ChillaVision
Member
I’ve never shot video with a light. In fact, I’ve only shot about 10 minutes of video ever, that’s how much of a newbie I am. However, I do now own a camera and I do want to shoot video so I know I will need to get some lights and learn a little bit about lighting. I’ve read on this forum that some members recommend going to Home Depot and purchasing some work lights and learn by trial and error with those lights. Others recommend getting a good book on the theory of theatrical lighting. Frankly, neither of these approaches sound all that appealing to me. I know I would feel more comfortable if someone would just show me to get me started and then let me go off and experiment on my own. I can always go back and fill in the theory part later.
One of the things I didn’t want to do is ask you guys what I should buy with my very limited budget. (I’ve seen this question asked over and over again on this forum, and I’ve seen it answered any number of ways by people telling what seems to work best for them.) Also, there seem to be a million different “lighting kits” out there and I have no concept of which one would be best suited to me.
Knowing that I do want to shoot interviews, I decided to risk $40 on a one hour video by Doug Jensen entitled “How to Setup, Light, & Shoot Great Looking Interviews.” (http://www.vortexmedia.com) Though I have absolutely zero experience with video lighting, I will highly recommend this video to beginners such as myself. It may well be that everything covered in this video is “old hat” to the rest of you, but if there is any doubt in your mind about how to set up lights for an interview or what you need to make a good looking shot, get this video!
Even though I’ve never shot an interview, I now feel that given the equipment suggested by Doug, I could. I am confident that I would actually understand what I was doing… and why. I now know, for example, the difference between backlighting and lighting the background. I know which side to put the main light on and how high to place it. I have some ideas about how to deal with glasses so as not to get reflections. I know why the right chair is important.
The stuff that Doug teaches is very practical and down-to-earth. Never did I get the feeling that I was being talked down to and at the same time, never was anything over my head. Heck, I now even know what a cucoloris (sp?) is. (I think grips refer to them as “cookies”.) Doug demonstrates what each light does and now it adds to the shot.
Early on Doug points out that his way of lighting interviews is not the only way, but it is a way that has worked for him on thousands of interviews that have appeared on all the network tv stations. He uses many examples of good shots and of poor shots so that you don’t make the same mistakes that others have.
He suggests a basic lighting kit for interviews that will probably cover about 90% of all the situations you will run into. The cost of the kit is about $1500 (I checked B&H Photo prices and his cost estimates are right on as of the time this is written, 7/06.) As he mentions, his suggested kit is based on the actual equipment that he uses himself. He isn’t trying to give you cheapest kit possible, nor the most expensive either. His suggested kit, I think, is for the working pro such as himself. For example, the light stands are Avengers (high quality and not the least expensive by a long shot). The lights are a Lowel Tota, and two Lowel Pro Lights, one with barn doors the other with a snoot. (I noted that he didn’t suggest gel holder frames, but rather shows gels being held on by clothespins (c-47s??... I think I learned that from this forum)).
Anyway, he suggests that you don’t buy a pre-assembled kit because the kit won’t contain everything you need and you will end up paying for several items that you will likely never use. He suggests buying different items from different manufacturers as no one manufacturer makes everything you need. Hence, lights from Lowel, stands from Avenger, a softbox from Photoflex, a reflector from Flexfill, and so on.
The only equipment suggestion that could conceivably be considered a “plug” is Doug’s suggested use of Warm Cards. I think his company actually makes them. I know several folks here swear by them; I know others say they are a ripoff and you can make your own using your inkjet printer for a fraction of the cost. Either way, I don’t mind at all that Doug includes them in his video.
Since I’m not a pro and I don’t have to impress clients and since no one seeing the video I shoot will know if the lights were supported by expensive or inexpensive light stands, I think I can cut corners on the $1500 cost of the suggested light kit. I can always purchase the quality I can afford now and replace inexpensive gear later when I can afford to.
Doug Jensen’s DVD has given me a starting point. I now know what I need to purchase to get started. I may add to this kit later, but it’s something to get started with and it will be money spent in a useful direction. I’m not so sure that I could say the same if I just went out and purchased a bunch of lights from Home Depot or picked a pre-assembled lighting kit that just happened to fit within my budget.
I highly recommend this DVD to any newbies such as myself. Another great source of articles I’ve found for us newbie types is Bluesky Media (http://www.bluesky-web.com). Walter Graff’s articles are very informative and echo many of the concepts found in the Doug Jensen DVD. As a matter of fact, Walter Graff’s Bluesky Media now has a DVD out about “The Headshot” for $34 that I sorely tempted to send of for. Oh, and by the way, Doug’s DVD is $38.something if purchased through B&H.
There are other great reads out there for us newbies like some of Tom Musto’s articles for the video lighting class that he teaches (http://www.videolightingclass.com). You can even get his “Lighting for Video Film Style” class on DVD’s with a workbook for $200. He takes a very film professional approach and includes topics such as using the light meter and so on. He stresses that if you really want a film-look to your project, you have to realistic about how much light is required. “You should think in terms of needing at least 8,000 – 10,000 watts of tungsten light to start with for a "no" budget feature on mini DV and at the very least a 3-ton grip truck with an extensive tungsten package for a low budget feature shot on HD, rather than thinking that a light kit with 2500 watts will do the trick.”
Also, Rush Hamden, who spends much time on this forum, has a $329 video series out about Digital Cinema Filmmaking (http://www.digitalcinemacourse.com) which includes 6 or 7 DVD’s and includes info on lighting as well as other topics. Someone who has this DVD set can fill us in on how useful it is to us newbies and whether or not it is worth the expense.
One of the things I didn’t want to do is ask you guys what I should buy with my very limited budget. (I’ve seen this question asked over and over again on this forum, and I’ve seen it answered any number of ways by people telling what seems to work best for them.) Also, there seem to be a million different “lighting kits” out there and I have no concept of which one would be best suited to me.
Knowing that I do want to shoot interviews, I decided to risk $40 on a one hour video by Doug Jensen entitled “How to Setup, Light, & Shoot Great Looking Interviews.” (http://www.vortexmedia.com) Though I have absolutely zero experience with video lighting, I will highly recommend this video to beginners such as myself. It may well be that everything covered in this video is “old hat” to the rest of you, but if there is any doubt in your mind about how to set up lights for an interview or what you need to make a good looking shot, get this video!
Even though I’ve never shot an interview, I now feel that given the equipment suggested by Doug, I could. I am confident that I would actually understand what I was doing… and why. I now know, for example, the difference between backlighting and lighting the background. I know which side to put the main light on and how high to place it. I have some ideas about how to deal with glasses so as not to get reflections. I know why the right chair is important.
The stuff that Doug teaches is very practical and down-to-earth. Never did I get the feeling that I was being talked down to and at the same time, never was anything over my head. Heck, I now even know what a cucoloris (sp?) is. (I think grips refer to them as “cookies”.) Doug demonstrates what each light does and now it adds to the shot.
Early on Doug points out that his way of lighting interviews is not the only way, but it is a way that has worked for him on thousands of interviews that have appeared on all the network tv stations. He uses many examples of good shots and of poor shots so that you don’t make the same mistakes that others have.
He suggests a basic lighting kit for interviews that will probably cover about 90% of all the situations you will run into. The cost of the kit is about $1500 (I checked B&H Photo prices and his cost estimates are right on as of the time this is written, 7/06.) As he mentions, his suggested kit is based on the actual equipment that he uses himself. He isn’t trying to give you cheapest kit possible, nor the most expensive either. His suggested kit, I think, is for the working pro such as himself. For example, the light stands are Avengers (high quality and not the least expensive by a long shot). The lights are a Lowel Tota, and two Lowel Pro Lights, one with barn doors the other with a snoot. (I noted that he didn’t suggest gel holder frames, but rather shows gels being held on by clothespins (c-47s??... I think I learned that from this forum)).
Anyway, he suggests that you don’t buy a pre-assembled kit because the kit won’t contain everything you need and you will end up paying for several items that you will likely never use. He suggests buying different items from different manufacturers as no one manufacturer makes everything you need. Hence, lights from Lowel, stands from Avenger, a softbox from Photoflex, a reflector from Flexfill, and so on.
The only equipment suggestion that could conceivably be considered a “plug” is Doug’s suggested use of Warm Cards. I think his company actually makes them. I know several folks here swear by them; I know others say they are a ripoff and you can make your own using your inkjet printer for a fraction of the cost. Either way, I don’t mind at all that Doug includes them in his video.
Since I’m not a pro and I don’t have to impress clients and since no one seeing the video I shoot will know if the lights were supported by expensive or inexpensive light stands, I think I can cut corners on the $1500 cost of the suggested light kit. I can always purchase the quality I can afford now and replace inexpensive gear later when I can afford to.
Doug Jensen’s DVD has given me a starting point. I now know what I need to purchase to get started. I may add to this kit later, but it’s something to get started with and it will be money spent in a useful direction. I’m not so sure that I could say the same if I just went out and purchased a bunch of lights from Home Depot or picked a pre-assembled lighting kit that just happened to fit within my budget.
I highly recommend this DVD to any newbies such as myself. Another great source of articles I’ve found for us newbie types is Bluesky Media (http://www.bluesky-web.com). Walter Graff’s articles are very informative and echo many of the concepts found in the Doug Jensen DVD. As a matter of fact, Walter Graff’s Bluesky Media now has a DVD out about “The Headshot” for $34 that I sorely tempted to send of for. Oh, and by the way, Doug’s DVD is $38.something if purchased through B&H.
There are other great reads out there for us newbies like some of Tom Musto’s articles for the video lighting class that he teaches (http://www.videolightingclass.com). You can even get his “Lighting for Video Film Style” class on DVD’s with a workbook for $200. He takes a very film professional approach and includes topics such as using the light meter and so on. He stresses that if you really want a film-look to your project, you have to realistic about how much light is required. “You should think in terms of needing at least 8,000 – 10,000 watts of tungsten light to start with for a "no" budget feature on mini DV and at the very least a 3-ton grip truck with an extensive tungsten package for a low budget feature shot on HD, rather than thinking that a light kit with 2500 watts will do the trick.”
Also, Rush Hamden, who spends much time on this forum, has a $329 video series out about Digital Cinema Filmmaking (http://www.digitalcinemacourse.com) which includes 6 or 7 DVD’s and includes info on lighting as well as other topics. Someone who has this DVD set can fill us in on how useful it is to us newbies and whether or not it is worth the expense.
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