still confused...need some help

M

mikecentola

Well-known member
Ok, I've read through the threads here. Read the various lighting tutorials, etc. I believe I have the general concept of proper lighting, but I can't seem to piece together a good lighting set and everything else I would need.

I know I need a key light, a soft fill, and a backlight. I would like to keep this kit around $1000-$1500 max. What are the extras that I need and where do I get them? Grip, gaffers tape, jibs, rigs, jabs, jugs....I'm not sure what any of these are. I would like to piece something together for multiple situations. The next shoot we have to do is a indoor music video of a band playing. I know in the future I'll need a big reflector, so I would like to get one of those.

Basically I would like to piece together a very well-rounded system, that should last me for a decent amount of time. Thanks in advance! :)
 
that does look like a good kit. Can you recommend a good light "mixer/dimmer" for them? If I can stay under the $2K mark, I'm still doing ok...
 
For lights that are under 300W you can use any good household dimmers, you might want to check them once in a while to make sure they don't overheat, but it shouldn't be a problem.
For 600W or more you can get something like:
http://cinemasupplies.stores.yahoo.net/600watsliddi.html
http://cinemasupplies.stores.yahoo.net/10watrotdial.html
Also if you needed some extra background lights for cheap this sounds pretty good:
http://cinemasupplies.stores.yahoo.net/rps153kirs40.html
with
http://cinemasupplies.stores.yahoo.net/nehoba2532qu.html

Don't forget to set asside some money for gels to balance the lights or for mood lighting and basic grip equipment (not too expensive)
 
tarionyx said:
cool, i understand the lighting gels, but what is included with grip equipment?
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Anything you want to be included. There is a smorgasboard out there to be had.
I think before you buy any equipment you should work with a professional for a few gigs as an assistant. That way you will get to know what equipment you will need for the basics and the purpose of each piece of gear. Reading books is great for knowledge but there is no substitute for real world experience.
 
I agree with Ozduc. Laying out money for grip and lighting without knowing what you are doing is not smart. Go shoot with some pros and learn the ropes before whipping out the Visa card.

Best,

Dan
 
Understood, but at this point in my life goint to shoot with the pros, or work on a few gigs isn't really an option. My basic concepts and theory are there, but I need to get the experience, which I know is what you guys are suggesting. For now, I'm taking the approach to just go do it. That's mainly why I asked for a lighting kit in the range I asked for. If I knew what equipment I needed, I could figure out what to do with it :)
 
tarionyx said:
If I knew what equipment I needed, I could figure out what to do with it :)
Click to expand...

Quite the opposite! If you knew what to do with it, then you could figure out what equipment you needed to buy.
But hey if that's the way you look at it, then go get yourself some c-stands, flags, scrims, cutters, silks, tape, gels, diffusion, C-47s, apple boxes etc. etc.
Here's a good place to start.
http://cinemasupplies.stores.yahoo.net/gripdept.html
 
I'd say just buy a few basic lights (go with ARRI though, you won't be wanting to replace them down the line) and stands and gels. Then, shoot some stuff, and everytime you think of something you'd like to do (knock down the light hitting the wall, but keep it on his face) make a note of it. Then figure out what piece of gripology you need (an open ended scrim and a stand to hold it,) figure out the different types and best price, and go out and buy it. In a few months or so (assuming you've got the money) you'll have a kit perfectly tailored specifically to your needs, without and dead weight. Good luck.
Peace,

-Harry
 
sorry to bring this back....

hey somewhereinLA, I plan to get those two kits you had mentioned. Do you think I should get a set of scrims for them? If so, do you suggest any particular sizes, etc? I put together a nice little package from cinemasupplies with gels, a reflector kit, etc
 
Hi:

Scrims are an absolute must, it's difficult to light effectively in may situations without them. For each light, usually you would want a couple of singles, a double, a half single and a half double. If they have triples, they are handy as well.

Dan
 
Oh ok cool, Thanks. One of hte lights is a softbox, so I'd imagine I don't need it for that one, so I will get a pair of scrim kits and a few c-stands for them :) Thanks!
 
Hi:

Actually, you may need the full scrims when using the softbox. A half would not do much in a softbox but the full singles and doubles are very useful. If you move a softbox farther from the source to reduce output, the light becomes more specular, less soft so using scrims to reduce output is a smart thing.

Best,

Dan
 
I would suggest you go to a rental house for your first shoot, establish a rapport with them, rent a few times and see what works for the gigs you have. Transportation is always an issue with gear and size matters when it comes to setup etc.
 
Good point. I just now found out about a local rental house. A friend of mine is going to put me in contacts with them, and I may try to rent a few things. We may go ahead and buy the lighting kit because I think we'll be able to make good use of it.
 
spend scrim money elsewhere first in my opinion - you can use ND gels to reduce light output - works great and is cheaper.
 
tarionyx said:
that does look like a good kit. Can you recommend a good light "mixer/dimmer" for them? If I can stay under the $2K mark, I'm still doing ok...
Click to expand...

For a cheap dimmer you might try harbor freight. There are a bunch of people on here who use this. You can order it or print it off and walk in if they are close by.
 
Hi Cryo:

I will second your recommendation of the Harbor Freight router speeed controls, I own six of them and they are GREAT, I use them on almost every shoot for practicals and sometimes on my hair light or eye light.

I love cheap and effective in film and viideo, it's like finding a bike under the Christmas tree when you are a kid, it's a freebie, a gimmie. So much of what we use is outrageously priced (a good tripod and head costs around $8,000.00!!??!!), it's a nice payback to beat the system.

BTW, my latest cheap find is that Home Depot and Lowes had small grip clips on sale for .97, they are $3.00 or $4.00 from production places. They also had these really cool TINY grip clips, only about 2" long. Perfect for clipping gels or holding CineFoil cucs up to lights. They are like Barbie-sized grip clips, I bought a handful. Nothing is cooler than miniature grip and lighting gear. Dedos? Oh yeah. Kino Micro Flos, awesome.

I saw a company a while back that was selling miniature light stands, flags, etc. for photographers doing product stuff. Very cool stuff but very expensive.

Wow, I am off on some major tangents here, getting senile I guess??

D
 
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hahahah! Thanks for the help :) I'll definitely pick up some of those router controls, and probably a single scrim kit to have better control over the lighting. :)
 
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