If I can buy only one light??

S

stevevaus

Active member
First - I know next to nothing about lighting - but I wanna learn.

So - I have my new dvx100a - going to be shooting some interviews - and solo music performance - mostly indoors.

I own a couple lowell tota lights (with the silver umbrella reflectors)

Assuming I could use these for fill and backlight - is that a correct assumption? If so what bulbs or elements should I use? (I like a very warm, golden look.)

If those can be used as assumed - what should I buy for a key light?

Essentially, if I can buy only one light, what should it be? A key light or something more multi purpose? I read a lot about "soft-boxes" what are those? do I need one?

I'm trying to learn so be gentle and explicit. Thanks much in advance - love this forum.

SV
 
Re: If I can buy only one light??

The current trend in lighting interviews is to light with Fluro to give that white/daylight illumination, but you requested a more warm looks, so Quartz/Incandescent is fine.

You can use your tota lights for Fill  and kicker, or you can use one as a key light, one as a kicker and use a foamcore board as a bounce to work as a fill.. all with 3200 bulbs.

Your Key light should product more light than your tota lights, but your gonna need to put some opal or some other diffusion in front of those tota's as they are a little harsh, so assuming you are using 500 watt bulbs in your Tota, a good 650 watt Fresnel (like an Arri) should do fine. If your totas use 300 watt bulbs.. a 300watt Arri should work fine.

A soft box is a big fabric tent that you put over your light to soften it..  Its basically like using an umbrella but it is a little more efficient. Ive never seen a tota in a softbox, but It may work.. that would be a good fill light.
 
Re: If I can buy only one light??

For interviews, you can probably use the tota and reflector for the key light. Here's my 5 minute lighting lesson. Color temperature is something you need to learn about. 3200 degrees kelvin is tungsten lighting (your lowell lights, almost all movie lights, and photo floods) which the camera's indoor setting is preset for. And 5600 is daylight (HMI's some flourescents, and the sun on a clear day), which appear blue under your tungsten preset, and normal with the daylight preset. Lower temperature lights will be warmer (household bulbs etc.) and some conditions (an overcast day, or shaded areas) are cooler. More important than color temparature (which can be cheated with the white balance) is the hardness of light. The simple rule is: The larger the source, the softer the light. The sun is a pinhole in the sky, the smallest source possible, and creates the hardest shadows. Compared to an overcast day, where the whole sky is the source, creating almost no shadows. For interviews, you want a soft key as faces look better with a soft light. Bounce your light into the umbrella, or a large white card, placed slightly off to the side of the camera (or over the interviewers head if doing off camera interviews) and compare that light to blasting it directly into the talent. Now you need a back light. Having a C-stand and a sandbag is good for this as you can suspend the light over the subject (several feet behind them, not shooting straight down) to get a good angle. You could also use your other umbrella to create an "Edge". Set the fixture up a few feet behind the subject, out of frame, on the oposite side of the key. This gives a glow to the side of the head. Sit a person down and experiment to get results that you are satisfied with. I prefer to use a 1k (1000watt) chimera soft box for my key, a 650 fresnel with barnboors into a bounce card (foamcore) on a c-stand for my edge, and a 300 fresnel with barndoors on a c-stand for my backlight. Good luck.
 
Re: If I can buy only one light??

Hey guys, let me introduce filmmaker58. This guy is a master cinematographer and director. When I'm shooting something that needs to look GOOD, he's the guy I go to. I had the good fortune to produce one of his short films, "Essence of the Force", where he was writer/director/cinematographer, which you can see here:
http://www.icexpo.com/fif/short.html (realplayer)
or here
http://www.kerbybrothers.com (47mb quicktime)

A skilled shooter with the $100,000 CineAlta all the way down to our beloved DVX, this guy really knows his stuff and we're lucky to have him!
 
Re: If I can buy only one light??

Well welcome Filmmaker58. Thanks for your down-throw of knowledge, and we look forward to your input. If Barry speaks highly of you, I'm sure your advice will be appreciated.
 
Re: If I can buy only one light??

Welcome 58!

I second what Jarred said! I have all the confidence in the world, but if there is one thing I need schooling in, it's lighting.
 
Re: If I can buy only one light??

Hi Filmaker58

Would you elaborate a bit about the distinctions between 'Backlight' and 'Edge.' I thought it was the backlight that created the edge (rim) so I'm a little confused. Thanks.
 
Re: If I can buy only one light??

yes, the backlight is used to separate the background, and it creates an edge around the subject in doing so. there are a few ways to do this, and you can use a small rim light or hairlight to make the effect more noticeable
 
Re: If I can buy only one light??

Welcome,welcome welcome. Filmmaker58, I just got an Arri softbank 1 kit I am dying to learn how to use it. I am reading John Jackmans book on lighting for DV I also have his video. Any input would be welcomed. 8)
 
Re: If I can buy only one light??

Thanks guys, and thanks Barry (blush). Barry and I get to work together quite a bit. The edge is the same height as the talent's head, while the back light is usually above them. Experiment by bouncing a light into a card and moving it around behind the talent. You'll find the "sweet spot" where you'll get the optimum edge light on the side of their heads. For people without hair, I use this edge light, or "kicker", instead of a backlight. Basically what you're doing is shooting the reflection of the card off of the side of the talent's head.
 
Re: If I can buy only one light??

Also, the backlight is commonly in-line with the subject and the lens, such that you can draw a straight line from the lens to the subject to the backlight. That's when the subject "pops". New DP's almost always use too bright a backlight, because they are scared they will lose the subject in the background. Play with the intensity, use scrim. It helps to use a matte box with a french flag on the camera, to avoid flare, and also bring the top barn door down on the backlight Whereas the rim-light is approximately 30 degrees to either side of the subject, illuminating the rear 3/4 of their head/body. Avoid the rim-light if your subject is heavy-set, and instead use butterfly lighting, a light between the lens and the subject, 30 degrees above. You can also light the background creatively to achieve separation.
 
Re: If I can buy only one light??

Hey guys I'm in the same boat. Just got booked to do a DOC Will be interviiewing lawyers. I have a Arri Softbank 1 kit. But I don't think I'll have the time to set up it. Any run and gun setups? I have reflectors should I get an on camera light? I just hate that look. If I went with my 1000watt Arrilight Soft bank how far away from the talent can I get or is it pretty much 4-5 feet 8)
 
Re: If I can buy only one light??

For run and gun, I have a battery operated PAG (http://www.pagusa.com/paglightc6.htm) light and a light weight stand. The light has barndoors, so I mount a large piece of diffusion to it. It has a hotshoe mount, so I bought a Bogen Superclamp, and clamped the light to the stand. There is a more elegant way of doing that I'm sure. ;D That way, I pickup the stand as is, with the battery lassoed around the center height-lock nut, and just move to the next room. No re-setup, no running cables. The catch? Battery only lasts 2.25 hours. :P
 
Re: If I can buy only one light??

whats a good but, cheap (first time buyer) light kit ?

I've got an indoor job (corporate presenstation) to shoot in about 2 days with no lighting experience behind me.

heres a link to my thread for more info:http://www.dvxuser.com/cgi-bin/DVX/YaBB.cgi?board=news;action=display;num=1073950139

Oh heck - here is a link to the kind of thing I have to shoot:  www.ego7.com - any tips for the way the guys are lit in the top right hand corner. sorry - Im almost in a desperate way about info on this  :-[

any suggestions would be greatly appreciated ;)

Im thinking to hire a kit - but I still dont no which?
 
Re: If I can buy only one light??

Hey Rush I was at the DV Expo and I talked to some tall guy with dark hair was that you? We talked about the PAG light.
 
Re: If I can buy only one light??

Good to meet ya 58. If you're like me, you'll find this board open in the background of your browser all day long... lol
 
Re: If I can buy only one light??

I would suggest a Softbox (Photoflex/Chimera) is you already have Tota lights. Otherwise, if someone is buying 1 fixture, the Lowel Pro light is extremely verstatile...not the best light, but flexible.
You can run 120V 125 or 250W or 12V 50W or 100W just by changing the bulb. And its focusable. As of last week, they now have 230V bulbs for the Pro...finally. Great for those who travel.
As you add more lights, the Prolight works very bell as a backlight or background light with a bit of (lightly) colored gel.
Best bang for the buch is Lowel, or go Arri fresnel if you want to "finesse" the light.
FWIW

Brian Broz
 
Re: If I can buy only one light??

I've had great results with my Rifa softboxes for talking heads. They take about 2 seconds to set up & break down, & they do a nice job. The baby Rifa 250w is great for tight spaces. Keep in mind that quite often with light, less is more, and one of the great things about this camera is it's light sensitivity - it doesn't need much. A soft box as key, one of your totas with lots of diffusion on the wall, and maybe a $100 pro light for hair and you're in business. Some other things to think about as you consider your setup - do you want some modeling (soft shadow areas) on your subject's face? Depending on the subject, it can be a very nice effect. Pull your subject(s) as far away from the wall as possible, and remeber that lighting is as much about how you control the light as it is where you place it.
 
Re: If I can buy only one light??

Buy an Arri kit. It's expensive, but you'll only feel the pain once, instead of every time you pull it out.
 
Re: If I can buy only one light??

[quote author=filmmaker58 link=board=news;num=1073840957;start=0#18 date=01/12/04 at 22:11:32]Buy an Arri kit.  It's expensive, but you'll only feel the pain once, instead of every time you pull it out.[/quote]

jesus christ that was so well said I fell off my chair ;D
 
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