lighting package conundrum

[NickIM]

i'm looking to purchase a lighting package for around $3k to be used in conjunction with a DVX100a for interviews and as a general, all-purpose lighting package for shoots where we wouldn't need a complete truck.

i've used arri light kits in the past and have been very pleased with their performance and durability. i'm considering the Softbank IV kit which includes two 150s, one 300, one 650 and one 1k w/ a Chimera for $2680. but, now i'm wondering if the two 150s won't get used enough to justify their cost and space in the case.

can anyone shed some light (no pun intended) on this combination of lights and if they think i'd get much use out of the 150s with a DVX100a. i worry with a 1k key, that the 150s wouldn't be bright enough to be very effective. would i be better purchasing the 300-650-650-1k kit from arri? or maybe even the 300-300-650-650 configuration? will a 650 key with a chimera even offer enough light if i have to gel it for daylight?

then i started reading about Kino's Diva-Lite 400 fixture. i've never used Kino Flo lights, but everyone seems to rave about them. and the ability to dim and easily swap daylight and tungsten without losing britghness is very appealing. i'm wondering if maybe i should go with one of these fixtures and then a smaller arri package.

any insight on all of this would be GREATLY appreciated. thanks!

[Stas_Tagios]

I've been directing a short film DP'd by my friend who has an Arri kit comprised of 3 1k's, 1 300, and 1 150, a kit we recently supplemented with the Rostronics 1200w softbox kit (2 650 lights), and in some set-ups, we wound up using almost every light we had, whereas in others, we'd use only one or two lights.

The 150 proved most useful as a subtle rim light or hair light in CU's (though as you point out, if your key is a 1k, the 150 isn't nearly powerful enough to make much difference as a backlight), or as an unobtrusive fill for tight insert shots (of hands and the like). Because we were shooting in a practical location, the 150 was also handy for some tight setups where a bigger light would have been too powerful (since we didn't have the room to back it off enough) without a lot of diffusion or scrims or ND's to knock it down.

That said, in general, I'd go for only 1 150 rather than 2, and opt for more of some of the bigger lights you mention -- the 300 or 650, for example -- since in most situations, it's better to have the light available and back it off or knock it down if you need, than to be stuck with a 150 that might not be powerful enough to supply the illumination you need.

The 1K's may seem like a lot of light, especially for interview situations where you can have the light close to your subject, but for any kind of narrative filmmaking, the 1k's are almost a bare minimum; after you stick a softbox on a 1k, ND it, or CTB it, the output's cut drastically and you wind up wishing you had even bigger lights.

On my movie, most of which takes place at night, indoors (with a classic "slashes of moonlight" look), we got the most use out of the 3 1k's, and used the 650's, the 300, and 150 mostly as fill or backlight.

Can't comment on the Kinos, since I haven't used them, but they sure look pretty.:)