lighting for the shot or the scene?

[chris f]

i'm in the process of shooting one of my first shorts, and while i have a lighting kit, it's far from elaborate (3-500watt lowel kit). i realize that in hollywood they probably light the whole set with tons of lights and then maybe make a few minor adjustments for close ups and such, but i was wondering how everyone on here lights their scenes? do you try to light for the whole scene/location, or do you light each specific shot differently? for this short i've mostly been using available lighting and just 1 lowel for fill which works for some shots like this:

but it doesn't always work like this shot:

 

[bcheong]

It sort of depends on your style and the practicality of the shoot based on the schedule, crew size and what you might have in your equipment package. I used to light shot by shot but now I try to rough in a general scheme and then add a few things for the closeups. Lighting for the scene generally allows the director more time to work on the scene and allows a certain freedom for them and the actors which at the end of the day is part of your job as a cameraman. It also keeps a sense of continuity. With lighting shot by shot you can sometimes get carried away and later on your realize that shots are not going to cut together that smoothly.

 

[R!ff R4ff]

We're still learning how to light a scene but on all of the shoots I've been on, they always move the lights when they move the camera. It's just the way I learned it.

Our self-made light kit came almost exclusively from HD or Lowes. Total package was under $70 but we added more lights and dimmers later.

Setting up each shot does take a lot of time but I think it's worth it in the end.