dumb question but had to ask

2

24fps4ever

Well-known member
ok guys this might seem like a dumb question but mama said the dumbest question is the one you dont ask hehe:) anyway I am about to buy a 3200k balanced light kit with softboxes and some CTB gels too, my question is whenever you want to change the temp on the light with the softbox on there you gotta put that CTB sheet inside the softbox wraped around the bulb is that right? it dont matter that the softbox is white as long as I make the bulb emmit and 5500k temp

am I in the right track??

thanks guys
 
yes!
Click to expand...

Well yes and no.

Yes you put the gel in the soft box but I wouldn't wrap it around the bulb as you had suggested as this may cause the gel to melt. Just thought I'd throw that out there.
 
It may still melt if placed inside the softbox. I usually clip larger gels to the front diffusion panel. Keep in mind that you're going to lose a lot of light either way. Full CTB eats up 2 stops and the diffusion panel of the softbox will eat some as well.
 
It really depends on the situation. How much light output do you want? Is it indoor or outdoor? Is it key or fill? What is the shot scale? Who or what is being lit?

If it's an indoor interior you could put CTO gel on the windows (cutting down their light output and requiring less fill), then not put any CTB on the softbox. If this isn't an option, I would recommend using a kino flo or other flourescent solution. Of course, it all depends on how much light output you need. If you need a lot, an HMI might be your best bet. But I'm thinking a kino flo softbank would work well; they are equivalent to 1000w, are very soft, and are super versitile (rotate the bank to adjust softness, switch up bulbs to bring color temperature anywhere between 3200K and 5600k). HMIs are a good solution, too, but expensive. (I've never gotten to use one, only seen them around.)

Also (this is a matter of taste, many disagree), I really like to mix color temperatures. If I'm white balanced to tungsten, I may use CTB 1/2 on backlights motivated by windows, and use CTB full at night. This is nice since, by using CTB 1/2 rather than full (and white balancing to 4100K or whatever) I lose less light and can mix color temperatures more freely.

Again, this is a matter of taste. Some people prefer to keep the color temperature of every source roughly the same.

If you can tell us the exact shot and lighting set up, we can offer a better solution.
 
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