Beginner w/questions

S

ShamanEyes

Member
Hi All,

I'm a noob and is now just starting to get really serious into filmmaking. Being a noob as I am, would it be wise to start buying "pro" lighting equipments and learn from the ground up or do you guys think it's better to start off with something more affordable until I get the hang of things. My mentality is, why buy cheap things to learn when you know you'll upgrade in the future anyways? I don't mind buying one thing at a time as to getting a full light set that's of poorer quality.

I don't know, suggestions and advices from you seasoned pros will be greatly appreciated.

p.s. What would you guys get with $1K - $1.5k dollars?

Thanks,
 
Buying lighting and grip equipment is a great investment. It doesn't really lose any value like our cameras do.

With your budget, you will be buying tungsten if you get anything name brand like arri.

You may want to check with a rental house and see if there selling anything. (If it is in good condition)

I was able to buy (2) Arri 1k's, (2) Arri 650's, and a snoot (ancient light by mole richardson lol) with case and a Chimera soft box for $1000 cash. There were no c-stands included with that. They were well worth the investment!
 
Visit eBay and look up Colortran, Lowell, Mole, and Arri.

You'll get a bit more light output from open face quartz lights than you would from fresnel fixtures and they're smaller/lighter.

As for quality, I'd go with Arri first, then Mole, then Lowell, then the low cost Colortran. Unfortunately, the Lowell stuff has insane resale value and the older very used Lowell stuff can be pretty beat.

Also, Desisti makes very, very good fixtures.

.
 
Hi ShamanEyes,

I agree - Get good stuff. I have one Lowell Soft Box and the rest Arri Frenels and a bunch of miscellaneous old lights. IMHO Arri Frenels will give you the most flexibility and longevity (just make sure you also get a Chimera Soft Box or equivalent). Also be sure to budget in for a C-stand and a few 1/4 or 1/2 CTO / CTB gels

Now as far as learning - there is nothing stopping you from learning how to light well with ANY light source. Think outside of the $$ constraints. A large window on an over cast day is a beautiful soft source. Cheap 'home depot' construction lights bounced off cheap white foam core produces a decent soft source. A 'China Ball' filled with CPFs makes a great soft source and/or eye-light. Just remember to white balance, as these sources are never 3.2k.

The best way to learn is to emulate the great artists of old (honestly, look at how they painted the light sources in their masterpieces). Experiment and your craft will pay for new gear

Check the ASC for good lighting books - I recommend 'REFLECTIONS'. The Inventor of Lowell Lighting also makes a great handbook on techniques.

Feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions and I'll try to help.

J
 
My advice is don't buy gear -- hire experienced people who have their own gear. Learn from them.

What is your career goal in filmmaking? Do you want to be a lighting person? Or a director? Or producer? DP?

Too often the newbie will buy cameras, mics, lights -- and then take forever to try and learn how to use them all. It's easy to get enamored of the gear. But when you go to make a film, you want the best DP, the best sound guy, and the best lighting person you can afford -- and you're probably not going to be any of those.

If your goal is to direct and/or produce, then don't buy gear -- hire people who have their own. You'll learn a lot in the process, but you won't be starting from square one.

If you want to be a lighting person, I'd say you should apprentice with a skilled craftsman first. Learn the skill, find out what equipment is needed, then worry about buying your gear.

The same holds true if your goal is to be a DP or a sound engineer.

Figure out what it is you want to do, then go from there.

Good luck!
 
chapelgrovefilms said:
My advice is don't buy gear -- hire experienced people who have their own gear. Learn from them.

What is your career goal in filmmaking? Do you want to be a lighting person? Or a director? Or producer? DP?

Too often the newbie will buy cameras, mics, lights -- and then take forever to try and learn how to use them all. It's easy to get enamored of the gear. But when you go to make a film, you want the best DP, the best sound guy, and the best lighting person you can afford -- and you're probably not going to be any of those.

If your goal is to direct and/or produce, then don't buy gear -- hire people who have their own. You'll learn a lot in the process, but you won't be starting from square one.

If you want to be a lighting person, I'd say you should apprentice with a skilled craftsman first. Learn the skill, find out what equipment is needed, then worry about buying your gear.

The same holds true if your goal is to be a DP or a sound engineer.

Figure out what it is you want to do, then go from there.

Good luck!
Click to expand...

I admit I don't have a lot of experience and this is just my opinion, but I prefer the way I've learned a lot of lessons using my own gear just trying stuff out on my own.

Then again, I'm just the kind of person who you could tell fire will burn you then I'll just put my hand over it anyway to test for myself.
 
Then you will like standing there regarding the scene right in front of a 1200 PAR.
You can light your hat on fire like I did. Never a dull day at the office...
 
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