Light like a pro with Lights from Home Depot

I don't think his book is intended for people doing this professionally. In talking with him, I got the sense that he LOVES having the big tools at his disposal. I think it's more about helping the newbies on the low-low end, who don't have the money even to buy some briteks or lowels.

I have a young, 17-year-old friend right now with a DVX who would probably benefit from this book -- I'm sure there are a lot of people like him. But I agree, if you are doing this, and making money, you have got to have professional gear and be knowledgeable about it's use.

But there's another side of this too. And that's the side (and I'm guilty as well) where people like myself, who have spent $15-20K on lighting and grip equipment, have stopped thinking outside the box and do only what's "professional." He showed me a number of things while on set that were so creative, and so simple, but that I would never have thought of because I've allowed myself to be absorbed by the --- dare I say, "snobby" mindset of always looking like a "pro." The irony is, that some of his techniques (which at first, appeared "low-rent" to me) ended up making him look even more the "pro" because they were so elegant and brilliant.
 
I've seen tons of "homemade," "Home Depot-ish," gaffer-engineered softboxes and chicken coops on just about every major Hollywood sound stage I've ever been on. I'll be first in line to buy one of his books!
 
Anybody who says money can't buy happiness is an idiot in my book... I would love to have nothing but pro tools to work with... but out of necessity I have a mix.

One of my favorite lighting tools... that I also think is a good $ for what it does... is a 24 x 32 Westcott Silver interior softbox for $150... then add the Photoflex grid for $100... Photoflex Tota speed ring for $80... Tota w/ 750w for $126... this will give you a key that you can rely on for so much... for so long. If you can double this setup (with a 300-500w in the other)... then all the better. (For another $170 you can do all this as a 36 x 48 softbox and cover a pretty big area with beautifully controlled light)

There are SO many tools that I see on higher-end shoots... at this point I try to notice how often I see the SAME tools that are used every single time... then I focus on those, and save for those things.

Really there's a number of tools that we all should have in our kits... areas where you probably should consider the pro option first. You don't have to get a Chimera instead of a Westcott (again... $$$ notwithstanding, I'd rather go Chimera).

I endorse using professional tools when possible, and I'm probably one of the biggest DIY guys on this board... as people graduate from hobbiest to pro I hope they'll be smart enough to judge what Home Depot stuff needs to be replaced with something professional... and I think there are some professional tools that should be considered first. That's why I mentioned a softbox and grid... that provides a combination of quality and control that's hard to get any other way.

A hair light, gobo/cookie light, daylight flos, china balls, scoops, and other simple lights are the ones that I would focus on for DIY.

Finally... BLACK DUVETYNE... load up on it! It's pretty cheap at something like $9 or so per yard. First thing you do on a shoot is get rid of the light that you don't want or can't control. Elimate problems before you start to create the look you want. Trust me... more then anything else, with lighting, this is the area that seperates the pros from the amatures.
 
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For the type of projects that I work on, time is one of the more valuable commodities. Talent gets paid per day, location have a daily fee, insurance has an expiration period, wardrobe and makeup people have a daily rate, just about everything has a running cost associated to it. For me, time is money.

If I am really lucky, I will work on two projects in a month. Most will have a running duration of 2-5 days. For me, this makes for an interesting contrast. I can't afford to use anything that will take more time to setup and I also can't afford (nor justify) owning the caliber of equipment that is often needed to keep things moving at their most efficient pace. So, how does one solve this dilemma?

The key for me is simple, it's rentals. Consider that a typical 1 ton grip package has a daily cost of $70 and a weekly cost of $210. For the amount of items included I can't even justify the space to store them (its about $1.50 per square foot per month around here) let alone the costs to acquire them. The packages are never perfect, but they are very well thought out and I would estimate that I use 90% of the included items on every shoot. There are always specialty items that I will need and are usually discovered when I do a site survey so I just add them to the list that is sent to the rental company.

Lighting is another matter, and here I use a combination of owned items (those that I use nearly all the time) and rental items. If on a given project I only need a day of HMIs but a week of tungsten instruments, this is no problem for the rental house. I can bring in $30,000 worth of day light balanced sources for a few hundred dollars and send them back when that portion of the project is completed. If it is a really useful item and I can find it used then that is something that I will consider owning (and renting to the production when used) but it really has to be a "must have item" for me to justify owning.

Don't get me wrong, sometimes the perfect solution can be an inexpensive item (like a China ball with and ECA on a boom pole for following talent around) but sometimes a big HMI is the perfect choice, so I look to the rental houses for the high ticket items.

I would be first in line to buy any book that has a great solution (even just a single idea is worth the purchase price) within its covers, after all, time is money!
 
As a big fan of DIY stuff I must say I prefer pro gear 10:1
I started with those cheap flood lights in the cones, then the big work lights, and then whatever else I could get my hands on. But it doesnt stack up. But looking back, theres NO WAY I could have afforded $3000 in 5 or 6 arri lights and another $2k in grip stuff for them. You build up your arsenal but you can't exactly start at the top. I get lucky every now and then and get a gig that pays for equipment straight up. But if you are a learning film maker or a young guy trying to get his feet wet, a budget for this stuff is impossible.

"It is the same with cameras. If you know the least bit about fiilm and can run a film camera, do you know how much easier it is to light a scene and shoot it with a Panavision camera and get a pretty good looking result than to light the same scene for DV and have the end result look in the same league? Film is so easy because it has so much dynamic range, latitude, killer stocks, great colorists who can almost perform miracles, etc."
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I agree to an extent. I'd love to shoot everything through panavision but money is the item at question here. I've had G2 shoots that were over $4k a day for that pana camera alone. I love that thing (especially using the panahead gears over my stupid war head) but we've gotta be realistic. I doubt many of these members will even touch a panavision camera or even a primo lens. I shot a no brainer s16 short last month (with sr2) that cost over $2000 for film and processing alone. It was less than 8 min long. That would kill a young movie maker.

Yes you'll get a better image on film, and keep in mind i'm a huge film advocate, but thats what you get for the money. I remember my first telecine with 16mm and I couldn't believe that my footage looked like HD stuff or better. You light it right and it truely looks like a movie. But you could have bought an HVX and shot 10 movies and learned more as a movie maker for the same price. Now, its all about how you harness the tools at hand within your budget. If you never learn the correct way of shooting things, then those 10 movies will do you no good. You'll just have 10 mediocre products.
Not to be arguing or giving you a hard time because by all means I agree, nothing beats a well rounded arri/mole kit with a nice grip truck that does stuff when you need it to. And when that is available you just don't think about the equipment while your using it, and instead focus on getting the shot and being creative. Which is the difference between that and homedepot..."will my roof flashing barndoor hold for this take??"

In any case, ill buy this book no questions asked. Theres always room for learning new techniques with the most bizarre materials
 
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darwinandpaine said:
But there's another side of this too. And that's the side (and I'm guilty as well) where people like myself, who have spent $15-20K on lighting and grip equipment, have stopped thinking outside the box and do only what's "professional." He showed me a number of things while on set that were so creative, and so simple, but that I would never have thought of because I've allowed myself to be absorbed by the --- dare I say, "snobby" mindset of always looking like a "pro." The irony is, that some of his techniques (which at first, appeared "low-rent" to me) ended up making him look even more the "pro" because they were so elegant and brilliant.
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you hit the nail on the head my friend!

do like bruce lee said..... "be like water"

except apply that to youre lighting and filmmaking endeveaours (sp?)


yall get what I'm sayin right?!:beer:
 
MattinSTL said:
Anybody who says money can't buy happiness is an idiot in my book... I would love to have nothing but pro tools to work with... but out of necessity I have a mix.
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If fellow dvxusers have the money for more expensive equipment, more power to you. No one is going to tell you to go home and put the Arri redheads away for a practical light bulb from Walmart clearly. :)

The idea here is that equipment is merely a tool for an End Result. If people who cannot afford the more expensive lighting equipment can achieve similar or even sufficient End Results putting together various lights from local hardware stores than more power to them too! :beer:
 
If I put up a post that says... sometimes this thing is black... but sometimes it can be white... depending on the situation.

Invariably somebody will quote me as saying "sometimes this thing is black"... and then after they quoted me they'll add the wisdom of saying, "but sometimes it can be white".

I wonder if occasionally part of my post doesn't show up on every monitor... I guess I better cut it down.

An earlier poster implied that using anything but pro tools was a waste... I was saying that I think some members get carried away in avoiding pro tools and rushing to jerry-rigged solutions that end up costing them more time and money in the end anyway... when choosing a pro tool initially, for a particular use might have made the most sense... even economically.

That's why I said I use both. Some rigged crap will end up costing you $$$ if even just ONE person is getting paid on that day and that thing isn't doing the job. Certain items... such as a grid and softbox... will be pretty hard to duplicate in a DIY solution. Other items, such as a hair light, or gobo light... are cake... that's all I'm saying.
 
I would buy that book if it came out. Maybe you can work a deal with Jarred to link to it when he writes it.
 
Hey whats the dealio with the book? I could use it - just picked up a couple of 500 watt work lights, and i'm in the 17 year old young filmmaker camp
 
khmuse said:
The key for me is simple, it's rentals. Consider that a typical 1 ton grip package has a daily cost of $70 and a weekly cost of $210.

Holy Cow, I'm moving to where you are. In Des Moines, my stomp'in ground, a grip truck is $ 690 .00 A DAY .......For 4 days, then free for 3 days. (15 ft box truck w/lift)

I'd buy one of the books too.
I'm always on the look- out for grip and lighting items that I can make myself to mimic pro tools. When I can't afford to buy ( for my own use) professional items from Matthews, Arri, Mole...ect, I get great personal satisfaction from designing and engineering my own tools. Granted, none of the items I have made deserve a patent, and may have been made on the fly for a one time application, but I enjoyed excercising my brain to problem solve, rather than to whine because I couldn't figure out to make light come out of a vase, or hide a light reflection or even light a room that not's suppose to have any light at all.
I'm also that guy that likes the new tools and the latest gear. The smaller version, the brighter version, the new grip clamp, the new swivel gizmo. Because I like to stay fresh, stay informed, and steal ideas or dream up my own on how to utilize these new do-dads.
But I learn something new on a set ALMOST everyday, I work out of a grip truck at least 3-4 days a week. I am spoiled by working with all the standard gear, and making due with a home built project is sometimes humbling, other times can make you feel quite proud.

I too usually steer newbies to buy gear that will withstand the test of time, and abuse of EVERYDAY use. Like Dan, I have spent a S-wad of money on crap to limp me through a year or two, and it's usually only a month or two. My contributions on this website are based primarily on saving people the steps, the expense, and trouble I have gone through on countless sets and shoots throughout the years.
IF YOU ARE INDEED SERIOUS ABOUT GETTING GREAT LIGHTING EQUIPMENT, I suggest you rent FIRST, and learn how to use it. Go to a rental house and ask them to demo it. Find someone to teach you how to use it, the difference between a fresnel and an open face, the differences between daylight and tungsten.... Or read, read, read.
The differences between someone with lights , and a gaffer, is that the gaffer knows what to do with them, where to place them to motivate a scene, sculpt the faces for proper exposure and to make your actress look hot or scary.
Now, back to topic... There is absolutly nothing wrong with using anything at your disposal to light up your actors. That said, proper exposure, color balance and whether or not the light looks believable comes into play. But I would hope that everyone reading this would experiment with proper techniques before they roll on the next biggest blockbuster of the year.
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Interesting having read this whole thread after starting a new one in DIY over building a softbox.

After being more than 30 years in the film and TV industry, first in Argentina and then in Brazil, I must say what really pays off it's not the tools you have but how you use them. The less the better.

Last year I shot several interviews for two months, where the budget we had was next to zero. In fact there was not supposed to be any video shooting, only the interviews, but I decided to take my DV camera along, my mikes, and shoot with the available light we might have. I just took a table light that I used mostly to enhance the faces when it was possible. In most situations it was not.

But I didn't want a flat lighting either, in spite of all that. So what did I do? On every location I went I looked for where the light was best. You always find a spot. Besides the table lamp, what did we use: a round silver reflector.

We shot first with a PD150 and then with a PD170. On very rare situations I added a little gain with the 170 (I think it was 6dB). Shutter always 1/60. All interiors.

Part of these images ended up on a documentary that I am using now to raise money for a "proper one" (to shoot more and pay rights, not change the way it was done).

What do I mean with all this is that you have to learn to look at things and shape them. That is valid for a table lamp and an HMI. That is the challenge: to train your eye.

Maybe that had been the most important thing I had learnt during all these years, and most of you probably have already started gaining that too.
 
Please update us on the possibility of this book. It sounded very interesting and helpful. Successful productions are always filled with odd and humorous stories of how simple crew contraptions saved the day or made a shot outstanding. It's a huge asset for any film maker to know how to use a flashlight in a pinch or make a mattebox out of gaff tape. haha
 
I say use what works. I've been using homemade gear in combination with pro gear for years. I like to break out a china lantern with a little halogen bulb in a homemade socket for a kicker. Now this stuff isn't going to work all the time and when I'm on a well paying job, I still bring out the pro gear.

I was shooting a HD Sci-fi feature and broke out a china lantern and one of the actors asked what's that. It was fun explaining.

Scott
 
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