I Just Did My Whole Apartment In Hue Light Bulbs: Maybe A Must For All Creatives!

john threat

john threat

Carbonite Member
http://www.meethue.com/en-US

So I did my whole crappy apartment in these lights and it's like painting with light! I can change the colors with a ipad or android or web app to different colours and intensities. (i even have it hooked up to the TV xbmc box as a house-wide ambilight/discolight setup!)

After getting it, other directors who came to my house want them too - you can easily see what lets say green or purple do to a persons face in all types of emotions. Or how the light from outside combines with different contrasting colors indoors like blue from the magic hour with yellow indoors. So I feel like I am learning a lot (without wrinkling gels!). If you want to see what your kitchen looks like red and your adjoining living room green - no need to paint or hold up swatches - just press a putting on your app. Highly recommended , painter, director, cinematographer, or other visual creative can benefit from this.

Also - there is of course the geek factor and the romance factor, but im just going over the creative possibilities. The video for it I feel doesnt do it justice , but its awesome!

PS: i dont work for phillips - im a crap director from the bowels of brooklyn!
 
The thing I'm most interested in is the range from daylight to tungsten, and remote dimming. Hopefully the CRI is good... or eventually will be.
 
I think it looks really cool, or warm... depending on what color you set the bulbs to.

I'd love to buy a set of these someday, but mainly for using as practicals on location to get different colors. I suppose you could look at is a good investment in that sense, as you'd just bring that one set or two and have any color(s) you want. Although you'd have to get it set up with the wifi at each specific location.

I do agree though with what you're saying about having them at home to play with different color combinations. That would fun. It would also help vary up your house your apartment without having to do something drastic like repainting or rearranging furniture.
 
LOL, so even light bulbs do have their own IP today.

Actually I'm a pretty old school guy, they can take those incandescents out of my cold dead hands.
Also wonder if they flicker in different frequencies, depending on the color, like those multi color LED club spotlights do.
 
That is very cool. I like to be a little creative in lighting my personal spaces and that would be very nice. As for using it for shooting with... hmmm, it would take some testing that is for sure, but I am sure that some one will use it for that.
 
David G. Smith said:
That is very cool. I like to be a little creative in lighting my personal spaces and that would be very nice. As for using it for shooting with... hmmm, it would take some testing that is for sure, but I am sure that some one will use it for that.
Click to expand...

I think if I were to use them for an actual shoot, they'd be practicals that would be boosted by extra lights off-camera. It would be nice to be able to change up some of the mood and atmosphere of the scene a bit though with such flexible color options. Or perhaps for interview footage, to spice up the background.

Also, this topic has gotten me looking at all different types of wacky multi-color LED lights on Amazon. There are some others that are cheaper that have separate remotes included. At the very least, they'd be fun to experiment with and worst case scenario can be used at home for some groovy ambient lighting.
 
Nektonic said:
I think if I were to use them for an actual shoot, they'd be practicals that would be boosted by extra lights off-camera. It would be nice to be able to change up some of the mood and atmosphere of the scene a bit though with such flexible color options. Or perhaps for interview footage, to spice up the background.

Also, this topic has gotten me looking at all different types of wacky multi-color LED lights on Amazon. There are some others that are cheaper that have separate remotes included. At the very least, they'd be fun to experiment with and worst case scenario can be used at home for some groovy ambient lighting.
Click to expand...

That was what I was thinking first off, have them as practicals for effect, but you could probably get real creative with them for highly stylized lighting set ups. Their usefulness would be, IMO, really up how much control the app gives you and setting repeatable changes on cue. Multiples of the lights could be put into batten strips, or a covered wagon light

http://www.creativeplanetnetwork.com/node/16688

Or in even multiple socket fixture like this,

IMG_2017.jpg

or this

IMG_2022.jpg

Which are available very cheap on eBay in different configurations. I have a bunch of those around. With those kinds of fixtures you might be able get enough light to do some cool stuff with the lights. I was thinking that if the Hue light might be good to set up changing lights for a "Poor Man's Process" shots, where a parked car is shot and lit so to mimic a moving car scene. I have done those by actually moving fixtures and waving flags, tree limbs with leaves and what not in front of the lights. If the Hue lights are easily controllable, and the settings are repeatable, they might really add something to a poor man's process shoot and look pretty natural. I think those lights also might be able to be set up to give a pretty good "Flickering TV light" to light a scene as if it was only lit by a TV in the room. From there there are a lot more possibilities... fire or candle flicker, the cliche flashing neon sign outside the window light, the flashing lights in a mad scientist laboratory, strange lighting for a subjective drug experience scene, dream sequences and on and on. Who knows.

As for the Wacky Multi-color LED lights; I have a bag full of incandescent and LED Christmas and fairy lights. I think they are great fun. Some LED ones I found on eBay are bright white (Daylight) and have about 6 or 7 different flicker settings built in to the controller. I think they are a string of 100 lights and they are much more powerful than you would think. I had a scene for a project I shot last summer where a fortune teller was to talk to a dead character (It was a comedy sketch as part of a larger program) and the director wanted to do a light effect through a crystal ball. So I tested a set up where we put two strings of those cheap (Less than $10) LED lights, set to different flicker settings, under the crystal ball with just aluminum foil as a reflector. It worked pretty good and gave a cool light through the crystal ball and on to the face of the talent. I was bummed that in the end when they cut that scene from the final shoot. I definitely will keep those lights in my kit.
 
David, I love your ideas on how these could be used.

I'm thinking for a sci-fi film, set in the near future when the average person likely will have some manner of color changing bulbs like these in their house or apartment. Or maybe for a really colorful retro-style (think Star Trek TOS) sci-fi flick.

Another thought is that color changing bulbs might be interesting as a subtle effect for a black and white piece. The color changes would be less pronounced, but could possibly add something eerie or unsettling to the scene. Or maybe if they can be programmed to dip to various intensities.
 
I love these! Rather, the idea of them; I haven't used them, but I want them! Post some pics of your home setup John! With your favorite lighting scheme at this moment.

I just worked on a Sci-Fi shoot these past two months. These seem as though they would've been remarkably useful as practicals. I think I'm going to buy some. Mainly for the home, not necessarily for filming. But maybe if they check out decently after a quick test to see if there is no craziness, they can stay in my on set boxes/crates.
 
Nektonic said:
David, I love your ideas on how these could be used.

I'm thinking for a sci-fi film, set in the near future when the average person likely will have some manner of color changing bulbs like these in their house or apartment. Or maybe for a really colorful retro-style (think Star Trek TOS) sci-fi flick.

Another thought is that color changing bulbs might be interesting as a subtle effect for a black and white piece. The color changes would be less pronounced, but could possibly add something eerie or unsettling to the scene. Or maybe if they can be programmed to dip to various intensities.
Click to expand...

I don't know about the lights effects in B&W... My understanding of B&W was you had to think in tonalities directly proportional to intensity... as a general rule of thumb. Using the Hue lights for that would need some pretty good testing.
 
at 90$ per bulb , no thanks.
Philips is trying harde since several years with this kind of light , but seems there is no success (too expensive).
i am not sure these bulbs can output enough light to be of any interest for video work.
 
nosys70 said:
at 90$ per bulb , no thanks.
Philips is trying harde since several years with this kind of light , but seems there is no success (too expensive).
i am not sure these bulbs can output enough light to be of any interest for video work.
Click to expand...

Actually they are $50 per bulb with a nice warranty.

A couple of notes:
You can code them to do a bunch of things since they accept commands via a simple port 80 interface and they can be controlled remotely.
The use on a set could be interesting, but I don't think they put out enough light really, but certainly I'm sure a light maker will debut a color changing LED array soon.
Pretty sure the short term future will have all light bulbs like this (whether WiFi or not)
LED's dont pull much power as we know so thats great.
I don't know if they are set ready, but I am quite sure Phillips would be happy to see the first film shot with their bulbs as practicals.
Just seeing how two colors even blend in the same room with falloff makes it worth it - it produces some amazing results that probably can be used on a set without having to setting up stands and replacing gels and wrangling cables just to experiment with light.
I like that idea of the black and white testing with tonality - you should follow up on that and try it! I'd love to see what that's like

it's like $200 or something for 3 bulbs plus controller and 50 bucks for each bulb after

Here is someones video using it as a ambilight - i already have ambilight rig on the back of my tv - so im using the plugin to make the whole house change colors in response to the movie colors

Kinda scared to watch the exorcist with this set up!
 
john threat said:
it's like $200 or something for 3 bulbs plus controller and 50 bucks for each bulb after
Click to expand...

unfortunately some of us are married. if i told my wife that i'm off to spend about $2400 to replace the light bulbs in our house, she would tell me not to return.
 
john threat said:
The use on a set could be interesting, but I don't think they put out enough light really, but certainly I'm sure a light maker will debut a color changing LED array soon.
Click to expand...

RGB LED has been in use for several years in both the film and theatrical industry. I've owned both the Zylight Z90 and IS3 for three or four years now. I used those and the theatrical Colorblasts (also made by Philips! hmm) on several projects where I needed color washes like Burning Love (now showing on E!). The Zylights have a dedicated remote which works well and both can be DMX'd but it's cool that the Hue system can be so easily programmed via mobile device.

In my home I use the Insteon system for programmable lighting control; I have scenes set up that are automated and can be triggered locally or via iPhone--dimming but no color changing though.
 
David G. Smith said:
attachment.php
Click to expand...
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooo, you've disassembled Johnny Five!

(that's an 80's movie's reference for any young 'uns wondering what I'm on about)...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top