How to keep lighting exposure...

[Cephalectomy]

ok, what i'm wondering is, what would be the best way for me to make sure my scenes fit together without dropping too low or high from each scene. I don't have a light meter, i understand avoiding over exposure with zebras and such but I'm wanting to do a short film this summer and would like to keep the shots as consistant as possible. I'm sure there's math that can be done with f-stops and such but sadly i'm one of those people who learns best with hands on experience or with dumbed down explanations, so if someone could give me a fairly simple and decent way of doing this with minimal expense (my budget is pretty tight with all the stuff i've had to buy) that would be wonderful! Sorry if this has been gone over, i wasn't sure how to word my search to see if this was covered already, as i'm sure it has been. Thanks!

 

[Flash]

Well, you can use zebras not only to avoid overexposure, but dial them back down around 80 or so, and use it as your flesh-tone meter for caucasians. Keep that consistent from shot to shot (except where it's SUPPOSED to be darker), and everything else will fall into place, assuming you've kept your highlights from blowing out and your shadow areas from dropping off too quickly. Skin tone is the best overall measurement, IMO. Hopefully "all this stuff you've had to buy" includes a nice monitor. Calibrate it to color bars, use a cinegamma mode on your camera, watch your zebras, and trst your eyes. You should not be making a short film using only the viewfinder.

 

[Cephalectomy]

i know it's not the most convienant but since i can't afford a monitor at the moment, i intended to use a 13 inch CRT Television as a monitor. I know that's rather bulky but it's inexpensive, and betweem buying the camera, lights, mic, follow focus, rods, case, makeup, etc etc, i'm running low on funds, but yeah, i'll use the zebras to try and keep the main characters skin exposure the same and trust my eyes for the rest