The Super Lighting Puzzle: No Power

ExposedFilm

ExposedFilm

Member
Here we go! I'm shooting a scene with three actors in a old, abandoned hunting shack far north, which has obviously no power, and since we'll have to hike and transport the gear on sleds while snowshoeing for a good thirty minutes, we can't afford a lot of material or errors.

My current setup includes using a lantern in a china ball held on top of the actors with a boompole and bouncing the sun or flashlights off two large silver reflectors. Cheap, battery and sun-powered and easy to transport.

Anyone tried something similar or been in a similar situation? I'd love to hear some of the vet's tips!

Thanks!
 
I have a similar situation. I'll be throwing a genny onto a quad. I guess you could substitute that with a snowmobile. You could probably rent one if you or a friend don't have one.
 
Hi,

If you are not using the BIG light in the sky and reflectors, I have some 1200 led lights from ebay which draw tiny amounts and I power them from a 40ah car battery jump pack I bought that has a power inverter built in..it lasts ages...cant say how long because its not run out on a shoot yet.
 
el presidente said:
Hi,

If you are not using the BIG light in the sky and reflectors, I have some 1200 led lights from ebay which draw tiny amounts and I power them from a 40ah car battery jump pack I bought that has a power inverter built in..it lasts ages...cant say how long because its not run out on a shoot yet.
Click to expand...

Hmmm. Which lights, please? Also, can you give the full name of the listing, brand, seller, etc., because links to eBay are very perishable?

How do you rate the lights for color purity? Skin tones? Do they have a big green spike? How is the build, how durable? Any shift in color temperature when you dim? How much current draw? Thanks. I could spend 500 bucks on something good.
 
The led lights are good for the money... someone is going to probably shoot me down here.

The set I bought "1200h led video"... Color looks good with skintones (I have not mixed them though) I would say they look better on my ex1/letus combo compared to my tungsten kit...probably says more about ex1s color response though.
Green spike?..it comes with minus green, and cto and frost.
When at full white balance 6700 at 5% 6500
I have a surge protection lead that reads 0.4amps at full power.
As for durability..its a large circuit board in a thin metal case so handle with care.
Cost me £310 inc postage.
Hope this helps.
Craig
 
jaakkon said:
El Presidente, could you give us the sellers id on ebay to check it out?

Jaakko
Click to expand...

HappyTopStar-Gold

I went to Broadcast Video EXhibition yesterday and found many uk retailers selling the same kit with new labels on the back...for quite a mark up
 
Thanks everyone! I forwarded the links to the money-people see if they approve. I did some searching around in rental places but nobody rents silent generators. I'll either have to buy one or get an extra car battery with an inverter and hook it up to a LED panel or small Kino. We're shooting in a small cabin and I'll be using fast prime lenses so I should be fine with one panel.

Anyone tried to use reflectors on a cloudy day? I like reflectors but being at the mercy of the weather channel worries me a bit.

EDIT: Someone just pointed out to me I could use a standard generator, place it far from the set, use extension cords and build a wall out of snow around it to keep the noise down. We'll be using a shotgun mic so we'll probably don't hear it at all. Any thoughts on that?
 
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