What lights to get?

A

Andrew McCarrick

Carbonite Member
Looking to know what a core lighting package should consist of for a feature. I've primarily been leaning towards Arri fresnels, but not sure on what wattages, or if the fresnels would even be the best thing to go with.

I'll be shooting my next 3 features, this year, with GH2s.
 
I doubt anyone could give you a definite answer with such little information... It all depends on the location, the feel etc. etc.
Personally I in general like HMIs since you don't place yourself at either end of the light spectrum. Having to gel tungstens to daylight is going to cost watts... no such much the other way around.
 
I'm looking for a wide array of stuff, basically enough to get me by in just about any location; indoor, outdoor, in-car, etc.

Budget is $35,000
 
i would say hmi's and kinos for the most part. and flags and such. maybe some 8by or 12by frames.

but, what i would do is talk to your gaffer and key grip, whoever those will be and see what gear they need/want. they will not only know a great deal, but also probably tell you lights that they know and are comfortable with, which is important when actually on set.

just my .02
 
I would suggest investing in a few books on the subject to get you to the point where you are knowledgable on the subject, rather than having strangers on the Internet who may be inexperienced 13 years old spend your $35K.

All the best!

Dave
 
Well I know the difference between HMIs, Tungsten, Florescence, LED, etc. and color temp. I've just never worked with most lights to know the throw/intensity of say a fresnel at 650w vs a 1k at 10 feet; just as an example. So I'm looking more for what would be the common wattages in most scenarios.
 
Question one would be why in the world would you buy.
A nice 3 or 4 light kit (say $3K worth) is great for shorts, music videos, etc... However, if you have that kind of budget and are shooting features I'd rent a grip truck. Not only will it have the lights, but the stands, flags, apple boxes, silks, etc... that you'll need.
 
gonzo_entertainment said:
Question one would be why in the world would you buy.
A nice 3 or 4 light kit (say $3K worth) is great for shorts, music videos, etc... However, if you have that kind of budget and are shooting features I'd rent a grip truck. Not only will it have the lights, but the stands, flags, apple boxes, silks, etc... that you'll need.
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Grip trucks don't come with lights... they're extra. I'm getting a grip truck, for stand, flags, etc. Also renting lights for 3 project will cost more than buying them. The average rental on a light for a month or so is about half the price of the purchase price. Doing more than two projects, why rent?

http://www.locationlighting.com/

A 5-ton Grip truck runs $550 a day, with no lights in it. Lights range from $15 (Arri Frensel 150w) to $175 a day (12000w Arri T12 Fresnel). Cost to buy an Arri 150w is $285.
 
Arri has a great calculator (http://calc.arri.de/calculator) that will tell you eaxctly how many footcandles you'll get from all of their different their lights at different settings (spot-flood, etc.). I seem to remember that they have photmetric tables for all their lights that will give you the same info in table form. Kino has good tables for their fluorescent fixtures too. That should give you everything you need to calculate what fixtures you need to provide givenn illumination levels at various distances.
 
notharrylume said:
Arri has a great calculator (http://calc.arri.de/calculator) that will tell you eaxctly how many footcandles you'll get from all of their different their lights at different settings (spot-flood, etc.). I seem to remember that they have photmetric tables for all their lights that will give you the same info in table form. Kino has good tables for their fluorescent fixtures too. That should give you everything you need to calculate what fixtures you need to provide givenn illumination levels at various distances.
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Perfect, thanks.
 
Depends on where you are I guess. I could rent a grip truck (and lights) for a month and probably only pay 14 to 20 days rental on it (depending on the time of year). You also have the accounting implications of a budget expense coming right out of the bottom line (rental) vs a capital expenditure that has to be depreciated over a number of years.
 
gonzo_entertainment said:
Depends on where you are I guess. I could rent a grip truck (and lights) for a month and probably only pay 14 to 20 days rental on it (depending on the time of year). You also have the accounting implications of a budget expense coming right out of the bottom line (rental) vs a capital expenditure that has to be depreciated over a number of years.
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Honestly, I wasn't even thinking about writing them off at all. I just see it as building up an equipment stash, and reducing overall production costs on following projects.
 
Andrew McCarrick said:
Honestly, I wasn't even thinking about writing them off at all. I just see it as building up an equipment stash, and reducing overall production costs on following projects.
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I mean I get where you're coming from on that. You might just talk it out with your accountant if you are going to have investors other than yourself.
 
Andrew McCarrick said:
Honestly, I wasn't even thinking about writing them off at all. I just see it as building up an equipment stash, and reducing overall production costs on following projects.
Click to expand...

That would be a very poor business decision!
If I purchased $35K worth of production lighting you can bet my accountant would be listing everything as a business expense for depreciation on a schedule.
 
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