Time to go to flo's?

G

GregJ

Active member
I've got a basic, tungsten lighting kit, the one described in the Vortex DVD, "How to Setup, Light and Shooot Great Looking Interviews"
http://www.vortexmedia.com/LightingDVD/LIGHTING.html) -- which is a great tutorial DVD by the way.

The lights are: 2 Lowel Pro 250's and a 500W Tota with soft box. I need some bigger lights in general -- what I have will only comfortably light a one-person interview -- and I think I need to start adding some fluorescent and/or LED lighting.

I also want to do some green screen shooting. Richard from Cool Lights -- and anyone else who would care to chime in -- what light or lights would you recommend I buy next? And can I get away with mixing tungsten and flo's when doing green screen or will the contrasting color temperatures mess up my color?

BTW, Richard, if you're reading this, I think it's great to have a vendor on here answering questions so openly.

Thanks in advance.

--Greg
 
No problem. Just part of my self-appointed job. Anyway, if it was purely for fixed use in a studio / green screen setup. I always recommend home depot shop lights or 4 foot inexpensive fixtures for this kind of stuff in cyc lighting. Since its best to light in two layers (screen and subject) to get the best key, then the lighting for the screen can be something cheaper just as long as its even and smooth without hot spots.

However, if you want one super, all around kit for use anywhere then the portable or studio units we sell are a great way to go. The other issue with shoplights is they don't look professional so perceptions of your clients can be affected if you are doing work for others than yourself. If the lights are not going to be traveling much then just go for the less expensive studio models. Otherwise the plastic portables for use on the road or in your home setup. The size of fixtures will of course dictate the size of area you can light. A couple of CL-455 / CL-455P should do the trick for a fairly normal, one or two person sized green screen area. Another CL-255/P or CL-455/P for subject lighting and a reflector should do the trick. Or, our CL-MF0150 CDM 150 fresnel makes a great hard light to have along too without putting out the heat we normally expect from a hard light like a fresnel. Use that or some tungsten fresnels for rim lighting to lessen green spill on your subjects and make them even more separated from the screen. Those 150s will be back in stock by June. Hope this gives you a better idea or at least starts a discussion point for further hashing out.
 
Kino flos are kind of funny. They work great, but your falloff can be problematic and force you to move the lights way way in. They create beautifully soft light with great shadows though.

For your blue or greenscreens (if your screen isn't too big) a trick that has worked wonders for me is bouncing. Usually, for a smaller greenscreen, I would just lay down a large piece of foamboard in front of the screen and then bounce an open face (1k-2k) at an optimum angle. Yes, you obviously have diminishing light toward the top if your view is wider, but nothing a decent keying program can't handle. Also, remember, the shallower your depth of field, the more your light will even out behind your subject and ease the keying process.

I am a bouncing fool when it comes to lighting, so what I recommend is get some Arrilite 1k or 2k, c-stands, and griffs for your fill/kicker lights and a 1k or 2k fresnel with silks for your key light (that's key as in main, not as in greenscreen) to get you started. If you can handle the wattage and amps, I would suggest you look into 2k since you can always take the light down with scrims, silks, or a dimmer. If you are filthy rich, I recommend you get the Arri X open face. TONS of flexibility.

Just sounds like you are ready to have some bigger guns....so these are what I suggest.:) I don't have a whole lot of experience with LED, so I can't speak to that, but just as long as you watch your whitebalance, you should be alright with mixing tungsten and flourescent. Keep some correction gels on hand just in case.
 
Richard and Wilshire,

Thanks for your answers. You've definitely given me some options to think about.

An outside crew may be doing a green screen job for my company later this week. (I do the training videos for the local division of the company; corporate headquarters does the bigger budget marketing shoots and gets outside crews.) Think I'll go to school on their lighting setup...

Thanks again!
 
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