Lighting "basics" Kit

jazzx

jazzx

Well-known member
Hello,

I just want to start by saying that I know nothing about lighting and I wanted to ask some questions as I am trying to create a "startup" budget which includes
dvx,anm-lens, lights, tripod and maybe a steadicam merlin

I went to a very good tv and cinema lights dealer here in Greece which has official Lowel, Dedolight, FilmGear and Kino dealership and here are my findings:

I can get a custom "basics" (Including probably the Rifa-66) kit, all with Lowel lights at about 1200-1700$ but
the dealer informed me that Lowel lights have more of a "tv, news" quality which I'm not looking for as I am going for the short film genre.

She also told me that dedolight (maybe one from the 100 series) are great as an adittion to a kit that it maybe should contain a Kino Flo 4d bank system as she said that are considered to be among the best for cinema-work which I've already read in various websites and forums.

Here's the thing, the kino flo goes at about 1500$ alone including ballast, fixture and cable and I can only give up to 2200-2500$max for lighting which must include gels, stands etc. Unfortunately I didn't have much time to ask for more info.

Any suggestions?
 
Hey Jazzx-

I know you didn't specifically mention them on the list of dealers, but see if you can find a place to order some Arri fresnels. For about $2000 you can get a good 3 fresnel kit (fresnel is a type of lensed light) or maybe even 4 heads with stands and good accessories. I would think that would give you a good start and is totally geared towards Film vs. TV. I have a lowel kit right now and if I could go back a year I'd have sprang the extra $1000 for Arris even if I would've had to wait a while to save the $. Good luck.
Peace,

-Harry
 
First no light has a tv/news quality. Every light has a purpose, heres a few
Flourscent lights are very soft, make great ambient light. Very hard to control. Lowell lights (the omni and tota lights) are known as micro lights, very short throw can be used in tight spots. I have used one and the plug melted after 2 hours of use.

Then you get to what I consider film lights, the Fresnels and openface lights.

Open face lights throw alot of light but is somewhat hard to control, fresnels throw less light but have more controlable light.

After that you get into what is called specialty lights, they range from fiber optics, to dedo (though some people don't consider dedo lights as specialty.

The workhorse of the industry though is fresnels, If I were starting a lighting kit, thats where i'd begin something like the ARRI D1 Softbank. That gives you a 150w, 300w, and a 650w with a chimera softbank. From there I'd look for a light with a little more punch either a 1k or 2k fresnel and finally a good option for a high intensity light is the ARRI Ruby 7.

But the most important thing about lighting is not the instrument that throws the light but instead how you use the light, so as you build a kit don't ignore lighting control devies like scrims, screens, silks and flags. They are every bit as important as the light it self. Anyone can throw up an instrument and plug it in and make light shine, it takes an artist to shape the light into something meanigful.

This is just IMHO hope it helps.
 
Before you spend a lot of money on equipment, spend a little time and money on reading some books on lighting.

The following link to Amazon.com contains three books by Lowell, Alton, and Jackman that are all good.

http://tinyurl.com/aqcun
 
First of all thanks for the replies to all you guys,


I'm already in the process of buying some books from amazon on lighting and reading and asking as much I can on the web and in person (for now I've only been able to ask a photographer not a DP though anything can help), but without any lights or camera (I've a handycam but that's hardly a camera!) my hands are pretty much tied (at least until january), filmschool is out of the question, so in my view I have to have something to be able to learn and also work with.

Some of your replies in regard to lighting products are quite helpful especially when it comes to the ARRI's. I found the dealer here and I'll go there and see what I will find.

So Gopher_Greene the kino flo 4d is considered to be an openface light or simply a fluorescent type? Can someone go by with all fresnel type lights or is it better to have different light-type combinations?

And to all, how much do you think one has to spend in accesorizing lights(say a 3 kit) , gels, control devices, flags etc.? And do all lights (i.e the ARRI's you suggested) come with stands?


Thanks again for your patience.
 
I'm not exactly sure what the 4D is, if you mean the 4 bank DMX then yes it is a flourescent. What makes Kinos superior to the fllourescents you get for industrial use are the ballast (flicker free) the bulbs (temperature rated) and the fixture itself (with spuds for mounting and switchable lights etc) They are made for film. They throw a nice soft light that is great for setting an ambient level.
 
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