Decent budget lighting kits

M

mr_goodbomb

Active member
So, I got a good camera, I'm working on a good mic, and now I think it's time to get to good lighting. I can borrow my school's limit supply of lighting kits (a couple broken kits, which make maybe 2-3 sets of 3 out of all the broken crap laying around) until I graduate in a few months, but I'd prefer not to rely on them. I'd also like to avoid piecing together a collection of junk stuff like cardboard softboxes and work lights that are going to get broken after a few short films. I'd rather have something I can pack up and put into a box or container, and something that is better than basically a couple 200w tungstens mounted inside coffee cans (which some of the school's kits basically are, and probably cost them several hundred bucks each). So, I'd like to buy a decent kit.

I'm played with a Lowel kit before, and they seem pretty nice. Buying a kit off their site is fairly expensive, but I've seen individual lights on Ebay for cheap.

Any suggestions on what to keep an eye out for? I see the Lowel Totas go for fairly cheap... What if I had a kit of 3 with stands and either used dimmers or softboxes to control them?
 
Keep an eye on ebay. Search used under lighting and stay away from the cheap chinese stuff. They will end up broken just like the lights you have now.
 
I'd say learn all you can with your school lights. No point in buying your own until you understand some lighting fundamentals.

Tota's a great for their intended use. I couldn't imagine trying to create a light kit with 3 of them.

Softboxes do not control light. In fact, in many cases they make light much harder to control.

Lowel makes some decent basic lights. So do other people.

There are some excellent basics and tutorials stickied at the top of this lighting section. Please read them. They are helpful.
 
I agree with PerroneFord...

You can spend tons on high end Arris, Moles, etc. and not have a clue what to do with them. Having a good assortment of lights is so you have different options in different situations. Not so that you can throw a dozen lights on your subject at the same time. If you're comfortable with lighting, you should be able to take a couple work lights, a roll of blackwrap, a roll of gaff tape and some foam board and create a good image.
 
Yes, I understand this. Thank you. I can get my practice in with the available lights until I graduate.

I know I need a basic kit of three to do basically anything narrative indoors. A kit. I'm not asking about a dozen lights so I can screw around, I'm asking, when I graduate, which is quickly getting near, I'll need three lights (key, back, side), and I'm wondering what, on a very limited budget, without buying crap from the hardware store and slapping it together with cardboard that'll get thrown around and broken, I can look at and buy to use. That's what I'm asking about. I've seen these "budget" kits for $600-1500, and that's not doable.

I'm not asking how to light. I'm asking what I should look at to purchase, in a restrained budget, to light with.
 
Honestly, that's like saying, "I'm on a limited budget and I need a good car. What would you recommend?" Everyone is going to give you a different answer. Someone might suggest a Prius (or not :)) for good gas mileage, another might suggest a truck to haul lots of stuff around, and another might suggest a van for lots of seating. It all depends on your style of lighting and what you plan on shooting.

You could buy some cheap CFL lights which would be okay for basic interviews and some soft light here and there, but you would still need some fresnels to give you the option of hard light. You could pick up some photofloods, cheap, good output, and compact...just not easy to control.

Once you are comfortable with different lights, you'll know what light you want in what scenario. And if you don't have it, you'll learn how to make other lights look similar to it.

If you want brand names that are fairly cheap, there's Fotodiox, Britek, Smith Victor...then you move up to Cool Lights and Lowel....then Arri, Mole and Kino....to name a few...

BTW, I don't know any DPs that light strictly 3 lights (key, fill, back). You may have two back lights that are more like kickers, then a key light shooting through diffusion, then a piece of foam board acting as fill. That's just one scenario. If you're only shooting interviews, than a 3 light setup would be fine. For narratives, you need more flexibility.
 
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First no. You do NOT need a key, back, side (I assume you mean key, hair, fill) unless you plan to shoot interviews. This is totally inappropriate for lighting SCENES, and barely passable for lighting people outside interview scenarios.

What is not doable? $600-1500 for a light kit? If you can't afford $600-1500 for lights, you aren't going to be shooting much.

I realize you are not asking how to light. But that is what you SHOULD be asking. Because clearly you don't yet know, and no one can advise you effectively on what to purchase until you do know.

I've lit scenes with a single light. And I've lit scenes with half a dozen lights. And in both instances it was exactly the correct lighting for what the storyboard called for.

Take a look at this scene:

102409_LuckyBreak_D1154.jpg


I lit that scene with 5 fixtures and 2 practicals. It was a simple living room tracking shot.

Same scene - reverse:

102409_LuckyBreak_D1509.jpg



Now look at this scene:

102409_LuckyBreak_D482.jpg


Same room, different scene, a single fixture.

This was for a micro budget short film. We had a dozen fixtures available and used every one of them on different scenes, and could have used a few more.

Every scene calls for it's own lighting. And either you have the tools to do the job, or you don't. Sometimes the right tool is a pancake. Sometimes, it's a softie, sometimes it's a fresnel, or a nook light, or a softbox. In one case the absolute right tool was a $15 aluminum work lamp I got a Home Depot with a compact fluorescent bulb in it:

102409_LuckyBreak_D287.jpg



So take some advice from the more experienced folks here, and learn your lighting. Then you'll have a better idea what to buy. And stop worrying about a "kit". That's the most useless word in the world of lighting. And most "kits"s are as worthless as the word.
 
Oh, and see that light meter around my neck? Get one and learn to use that too. It will help you immensely down the road if you want to learn to DP.
 
Amen, Peronne. Knowledge is worth more than a whole truck load of lights. Give me one light, the right light and I can make it look fine.
 
I appreciate everyone's input, and I understand that I need to learn more. However, I am going to college for film, and everything we've learned has either told us to use three lights or less for various purposes, or more for larger areas, but I simply can't afford that right now.

Allow me to rephrase my statement:

I. NEED. LIGHTS.

I have waning access to a few basic lights, but they're unreliable and a pain to obtain, and add to that the fact that, in a few months, I won't have access anymore.

What should I get to start with?
 
Ok,

Here is a shopping list:

1. 1k Fresnel. Absolute STAPLE of the industry.

http://cgi.ebay.com/MOLE-RICHARDSON...emQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item2ea88fe3e9

2. 1k PAR. Use this for any time you need a bounce, softbox, etc.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Mole-Richardson...emQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item4a9f3877d8

3. A 750w broad. Used to light large areas, bring up ambient in a room, etc.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Lowel-Tota-Ligh...emQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item2c53620f49


4. 2K Junior. Buy this one when you get more funds. You can light most of a large room with one of these and a silk

http://cgi.ebay.com/MOLE-RICHARDSON...emQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item3caab9c2fb

5. 350w midget. Hair light, accent light, small spot.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Mole-Richardson...emQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item5191024978

Add some stands from Matthews (my fav) or Avenger, 4 C-Stands, a few flags, some gels, and go to work.

If you can only buy one of these at a time, then buy them in the order they are listed here. Once you get all these, buy some Fluorescents. Some Kinos or Cool Lights.

There you go. That's what you need. Go forth and LIGHT!
 
phudsontx said:
OK, now what is your budget for lighting. You seem determined to go this route. Let me see if I can help.
Click to expand...

It's very small at the moment. I just spent the majority of my cash on a new camera (DVX100A). Now I'm looking into a good boom mic, a light meter, a DVX remote, maybe a matte box, and lights. I'm starting around $300 bucks and have no qualms whatsoever with used gear.
 
PerroneFord said:
Ok,

Here is a shopping list:

1. 1k Fresnel. Absolute STAPLE of the industry.

http://cgi.ebay.com/MOLE-RICHARDSON...emQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item2ea88fe3e9

2. 1k PAR. Use this for any time you need a bounce, softbox, etc.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Mole-Richardson...emQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item4a9f3877d8

3. A 750w broad. Used to light large areas, bring up ambient in a room, etc.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Lowel-Tota-Ligh...emQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item2c53620f49


4. 2K Junior. Buy this one when you get more funds. You can light most of a large room with one of these and a silk

http://cgi.ebay.com/MOLE-RICHARDSON...emQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item3caab9c2fb

5. 350w midget. Hair light, accent light, small spot.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Mole-Richardson...emQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item5191024978

Add some stands from Matthews (my fav) or Avenger, 4 C-Stands, a few flags, some gels, and go to work.

If you can only buy one of these at a time, then buy them in the order they are listed here. Once you get all these, buy some Fluorescents. Some Kinos or Cool Lights.

There you go. That's what you need. Go forth and LIGHT!
Click to expand...

Thank you for the recommendations. Here are a few deals I've found locally, I was wondering if any of them would help get me started.

2 Photoflex Starlite SVSL 3200 continuous tungstens (presumably for photo, but I assume would work for video being continuous)
1 Lowel Toga
 
mr_goodbomb said:
Thank you for the recommendations. Here are a few deals I've found locally, I was wondering if any of them would help get me started.

2 Photoflex Starlite SVSL 3200 continuous tungstens (presumably for photo, but I assume would work for video being continuous)
1 Lowel Toga
Click to expand...

#1 No.
#2 Is on my list at #3. Did you look at my list?
 
mr_goodbomb said:
It's very small at the moment. I just spent the majority of my cash on a new camera (DVX100A). Now I'm looking into a good boom mic, a light meter, a DVX remote, maybe a matte box, and lights. I'm starting around $300 bucks and have no qualms whatsoever with used gear.
Click to expand...

$300 will barely get you one good light. Honstly if you are committed to that price, I would say skip the light meter and the mattebox and spend more on lights. If you can't go any higher than $500 than, buy a couple Briteks. But don't expect them to last very long. DON'T get a 1K Britek cause those are the worst.
 
mr_goodbomb said:
What's wrong with the Starlites?

Yes, I looked at the list, and I was asking moreso if the Tota would be useful at this time with those other lights, as well.
Click to expand...

Nothing wrong with the Starlites. You asked my opinion, I gave it. If you are just starting out, you need lights with some flexibility. Not specialized, one-use lights. Bounce a par off a piece of foamcore.. instant softbox.

Yes, the Tota will be fine. Buy one. It'll save your ass more than you can imagine.
 
PerroneFord said:
Nothing wrong with the Starlites. You asked my opinion, I gave it. If you are just starting out, you need lights with some flexibility. Not specialized, one-use lights. Bounce a par off a piece of foamcore.. instant softbox.

Yes, the Tota will be fine. Buy one. It'll save your ass more than you can imagine.
Click to expand...

Yes, I asked for your opinion, and I appreciate it. But understanding it is just as important. If I followed every opinion that just said "no" and didn't embellish, I wouldn't own a DVX and I'd probably still be saving for a Red or whatever is currently top of the line digital, just because it's the most current.
 
mr_goodbomb said:
Yes, I asked for your opinion, and I appreciate it. But understanding it is just as important. If I followed every opinion that just said "no" and didn't embellish, I wouldn't own a DVX and I'd probably still be saving for a Red or whatever is currently top of the line digital, just because it's the most current.
Click to expand...

Ok,

The Starlite does one thing. And it costs as much as solutions that can do 2-3 things just as well. So, it's not a smart purchase. Especially for someone on a tight budget who needs everything.
 
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