Casting doesn't grade your lighting kit — they grade whether your face reads clearly and evenly. You can get there with two lamps and a window. Here's the exact setup.
The goal isn't a lot of light, it's soft, even light with no harsh shadows across your face. A bare bulb creates hard shadows; the same bulb bounced off a wall or through a thin white sheet becomes soft and flattering. Aim for that before you touch anything else.
Place your brightest lamp slightly to one side and a bit above eye level — roughly a 45-degree angle to your face. Diffuse it (shoot through a white shower curtain, parchment, or a lampshade). This is your main light and does most of the work; it gives your face gentle dimension without a flat, mugshot look.
The key light leaves one side of your face darker. Put your second, dimmer lamp on the opposite side to lift those shadows so both sides read. Keep it weaker than the key — if both sides are equally bright, your face goes flat. If you only have one lamp, a white poster board on the shadow side bounces enough fill for free.
You don't need a lighting kit. Two adjustable desk or floor lamps that take standard bulbs will do — fit them with daylight-balanced LED bulbs (5000–6500K, 800–1100 lumens each). Bulbs that dim, or a cheap clip-on softbox light, are a bonus. The only real requirement is that both lamps use the same color temperature, so your skin tone stays consistent across the frame.
Raw bulbs are the enemy; diffusion is the whole trick. Clip a sheet of parchment paper, a thin white pillowcase, or a shower curtain a few inches in front of each lamp (keep fabric clear of hot bulbs — LEDs run cool, which is another reason to use them). Bouncing a lamp off a white wall or ceiling works just as well. A bigger, softer source means softer shadows and a more flattering, professional-looking face.
A window behind the camera adds soft daytime fill — great, but don't mix it with warm indoor bulbs or your skin goes half-orange, half-blue on camera. Match your bulbs to daylight (5000–6500K "daylight" LEDs) or shoot at night with the window closed. Consistent color temperature matters more than raw brightness.
If you blend into the wall behind you, the image looks flat and muddy. Sit two to four feet off the backdrop so the wall falls slightly out of focus and a little darker than you. If you have a third bulb or some spill light, aim a touch of it at the background to lift it. A neutral mid-tone wall (grey, muted blue, soft green) reads best — avoid pure white or busy patterns.
Distance controls softness: the closer a diffused lamp is to your face, the softer the light — but the faster it falls off. Start with the key about three to four feet away at 45 degrees, then move it in or out until the shadows look gentle, not harsh. Keep both lamps above eye level and angled down slightly; lighting from below creates that unflattering "campfire ghost story" look.
Before every tape, record ten seconds and play it back on the biggest screen you have. Check three things: are both eyes clearly lit with a small catchlight, is one side just slightly brighter than the other (dimension, not flatness), and is your skin one consistent color top to bottom? If yes, you're done — casting will see your face, which is the entire point.