Using Home Depot Lights

It's overkill unless you need it for some reason, like you're using a 35mm adapter or something or you're going to be using diffusion and CTB filters. 1000w is a lot of light. That said, some people like to flood the frame with light and use the 1/8th ND indoors.

I like to go for the open face 150w/300w/500w switchable worklights. One at 500w as key, one at 300w as fill, then a backlight or two. PARs and regular bulbs in metal cones work great too at anywhere from 100w-200w.

What you lose over regular lights isn't that bad. Color temperature and flicker are more variable, and everything is open face (no fresnels). What bugs me most is the lack of barn doors but you can improvise. Home depot work lights aren't great out of the box, but with a little work (fake barn doors, better stands) you can build yourself a nice little kit for very cheap.
 
Policar is "Kinda" right, IMHO. First, to answer your question, yes, I have used Home Depot lights for filming.

Not to piss off anybody on this site, but, a light is a light. It is how it is used that counts. A 1000 watt light from Home Depot will give just as good a light as a 1000 watt open face light from Mole-Richardson and for 1/10th the cost.

Now, that being said, is the light from Home Depot better. No way. Yes the Home Depot light can be used, but to make this light effective will take more than 10 times the effort, IMO. It takes much more skill to make these light controlable and they will not last as long, with steady use.

IMO, the answer to the independents lighting needs it to get a basic kit, with a couple of Fresnels, a couple of open face lamps with some soft light banks. Then rent lights as needed. As far as cost goes, lights rent cheap.
 
I agree all the way, but if that's not an option, home depot lights are much better than nothing. The difference between no lights and work lights is huge, the difference between work lights and real lights is very big, too, but not as big, while the gap in price is huge. (100 dollars for all the home depot lights you need versus 2000 for a good kit of real lights) I've talked with professional DPs who agree.

I'm not building much per se, just putting some equipment together. I'm basically just throwing a set of barn doors on some open face 500w lights, putting some 4800K photofloods in metal cones for lighting day interiors, (cheaper than HMIs by a factor of a gajillion to one), using screen doors for scrims, and getting some regular 200w tungstens as well. Then I'm picking up three c-stands, some reflectors, an umbrella, some foamcore flags, some diffusion, CTB, CTB1/2, and making a dimmer or two. Really a pretty basic set up but really comprehensive and really cheap (yes, I'm buying trashy c-stands and someone will probably die when one falls over.)

If renting were a choice (it's not in my case), I'd rent all the way. A nice set of Arris (and Kinoflos, oh god I love Kinoflos) produce wonderful results and are way faster to set up. Did I mention how cool kinoflos are?
 
I have no problems working with improvised lights on a project. However, the reason I have the confidence to turn a Home Depot light into a usable production light is because I have worked with professional lights. Some where along the line you need to learn how to control and adapt lighting units for creative use. Professional lights cost what they do because they make that job easier. Learn all you can by reading, classes, seminars or what ever. Then you will be able to use what ever light you want.
 
I can't argue there. The little I know about lighting I learned more from a little working with Arris and Kinoflos than a lot of toying around with home depot junk (though that helps, too!)

The other thing I learned is that if you bring in a crew that knows what it's doing, that goes a long way. It's also why I can't live without barn doors and flags. All open face lights is one limitation, an inability to block any light at all is even worse.
 
absolutly. I have learned more from gaffers than all all the books in the world.

I want to give it up for:

George Leiber.
Kevin (Vinnie) Campbell, and
Anthony 'Spike' Simms

The first task of a great cinematographer is to find a great Gaffer.
 
They're great for lighting large areas, such as factories and warehouses. Hide them behind some machinery or down an isle, and fill-in those dark areas.

Pick up 3200K lamps from your local pro-video store, as the ones that come with the lamp are too yellow.
 
They are also great for bounce lights. When shooting in homes I like to bounce them off cellings to light large areas of entire rooms.
 
David G. Smith said:
I have no problems working with improvised lights on a project. However, the reason I have the confidence to turn a Home Depot light into a usable production light is because I have worked with professional lights. Some where along the line you need to learn how to control and adapt lighting units for creative use. Professional lights cost what they do because they make that job easier. Learn all you can by reading, classes, seminars or what ever. Then you will be able to use what ever light you want.
Click to expand...

Excellent point. :thumbsup:

BTW, I love your quotes...

-Robert
 
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