Got a budget for lighting help

[Jay Laville]

Hi guys been trawling through the web Im sorry if you are sick of these questions but I really need help. I just signed up for a lighting course and I have given myself a budget of £1000 sterling to spend on a light kit. I saw the Arri redhead light kit which looks straight forward but I was told that now with new dv cameras you dont need that much light and could be embarrasing when lighting a set. I want a kit that will give me as much flexible use as possible, be able to create moods, light up indoor for a short film, and do really bright commercial ads against white screen when needs to. I understand that it is so varied and so many different options, and id probably need like 20 different lights to get just one of the looks I wanted but Im really stuck as to where to start. Should I get a fresno light and mix it up with stronger lights. Im a complete beginner and some direction and advice would be great.

I called up a store and they suggested the following to begin with:

1 x Arri Junior 300/500w plus
2 x Arri 650W JNR PLUS Lampheads

Is this a good start?


Sorry once again if people are fed up answering but Im really lost on this. :dankk2:

 

[PerroneFord]

A few things to consider.

1. Lights are only part of the equation. An important part, but only one facet of lighting that needs to be considered when trying to create looks.

2. Lights need to be controlled. So as important as where the light goes, it's nearly as important, or sometimes MORE important, where it does NOT go. Light controls are usually not contained with the lights. Though some like barndoors, or snoots are. Include this in your lighting budget

3. Lights will need to be softened in many cases. Thus you will need to diffuse your lights. This can be done in a variety of ways, but the most effective ways will call for stands, materials, and frames. Include this in your lighting budget.

4. Lights will need to have colors. Most often you will be matching your lights to each other, to daylight, or to other fixtures in a room. Thus you will need gels and frames for those gels.

5. Hard lights (lights which create harsh shadows) are often powerful. These lights are easiest to shape, color, and control. Lights which fall in this category are open-faced lights, fresnels, and broads. Soft lights are much harder to control and color, and they don't carry over as much distance. However, they give a beautiful, soft light that makes on-camera talent look good in closeups. You an make a softlight from a hard one, but you cannot do the reverse. Keep this in mind when purchasing.

When I was in your position of buying my first professional lighting I looked carefully at my needs. I ended up going with mostly tungsten based lighting because it was cheap and powerful. I got 3 hard lights (2 1kw open faced lights, and 1 1k broad light) and a softbox. I also bought c-stands and a background kit. This has proven to be exceptionally flexible, and good value. It takes more work for me to use my stands, with foamboard to bounce and shape the light, but I like the results. I made up some rudimentary frames to affix diffusion and reflective materials to.

I ended up purchasing my kit from Lowel. These are not as nice as the Arri lights, but they serve my needs well. I also purchased a 2kw Fresnel from Mole Richardson for when I really needed more punch indoors.

Do not believe the folks who tell you that you won't need so much light. Digital cameras LOVE light. They adore it. And they love daylight balanced light even better. The more light you give the cameras, the better the image you'll get back. It will be cleaner and noise free. If you don't have to engage your neutral density filter, I don't feel you have enough light on set.

 

[The Evil Mariachi]

You can never have enough light!

PerroneFord is right, though, it's not also what you light, but also what you do not. You can go ahead and buy a light kit, but you'll also need c-stands, nets, flags, etc, for controlling those lights.

Why not rent, though? You can experiment and try out different fixtures and see which suit your needs the most. If you buy, you'll end up using all your budget on a kit that might not be enough for what you want to do, and it'll end up gathering dust--because you won't use it as much as you thought you would.

You should just wait, hold on to your cash, take the lighting course and figure out what works for you. Unless you've got amazing scripts ready to go, or clients lining up for commercials, you should hold off on buying anything.