Lighting TV Studio...

[Paul F]

The objective at our studio is lots of light and limit shadows. The shows I do have minimal interest in modeling the light.

Our setup is very broad tungsten fixtures with PARs to add the odd highlight. Sometimes gels on the PARs for color, not color balance.

If it was a newsroom or similar, then the FLOs would be the way to go. Keep it cool, keep it diffused.

But you have bedrooms, and living rooms. So it sounds like you will want something a little more interesting and add some texture to the light.
You likely will have tungsten practicals on those sets that you want to match. So you may want to stick with tungsten in those rooms. How you want to light those rooms will tell you what to buy.

For the kitchen, FLOs are a likely choice. Diffused light and no practicals to deal with.

[thefilmmaking]

Thank you Paul. It will be strictly for TV show sets, for a sitcom or soap opera, so you suggest the tungsten as the best options? And which ones would you suggest as a full kit per set (arris?), I'll be purchasing double of everyhing to light up 2 sets at any given time, unless its a better idea to save the money and light one set properly.

[Moseph]

If you're buying used, what you get completely depends on what you can actually find. I would find out if any rental houses in your area are selling off old inventory before relying solely on eBay and CL (I see you're from LA so there probably are some). If you want to be able to run two shoots at once, I would try to get at least 6-8 of each of the common wattages, which are 200/300, 650, 1k, and 2k. Maybe you don't necessarily need that many 2k's though. Since you're in a studio, go for the non-compact fixtures. They're cheaper and perform better. Also, since you're in a studio, get yourself some rolling stands for when something can't go on a grid. If money eventually winds up permitting, the fluorescent fixture I always recommend is the DeSisti De Lux. They can be had for way cheaper than Kino Flos, and they're actually designed for studio applications as opposed to the more cinema oriented 4 bank or Diva.

[David W. Jones]

I'm really surprised the studio does not have a lighting inventory.

If you are shooting a series you are going to want your lighting to be consistent from episode to episode, so if they have a fully functioning grid with drops and a lighting control board then using it makes sense. As far as lights to choose, I think it really depends on the set design and the look you are going for.

[Paul F]

.....And which ones would you suggest as a full kit per set (arris?), I'll be purchasing double of everyhing to light up 2 sets at any given time, unless its a better idea to save the money and light one set properly.

I recommend tungsten for 2 reasons:

Match practicals in the living room and bedrooms
These rooms probably want a bit of light and shadow, which are better controlled with the variety of lights available in tungsten

If you don't have these two objectives, but only need a broad, diffused light, then flos may be a better choice.

If you choose tungsten then I recommend for each set:

3 of this type of broad tungsten fixture per set - not necessarily this brand. This is just an example of type. These give you a lot of coverage you won't get with a fresnel. You have a tight budget. These will go a long way in filling the set with light. http://www.rathboneenergy.com/broadc...oft_lights.htm

3-5 - 1k fresnel for rim lights or back lights to add some highlights

Barn doors, diffusion paper or other diffuser, cine foil

That will get you started and consume your budget. After that, you might find it useful to have few smaller fresnels to add accents or let the practicals do that.