lighting for a newbie... help

"When you say "the good ones" is there a particular light they make that is better than the others (i.e. 300/600 combo versus the 250 watters)?

I ask because I'm probably about to order from them but your comment made me pause."

Some of the older Britek lights are basically just worklights with baby plugs on them and barn doors. The newer ones are spotlights, with controls for flood and spot.
 
onelightfilm said:
I guess they were losing money! Still quite a bit lower than where you are, huh Barry.
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Yeah, about half. That's why I started buying gear off ebay. It may be a fresnel (not a PAR) and have a magnetic ballast, but no rental fees, no wasted time going to pick it up and drop it back off, it's always here, and I can always sell it on ebay when I don't need it anymore... and a $500 purchase sure beats $175 to rent for a day!
 
Just bought some cool little guys for only $10 from Lowes

http://www.polsteins.com/brit500watpo.html

flyyourflag_1847_22922912
 
You know a good thing you can do with a light like that is attach it to a clamp or a clip so it can mount to things easier. Those lights put out a lot of light and if you can get it up high and if you bounce it off the celing it softens up great.
 
blind leading the blind

blind leading the blind

coffee said:
I'm totally new to the "behind the scenes" area of things and need to learn lighting.
Where can I find info on this? Like what the hell is a soft box and things of that nature....

I know, I'm an idiot but I have an excuse..... I'm new! lol
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Hey

We got our dvx's about the same time. Like you I am a newbie. Also like you, I am addicted.

Saw you had some questions about lighting.

Wanted to give you a link to my website that has a "how to put together a cheap light kit" link, and other links a newbie might find useful / interesting.
http://live-theater.org/jdandvlinks.html

Two things I did different than the kit in the link:
1) I purchased real light stands. the kit basically consists of using tungsten work lights like you find in home depot -- identical to the ones you purchased -- as the bulbs within these lights are the same has high priced tungsten lights The link says you can use the stands that come with the work lights while saying that they are a little too short. Well the lights with stands are about 30 - 40 dollars. you can get the light without a stand for $9, a real light stand for $25, and a swively mounting thingy for $13. so for $5 or ten more your lights will now go to 71/2 or 9 feet vs. 6 (you'll need to get them that high).

2) the link talks about using shower curtain as diffusion and china ball lanterns as a soft face light, but diffusion and bounce umbrellas run $10-$30. So I don't see the shower curtain thing as a substantial savings. Plus you have to figure out how to mount them with out them melting. A white diffusion umbrella will work like a china ball lantern if you shoot through it, or you can bounce light of an umbrella. If you put a white umbrella in front of your light and a black umbrella behind it and back them up so their edges touch, you've just made a light box.

Let me know if I can help in any other way.
 
jdanstan, thanks for the information and being addicted to this you know I'll put use to it..... Thanks man.

Just checked out your site too, very cool stuff there. It's resourceful which desirves a bookmark!!!! :thumbsup:
 
nice move with the work lights. it's amazing what you can do with a couople of those, some diffusion and bounce cards. watch out, tho; these things can heat up pretty quick and get super hot. and for info, there's probably all the information from all the lighting books on this site. just search this section for what you need.
 
thanks man... I was playing with the lights last night and they're sweet! They do heat up REALLY hot and REALLY quick.

Also, I'm selling my Mackie 32x8 mixing board today so I'll have $1,500 to play with, maybe for a light kit!
 
I will have a 7 hour video that will come out at the end of the month. It's one of my lighting seminars recorded professionally and will help any person who needs to learn about how to see light in a way that makes sense. I think it will be a hit and talk to most folks far better than what's out there now.
 
Good question! I'm asking for feedback. Basically this is a full day of seminar covering everything from the headshot to tabletops and dramatic set ups with theory too. I charge $100 for the day to be there, what do you think 7 hours of home video with diagrams, examples and showing me and what I think to get the look I want is worth?
 
Walter_Graff said:
Good question! I'm asking for feedback. Basically this is a full day of seminar covering everything from the headshot to tabletops and dramatic set ups with theory too. I charge $100 for the day to be there, what do you think 7 hours of home video with diagrams, examples and showing me and what I think to get the look I want is worth?
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Hey send me a copy and I'll be happy to let you know what I think it's worth! :thumbsup:
 
Walter--
No question I'd give a hundred for it. There are so many ways to market what you're selling. I know you've done the face to face seminar arrangement, you've proposed a download as you go plan, and now this. They are all good ideas. If I were closer to NYC, I'd probably go to your seminar. If you had downloads, I'd probably buy 'em. If you had DVD's, I'd probably buy what I needed. They're all a good investment in my eyes. Value for money, well, of course it's a good value compared to other industries. A day of training in real estate, as you may know, is 15 times what you charge. So, I don't think I feel 'jipped' if you wanted a couple hundred bucks for the DVD series, although, I would be more likely to buy if it were a hundred. I don't subscribe to your newsletter, as you're aware, but I would buy your DVD's.

Hope this helps.
-Brian Wells
 
Still working on the download which should start at the end of the summer. But that will be specific topics. The seminar is an overall experience that covers everything from light to color to putting it all together and gives anyone with a desire to understand lighting better good foundation.
 
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