My first lighting set.

berlinfool

berlinfool

Well-known member
Hi everybody, I'm about to purchase my first lighting set and I wonder which one I should choose.
It's for indoor DV-production and I want my actors to look great.
I looked at the DV-Creator Kit von B&H and I like the price.
Are there alternatives? What would you suggest?

Thanks
 
not a bad product those lowels... but i would ebay that stuff. Get it for less than half... then buy a big arri to complement your set. just my 2cents
 
i agree with the ebay idea, I got most my lights off ebay I disagree with the arri statement, arris are great lights, but moles are just as good if not better, and used moles are much cheaper than arris.

Jason
 
I agree with the mole Idea,Though I never tried it, buts it another good looking red head. Arri's can always bring back your money on eBay though, as long as their not abused, good looking moles arent cheap either. Take a look at cool lights, hes got a nice looking blue line, just not sure there any in stock?
 
Ebay seems to be a great idea, thank you.
I'm still not sure what to buy though.
I guess I need a set of four tungsten lights with a softbox, an umbrella, flags, gels, stands...
I just like the idea of a set because it's already chosen for you.
Any idea for a basic setup?
 
I liked you lowel kit... I wouldnt kick it out of bed, Im just suggesting it a little more $$$ than I would pay after one look at eBay! By complementary lighting I mean... adding a 1k or something with a bigger light can, on the order of an arri or mole, with the money you saved. Afterall 3200k tungsten is still 3200k tungsten!
 
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I don't like Kits.
IMO you have to buy the light that better satisfy your taste and your needs.
So i suggest:

1) 2 Lowel Tota-brella or anyway a large softbox
2) 2 multicolor reflector discs
3) a large light panel with 2 fresnel. you can do it yourself
4) stands and a lantern stand that let you make back light from abobe the subject
 
I must be the minority, because I think Lowel is crap. I bought one of their kits a few years ago, and sold it to the pawnshop a some months later. The knobs that hold the light in position are plastic. After a short time, I couldn't even get it to hold up an umbrella. Those knobs would shatter before tightening enough. I don't know if the other brands are any different, but I know I didn't like Lowel.
 
Hi Capt.

You are not in the minority, although I wouldn't classify them as "crap" I own two Arri Kits, variousl Moles and a Lowel kit I bought in my newbie days. I still occasionally use the Lowels, you do have to baby them, they are delicate and not as well built although the light they put out is great.

I also agree that kits are not always the best place to begin, it depends on your skill level and what you mostly shoot.

Best,

Dan
 
I also agree that kits are not always the best place to begin
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What would you suggest to start out with?
I want to shoot narrative video indoors and I want to make my actors look great.
 
As someone who started lighting not too long ago, I have to agree with the posters who recommended not to buy a kit, but rather start buying individual fixtures and build from there. After doing a great deal of research on the boards and devouring as many lighting books/videos as I could get my hands on, I decided on starting my kit with Arri Fresnels. They are built to last and work flawlesly, and as mentioned before, Arris will maintain their value should you ever need to sell them. I got a good deal on a pair of 650 watt fresnels, which you can lamp down to 300 watts, and with the rest of my money I purchased a 5-in-1 collapsible reflector (look at ebay auctions by amvona), stands, sandbags, gels and a case. You can see part of short I lit in this thread: http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=105074

As puredrifting said, it also depends on your skill level. I've been able to get decent pictures with my limited setup, and as my knowledge grows, so will my kit. If you're a beginner like myself, I recommend you read as much as you can on lighting and buy "The Headshot" DVD by Walter Graff and "The Power of Lighting" by Bill Holsevnikov (sp?). Once you see what it takes to achieve the images you want, you'll have a better understanding on what you actually need to buy.
 
I buy Briteks. They're totally noob, but I like them because they're cheap and you can get many for the same price as a few expensive ones.

http://www.rostronics.com/products.asp?cat=27

The secret to lighting is not the quality of your instrument, but how you use them. Most people hate open-faced lights because they are very hard to control. If you learn how to use them though, you can put out some amazing stuff.

To make your films look great, it's all about lighting ratio. If you have a fill light that's X amount of strength, you want your key 4X strength (not really, as it depends on the scene, situation, and look your going for, but I'm just saying to explain my point). So if you build a kit, the most important thing is the get a variety of different strengths.

I bought my softboxes off ebay. They're cheapo 500w softboxes, but they work great for bringing the over all light levels up.

Also, the wider your shots, the more lights you will need. If you want to light just your actor, let's say that takes 3 lights. You have two actors in the same shot? Add 2-3 more lights. You want to brighten up the room? Add 2 more lights. You want to highlight a plant that sits in the background? Add another light. The room is shaped in an odd shape that forces walls to cast shadows on other walls? Add a few more lights. The amount of lights you need really depend on the situation, but however many lights you buy, make sure they vary.
 
morisato said:
Also, the wider your shots, the more lights you will need. If you want to light just your actor, let's say that takes 3 lights. You have two actors in the same shot? Add 2-3 more lights. You want to brighten up the room? Add 2 more lights. You want to highlight a plant that sits in the background? Add another light. The room is shaped in an odd shape that forces walls to cast shadows on other walls? Add a few more lights. The amount of lights you need really depend on the situation, but however many lights you buy, make sure they vary.
Click to expand...
And be sure to flip your talent halfway through, to insure they are evenly cooked all the way... ;)
 
I agree with Mariachi, great post.

If you want to shoot narrative stuff, you generally will key with a large, soft source and then will need some smaller wattage lights for fill, hairlight, rim light as well as for the BG. I find I can light most backgrounds with a lot of small instruments but perhaps that's just my style?

I built a set from scratch to shoot some intros and tabletop for a doc on the Platinum Ediition Peter Pan DVD that came out earlier this year. That set I lit with over 30 lights, many LED strips, even with some Ikea colored tea lights on a shelf. But the main lights were still the ever popular Arri 650 fresnels, one through a Medium Chimera and one with some difffusion as a fill light, one 300 watt fresnel bounced into a reflector as an under fill, etc.

Personally, I would avoid cheap lights like the Briteks, they are disposable and while they are cheaper than good lights like Arris or Moles, you will dispose of them most likely in a year or two because they are built so flimsy. Buy quality stuff that will last for decades or longer. More $$$ upfront but you will not regret buying quality.

Best,

Dan
 
Thanks for the great info so far.
What would I use the Arri 650 for? The first as a key light and the second as a fill, boucing off a reflector?
What should I use as a backlight and as background light? Just smaller Fresnels? What would you suggest?
 
Yes 650 can be a good key or fill used in ways like you mentioned.

A 150w pepper fresnel is commonly used as a hairlight and personally a think a 300w or 650w is a great background light.
 
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