Getting started in lighting, what to buy?

R

ReelFilmGeek

Well-known member
I am wanting to get started in practicing lighting in some short films I just make for fun with some friends and I want to make them look better. Well one way I thought would be lighting, and while I have spent hours reading up on it I need some actual lights to do it. The thing is what cheap lights could I buy that won't suck? I currently have a cheap 500 LED light panel that I got off ebay for real cheap and it seems nice but a little on the weak side. Should I go ahead and buy another LED light panel (maybe a 1000 LED panel this time to have a brighter light?) or should I maybe pick up some other types of lights?
 
That 500 LED panel sounds really useful (never had any experience with it personally, but I've got a feeling it's like a Kino Flo light?). I'm surprised, though, that you're saying it's on the weak side. Should be adequate for most indoor night-time lighting, depending on what camera you're using; will obviously look a bit weak during daytime, but then everything will!

In terms of cheap lights that don't suck... Problems with cheap lights, often, include: colours look strange; no control over how to direct the light. But I don't know if any light really sucks. Just depends on how you're using it...

Here's some ideas for next purchase:

-- think about getting accessories -- eg a good light stand, or different colour gels, or diffusion, or flags, etc
-- think about getting a reflector (especially useful for daytime exterior shots -- I reckon lights under $1000 won't be powerful enough to do very much)
-- think about getting an on-camera light or a light powered with batteries; it won't always be convenient to have lighting with you that's not powered by batteries; and small lights can be hidden and placed where larger lights can't (eg: hanging it by a string from the roof, to create a swinging lightbulb look; placed on a car dashboard to illuminate faces for night-time driving scenes). If you want the cheapest possible solution for this sort of light, just go to a hardware store or camping store or two dollar shop or supermarket and have a look around. Anything can work, but check out Litepanel Micro (about $300; knock-offs available on eBay for about $30).
-- LED is basically a soft light source; think about getting hard light as well -- a redhead, for instance. (Note: you're used to LEDs, but there's various things to watch out for with tungsten lights; watch power consumption -- very easy to blow the circuit if you put three 600W on; pair of gardening gloves can be useful for handling them -- they get hot; I was taught to preferably let them cool before moving them, to minimise chance of bulb breaking if it gets shaken about)

So, basically, these suggestions are about versatility rather than increased power... Not really convinced you need to be blasting more light out...
 
Forget the LEDs. Weak is right and the spectrum sucks. LEDs are only useful in special circumstances - shooting far from power, moving very fast in a run & gun, as on camera lights (usually an ugly way to light), or hiding light sources in a scene. They have come a long way, but in my opinion LEDs aren't ready for full time key light use. In most situations, lights with cords will do you better.

For absolute bottom-end cheapest way to learn how to light, get some hardware store quartz halogen worklights. A few 500-600 watt fixtures with stands and a couple of 150-250 watt fixtures with clamps are a good start. Add in some of the round sliver reflector type clamp lights with some carefully chosen CFL bulbs (3000-3200k to match the worklights for indoors/night, 5600ish to match sunlight, high CRI) and you have a versatile kit.

Additional shopping list: C47s (wood clothpins) to clip diffusion and color gels to lights. Blackwrap (basically black aluminum foil) to wrap around light fixtures to shape the output. Small sheets of diffusion (think white tissue for softening light, except more heat resistant) and color gels (CTB, CTO, minus green and various accent colors can all be useful, depending on project and location) can be bought from local stage lighting supply houses. Large white surfaces for bouncing light - try hardware or construction suppliers for foamcore boards. Several stingers (extension cords) so you can actually put the lights where you need them, at least 14 gauge and 25 feet long. Leather work gloves for handling the hot lights.

Such a kit will be able to light far more scenes and do a better job than any LED setup.

The best way to start learning how to light is to start paying attention to lighting. Whenever you watch a movie, try to figure out where the lights are. Pay attention to the quality (soft or hard) and color of all the light affecting a scene. Think about lighting always and soon setting lights will become second nature.
 
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