lighting investment...

Steve Laramie

Steve Laramie

Veteran
I am really on the fence here. I DP in Philly and it has a very indie/unorthodox style of film making. I am wondering if as DP if I invest in a hefty Arri kit and grip kit it will help me get more jobs and rent on the side. What do you think? I really cant tell if this investment will pay off for me in the end.
 
I got my own kit about 2 weeks ago and it has already helped me to score a job. However I am in LA area. I think if you can snag a good deal, or you have the funds readily available, its not worth the investment if it has any potential to put you in a bad spot financially. Remember it does not have to be pricy bargain shop like crazy. Hit up people that have used kits. I got 5 lowel omnies and a 1k tota for 100 bucks doing just that. Grip gear is not to pricy if you buy used.
 
When I was first starting out I started piecing together a light package over the course of a year. Eventually spent about $1k on a 1/2 ton grip and electric package. I paid off the investment within 3 months and have been making profit on it ever since. I do get more jobs because I save the production department the hassle of having to rent from some one else and it is usually much cheaper to rent from me than from a house because of lower overheads.
 
Well pricy leads to another question of mine. Lowell or Arri. I obviously know the answer to this question if they were the same price but they arent. I know that Arri makes lights that can double as wrecking balls and I know from personal experience that Lowells make lights that can double as egg shells.
 
lairhair said:
Well pricy leads to another question of mine. Lowell or Arri. I obviously know the answer to this question if they were the same price but they arent. I know that Arri makes lights that can double as wrecking balls and I know from personal experience that Lowells make lights that can double as egg shells.
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Neither, don't buy a kit. Piece together your own kit from whatever you can get used. Mole, B&M, Century Strand are great brand lights, all very hearty. B&M and Century are cheap too.
 
If you're working major projects with nice-sized G&E crews, don't worry about lights. If you are doing smaller projects and ones where you are the DP and there's no gaffer and no key grip, build a kit. I would say the kind of kit doesn't matter. It's about you having a comfortable set of tools at your disposal. A) when you've got your own kit, you know everything about it and I think it becomes easier to make decisions on what comes out. B) I think on smaller budgeted films, clients like the ease of just hiring you and renting your stuff for the show. It's much simpler and it cuts out a step for them.

I agree with the others on piecing together a kit. Few ready-made kits have everything you need/want, so you might as well just put together your own.

Also, for tunsten lights, definitely buy used. There's nothing simpler than a tungsten light. Electricity and a filament. Hard to mess up. If something doesn't work on a tunsten light, it's either the wiring or the bulb - both easy fixes. For flos or HMI, be more careful with used.

All in all, I think it's definitely a plus for a DP to own some gear. If you're smart about your purchasing, it's easy to pay it off with rental fees. I got a long-term doc job once as a gaffer and the cameraman on it wanted to use a Diva-like fixture for all of the interviews. I picked up one of Rich Andrewski's 4 bank portable fixtures (light is light), charged the production a rental rate slightly lower than a genuine Diva and was turning a profit on it before the end of shooting.

Go for it. And as for Lowel vs. Arri, both have their advantages. Nothing like a good Arri fresnel for direct light or background lighting but man o' man, nothing fills a softbox quite like a Tota.

Good luck.

~~Dave
 
If I was hiring a lighting DP and he shows up with lowell lights I'd be looking for another DP right quick.

Arri or Mole. You only cry ONCE when you buy the right gear the first time. I grew up in the Philly area. IMO, if you have a decent light/grip package that you can off then it can only help you.
 
Well by kit I definitely meant personalized kit. I looked around at some actual Arri kits and they are really pretty pointless. This may have been covered and I think I have an idea for myself but I am wondering if someone can give me a good list of Arris for feature film work. I usually work with a separate G/E crew so never really put much thought into what I actually would need/want.

I plan on collecting these over a 5-6 month period by stalking ebay and used B/H. Here is a potential list of what I was thinking.

6 - 40' C stands with arms
6 - impact light stands
1 - Arri 2k open face
2- Arri 1ks with barn doors
1 - chimera softbox for Arri 1k
2- Arri 150W with barn doors
2- Arri 300W with barn doors
1- Arri 650W with barn doors
 
I've never had any problem with my lowels, it's more in the control/use than the fixture it self.

mcgeedigital said:
If I was hiring a lighting DP and he shows up with lowell lights I'd be looking for another DP right quick.

Arri or Mole. You only cry ONCE when you buy the right gear the first time. I grew up in the Philly area. IMO, if you have a decent light/grip package that you can off then it can only help you.
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http://www.pyramid-films.com/

lairhair said:
Well by kit I definitely meant personalized kit. I looked around at some actual Arri kits and they are really pretty pointless. This may have been covered and I think I have an idea for myself but I am wondering if someone can give me a good list of Arris for feature film work. I usually work with a separate G/E crew so never really put much thought into what I actually would need/want.

I plan on collecting these over a 5-6 month period by stalking ebay and used B/H. Here is a potential list of what I was thinking.

6 - 40' C stands with arms
6 - impact light stands
1 - Arri 2k open face
2- Arri 1ks with barn doors
1 - chimera softbox for Arri 1k
2- Arri 150W with barn doors
2- Arri 300W with barn doors
1- Arri 650W with barn doors
Click to expand...
 
mcgeedigital said:
If I was hiring a lighting DP and he shows up with lowell lights I'd be looking for another DP right quick.
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Yea, I mean, you wouldn't be hiring on the basis of his reel or anything, you'll just ask him what kind of gear he got and that's proof of talent right there.
 
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