20-30k Commercial/Music Video lighting setup???

[puredrifting]

Hey rob you were right! Big can of worms. But I'm glad that I did. All of the grip equipment you listed is spot on. As for the, "Buy a light, use it and build from there..." approach, I think that's the only sensible way. I HATED PUREDRIFTING'S RESPONSE. But he's right. (And smart and far more experienced Thant myself) I love telling stories but I also don't have anywhere near the team it takes to use half of this equipment without taking 45 minutes for a 7 minutes setup. I would end up being the guy who takes forever doing things he's half good at instead of the great director who hires out the best crew possible for each team. Don't get me wrong, I MUST purchase small kit that I could operate with a 2 man crew. This is how I live. But Puredrifitng is right. I'd be busting off far more than I could chew and still nowhere near enough to get the job done. (You can but the gear but you're paying double to hire out people who would know how to use it.) That being say I live in Houston and owning your own small camera and lighting package here is key to getting hired. So I guess some quasars is kino shells ($5k), and _______, _______, could be all I need for low budget commercials, music videos (90% of my income), and interviews/docs.

Sorry, didn't want to burst your bubble, but I have gone through the same cycles you are going through early in my career, the difference was, I was working so much, so consistenly, I didn't need to worry about sub-renting gear out, it was mine, all mine, paid for, and saving me money by not having to rent stuff and making me money under a line item of "G&L - $500.00 per shoot". When you reach a certain level in the business, you have to either go all in and buy all of the stuff you'll really want and need, or you have regret and lose money selling off the stuff you bought. It sounds as if you could get by with your own shoots with smaller, less expensive stuff and use the money you were going to spend to pay off consumer debt, if you have any, or invest. Video production gear, overall, is not an investment, it's an expense most of the time. You also have the nightmare stories about people now, renting out there gear on Sharegrid and the others and other people damaging it, messing it up and the owners are having trouble getting insurance settlements to repair or replace. So many people treat rental gear like crap, they abuse it and don't keep track of all of the accessories. No thanks.

It sounds as if you are making a wise decision in the direction you are going, best of luck to you. I am working with relatively cheap lights these days and they work fine for what I do, mainly interviews, small studio shoots for the studios where often the studio has the more expensive lighting like big Kinos, Hive, HMIs, etc. so I don't even have to rent and transport. As far as travel shoots, I have been lucky that we have been renting G&L on location and hiring crews to do the heavy lifting, I can do such better work when I don't have to do everything myself, when I have pro grips and gaffers who can position lighting for me, just like they do it on big productions ;-) I love doing all of the lighting and gripping myself and I am good at it, but I love working with professional crews more, I can realize my vision so much faster and more precisely.

 

[Erik Naso]

I bought collapsible 4x4, 6x6 and 8x8 frames and fabrics. Try to not buy expensive high output lights. Stuff that doesn't have a expiration date like stands and basic grip is good to own. It will last your entire career.

Litepanels ASTRAS are so good. Small footprint and very bright. New model is even brighter. Having four would be a nice start with battery plate option for V-lock or Gold Mount and of course get some batteries and a charger. I love these lights. They have become my new kit. We purchased eight bi-color models recently. Shoot a couple through a 6x6 for a soft key or fill. Get a soft box for them for quick soft lights. Bounce off a ceilings or foam core boards. I've also used them for fill outside on cloudy days. Did I mention how much I like them? :-D

Aputure makes less expensive lights put I really like the ASTRAS because they are compact and no controller hanging off them. Very clean design.

 

[Bern Caughey]

I have Aladdin 1x2' bi-color LED Flex panels in my travel kit, but when practical often leave them home, & rent G&E at the destination, so I don't have to worry about the airlines delivering them on time.

When I need a battery-powered LED the Astras are often my first choice because their readily available, have good TLCI, & so quick to set up. Still a huge fan of the Flex lights since their lightweight design simplifies rigging, & travel, but it's much quicker to setup a Astra than a Flex, especially if using SnapBags/Softboxes.