit him up at [e-mail] and tell him Resi sent you.

Who's Resi? Well, we're Resi; the world's most resilient streaming service and champion of those that often go unnoticed while producing live productions for organizations around the world. Check us out at Res.io to learn more!