portable location light (no generator needed) ?

GND

GND

Well-known member
Looking for a portable, somewhat high powered - after some tests, I would need about 250watt of light minimum) light for use outdoors on location. So daylight balanced, or able to fit it with gels. (I noticed the thread below this one about the portable LED lamps, but I don't believe they will be strong enough....nor the right color temperature?)

The light would need to be very portable, as in moving from location to location (within a large forest) and no need of a generator or power supply to have it plug in to.

I was looking at the Kino flo Dive Lite but I'm not sure if it needs to be plugged into a power supply.

I see light panel type lights used on various reality shows, being moved around the street, from location to location, indoors then back outside again, etc...
It seems they don't have a generator of any kind - that or tons of extension cord and like 10 people holding it off the ground.

Any help?
Budget isn't really a problem...I'd be willing to pay up to 200 bucks per day to rent something if it fit the criteria.
Of course, cheaper the better.
(it's only for 2 days of shooting)

Thanks!
 
Thanks for that link.
The arri Pocket Par looks good.
....just wondering if there are any other options (so I can ask rental places closer to home to see if anything is cheaper or brighter) if not, I may go with that. ...unless:

would a generator like one of these Honda's http://www.hondapowerequipment.com/products/models.aspx?page=models&section=P2GG&category=play

be quiet and work with the "regular" HMI or tungsten (with CTB gel) lights? Wattage-wise they would be strong enough but I'm not sure about the waveform/current types, if they would be compatible with "movie" lights.

mostly, just needing it to be quiet, dead silent is best...though lots to ask.
(we're not supposed to be on location....long story but I know the security but they said we can't be loud...if a generator sounds like a lawnmower, we'll get kicked off)
 
GND said:
mostly, just needing it to be quiet, dead silent is best...though lots to ask.
(we're not supposed to be on location....long story but I know the security but they said we can't be loud...if a generator sounds like a lawnmower, we'll get kicked off)
Click to expand...

If this one of the Honda generators are like the one used in a remote location during I radio distance test I was participating in (no need for audio quiet...), depending on your power needs, it was either 'almost silent', or perhaps a light blubblub sound for more power...

At first I didn't know if it was on...

But you should find a rental house and test for your needs...
 
Alrighty, Honda generators and Kindo-flo Diva (Or something of that kind), or the arri portable light posted in Chris' link. I'll talk with my producer partner and we'll decide.
Would I be able to rent honda generators from someplace like canadian tire/home hardware? Because I've checked about 8 video rental sites in my area (toronto) and they don't seem to have such a thing...only the "regular" larger film generators.


And, Chris, if what's not an intro? ...I guess I don't know what is.

Edit > just looked around the site that Chris posted, it allows me to rent Honda generators. Nice.
....though I'd love to know if anyone from Toronto knows a place where I could just drive to and get one?
 
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wow, didn't know about doing that on google, thanks Chris!

one more thing: for the budget video rental site, how is it I get the equipment back to them? I would obviously have to ship them back to budgetvideorentals, but judgeing from the size and weight of such things (generator...lights) it would cost a couple grand (ish).
...anyone rented from them before (and had items shipped to you and you had to ship them back)? was it expensive or was there some kind of deal that budgetvideorentals worked out? (example...they handle return fee's, or they send a truck or something to pick it up and you only have to pay that a couple hundred bucks).
 
The Honda generators are nothing like silent. I've got a 3000is, and it's quieter than an unmuffled generator, but it's still a generator, it's still an operating internal combustion engine. So you will still have to take steps to quiet it down, which typically means putting it as far away as you can possibly get it, preferably behind a building or van or something, and using the thickest/heaviest-gauge cords you can get to run power to the shooting location.

Chris's first suggestion was the best, a very bright light source running off battery will meet your "silent" requirement.

There's nothing wrong with the honda generator suggestion, but I'm just pointing out you were wanting "silent" and a generator is anything but silent. Yes it's much quieter than a regular unblimped generator, but it's still going to be spitting out 55dB of noise or so.
 
Thanks for the input, Barry. I would be alright with something perhaps as loud as a regular converation or a TV newscast or something at medium/regular volume.
Just nothing like a lawnmower.....hm...perhaps there is a way I could rent a honda from a local place like one of those Chris posted from Google, and test it out for a day.
Otherwise I'll go with the battery Arri light.

Just wondering about budgetvideo.com 's policy/prices on me returning the items to them. ....if I have to pay for shipping as if I'm sending something I sold off eBay, then it will be too expensive.


funny thing is, while searching for Honda generator's, I found a site with a picture of it no more than 2 feet next to a young man outdoors in the late eveing, it was powering what looked like a heater and a light, he was reading a book looking content...didn't make it look very loud. ha
 
If you can find it the Honda that has been converted to run on Propane is much quieter. It also has a less dangerous exhaust.
 
You can also put those putt-putt generators inside a van or a cube truck with the door cracked as long as it's not too hot out. As for how loud or quiet they are - there's quiet and then there's quiet. When you're recording audio, you tend to hear every-thing.

.
 
GND said:
funny thing is, while searching for Honda generator's, I found a site with a picture of it no more than 2 feet next to a young man outdoors in the late eveing, it was powering what looked like a heater and a light, he was reading a book looking content...didn't make it look very loud. ha
Click to expand...
Well, yeah, but like chris said, there's "quiet" and then there's "quiet". The earlier question was "silent" -- and I'm saying that they're a far cry from silent! Honda's own chart says they're about as loud as a conversation. That might be about accurate. So imagine trying to record clean dialogue with someone having a conversation right next to your actor -- that's not gonna work out too well. So even with a Honda EU "quiet" generator, you're still going to have to take efforts to silence it by moving it as far away as you can get.

Remember that when you double the distance, the volume falls in half. So the volume of the generator at 2 feet will be half as loud as it is at 1 foot. At 4 feet, it'll be 1/4. At 16 feet away, it'll be 1/16th as loud. So that's why we say -- get it as far away as you can. At 50 feet away, it'll be pretty quiet, and as long as you mic your actors very very closely, like 8" away or less, you'll probably be able to do okay.
 
in the army, you dig a hole into ground to put the generator and cover with something (camouflage).
 
I'm pretty sure I could get it 50-80 feet or so away, and use heavy duty extension cords rented from a film/grip equipment place.

Not much dialogue needs to be recorded....3 lines only and 2 of the lines are only 2 words per line in these forest scenes. If all else fails I believe they would be simple to ADR, also with the right shot (farther / the person talking having their back somewhat to the camera) it should be simple.

Thanks for the info / opinions and web-links!
 
Barry_Green said:
The Honda generators are nothing like silent. So you will still have to take steps to quiet it down, which typically means putting it as far away as you can possibly get it, preferably behind a building or van or something, and using the thickest/heaviest-gauge cords you can get to run power to the shooting location.

Chris's first suggestion was the best, a very bright light source running off battery will meet your "silent" requirement..
Click to expand...


Barry is right that the Hondas are not silent. So it comes down to how you use them. In my experience it is possible to use small portable gas generators and get clean audio tracks if you have the right equipment and know how to use it. Check out this thread “Running Lights off a Generator” (http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=210184) on how to record clean audio tracks with Honda generators and other alternative battery power set ups that could work for you as well.

Guy Holt, Gaffer, ScreenLight & Grip, Boston, MA
 
Barry_Green said:
Chris's first suggestion was the best, a very bright light source running off battery will meet your "silent" requirement..
Click to expand...

FYI, you will only get about 20 minutes of run time on a battery belt with an Arri 200 Pocker Par. You will either need to have alot of battery belts on hand or use one of the alternative battery set ups mentioned above.

Guy Holt, Gaffer, ScreenLight & Grip, Boston, MA
 
Thanks for that info,
and good to know it's only about 20 minutes of runtime for arri pocket par and a battery belt. If I do go that way and rent it, I would've only rented 1 battery belt thinking it'd like an hour or two.

After asking around, turns out a friend of a friend's dad has an old honda 2000w generator, I'm looking to borrow it and test the sound of it on location with my audio guy.
 
GND said:
After asking around, turns out a friend of a friend's dad has an old honda 2000w generator, I'm looking to borrow it and test the sound of it on location with my audio guy.
Click to expand...

If it is one of the Honda EU2000is inverter generators you should have no problem. If by "old" you mean one of the conventional AVR generators or a "Cyclo-converter" modified square wave inverter generator there are several issues you should be aware of. I suggest you read the article I wrote for our company newsletter on the use of portable generators in motion picture production. Use this link -
www.screenlightandgrip.com/html/emailnewsletter_generators.html - for more information about the different types of generators and how to use them for motion picture lighting.

Guy Holt, Gaffer, ScreenLight & Grip , Boston
 
nejuicer said:
FYI, you will only get about 20 minutes of run time on a battery belt with an Arri 200 Pocker Par. You will either need to have alot of battery belts on hand or use one of the alternative battery set ups mentioned above.

Guy Holt, Gaffer, ScreenLight & Grip, Boston, MA
Click to expand...


Yeah, I can do the math, thanks.

The op indicated "250watt of light minimum" and "no generator" and "daylight balanced" so there you go. Show up with 4 charged belts or block batteries and go to town.

.
 
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