best lighting

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deckardScott1980

Well-known member
im going to buy a few lights maybe even a light kit. Just need some advice at what are the best types of lights. or what should i get. I want to get a soft more natruel look so im looking at florescents. but should i also get other types of lights as well, lets say a harder light or an arri light kit. any advice would help?
 
What are you using it for? Interviews, dramatic, documentary? On the move or in fixed locations mostly?

If you're mixing fluorescents and tungsten you should make sure you match the color temperatures all to 3200K to make life easier for yourself.
 
good ole arri's (fresnals and open face) are fairly versatile. I never regretted buying their D1 kit when I was getting started.
 
sure. they can do that. It would be in how you use them. fresnels w/barndoors offer a lot of control.
 
Well, fluorescent, hmi and tungsten all have their places. A lot of times, when I hear the word dramatic, what comes up for me is shadows that are well-defined. Hard lighting is best for that and that's the realm of HMI and tungsten's with lenses like fresnels and pars.

Of course soft light is used in drama too. It's just a question of being able to visualize what you want in your head, knowing the rules around all the different types of lighting available to you and extrapolating to which tools will give you the best look. Watching TV or movies with a different eye from now on would go like "okay what are they using to light this scene and where are the lights placed?". This exercise gets you thinking more about how things are accomplished.

For soft light, its hard to beat fluorescent though since it doesn't heat things up so much and can be matched to other instruments thanks to all the color temperatures available today in the tubes.

Ideally, you'll eventually add all these things to your arsenal so you can get whatever effect you're looking for in any scene. You can soften up an HMI or tungsten fresnel with diffusion material but it's really a challenge to make a fluorescent like a hard light when you need it. It's just not their nature. The surface area of all those tube(s) together is so large that by the time you backed it off enough for it to become relatively a smaller, point light the falloff would get you and you wouldn't get enough light on the subject to be interesting or to get the shadows you were seeking.

A fluorescent fixture is just a soft box in another form with permanent diffusion built in. A worklight gives hard light but will never be focusable--no lens. So if budget is a consideration you'll want to get some tungsten fresnels (at least used ones anyway) first to play with and add 3200K fluorescent fixtures later when you need more soft light on a permanent basis. 3200K flo will match to your tungsten instruments.

HMI's will come in as an advanced step and more efficient than tungsten for when you need more light and just don't have the power to provide it with tungsten.
 
Lekos (elipsoidal spots) can often be found used very cheap particularly the old Strands. For dramatic lighting they are remarkably versatile, the built in shutters can be used to project sharp triangular shafts of light, and their ability to quickly adjust the sharpness of the shadow and their long "throw" or ability to project from a greater distance than a fresnel or openface make them particularly useful. Also, you can invest in a pattern holder and a few gobos (thin metal sheets that project various patterns) that can really liven up an otherwise boring wall. 750 and 1000 watt lekos by Strand or Colortran usually sell fr $25 to $50 apiece and the globes are easily available. Beware that many Lekos come from theatre lighting and will need to have a baby receiver put on the bail, and a Hubble (Edison household) connector installed. Norms Studio Equip , or Modern Studio Equip both in North Hollywood Ca carry them for about $10, and the Hubbels go for about $8.
 
Depending on your budget, an ARRI or Mole equivalent, Softbox 4-5 light kit would be an excellent choice. Adding one of "Cool Lights" 4 or 6 bulb fluorescent units would be a nice icing on this package. Then invest in a couple of extra sturdy light stands and some grip gear and gels.
If you want the BEST lights, and money is not an issue, look into HMI's. Brands like k-5600 or ARRI.
On the cheap, use this website to find a web address for ALZO lights..Look it up in the search section of this forum.
 
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