YOUR interview lighting setup...-:)

petelms

petelms

Well-known member
I would like to know what kind of basic lighting setups people have here for interviews. What are you carrying around and what lights are doing the job for you? What are your favourite lights?

Thanks. :thumbup:
 
Arri Softbank Kit with 1K Chimera

Foamcore with 650 on a dimmer for fill

650 with pattern in black wrap for bkg light

300 for hair/rim light

Dimmers on all.
 
Hi u guys have the luxury to carry chimera lights plus dimmers ! in singapore i carry only 3x800w redhead my friends! Dedo are quite good also 4 interviews!
 
My standard interview lighting package in my NBC van at work, which I specified:

Key:
x1 500W Rifa w/fabric eggcrate (replacing with DivaLite 200 w/Lighttools fabric eggcrate soon)

Fill:
x2 KinoFlo 2-foot, single-bank

Backlight:
x1 150W Arri Fresnel (sometimes I use one Kino as a 3/4-back as well)

Specials:
x2 150W Arri Fresnel
x1 300W Arri Fresnel
 
My "current" favorite light is proabably the DivaLite 200 and 400. They have four times the output of a standard KinoFlo globe, and they're dimmable. I actually prefer LTM Peppers to Arri Fresnels. The LTMs have a smoother, wider beam spread. But the Arris do look really cool and the LTM's look kinda lame (cosmetically). Always wanted a Dedolight with the ellipsoidal attachment for making patterned projections, but those damn lights are just so expensive. But the Dedos are awfully nice. If money was no object, I'd have a PILE of Dedos. I think the package I shoot with is great, and the only change I'm making is from the Rifa to the Diva. Rifas are nice, but tend to get easily broken in the field use we subject them to--the Divas are real nice because they have so much light output and because they're dimmable.

But no softlight is worth a damn to me unless someone makes a functional eggcrate for it (or else the light spills all over your set and washes out any color you've created in your backgound lighting). No one makes one for the Lowel Caselight, or any of the other flourescent softlights (that I could find) except for the DivaLites. Lighttools happens to make a third-party eggcrate, especially for the Diva 200/400.
 
I really got poo pooed last week cause of that poo pooing magenta tint on the Diva.
Plan to carry a loaded ND gel frame from now on...
 
NBCshooter said:
Lighttools happens to make a third-party eggcrate, especially for the Diva 200/400.
Click to expand...
I am sure you know the Diva Lite comes with a plastic egg crate. Why do you like the Lightools fabric eggcrate so much? I mean, it costs a $159 and it's made of nylon for crying out loud. What do you get for the huge sum? A little more output? Is that all?

NBCshooter said:
Always wanted a Dedolight with the ellipsoidal attachment for making patterned projections, but those damn lights are just so expensive.
Click to expand...
The more and more I consider Dedo's the less value I see in them. They are modeled after slide projectors that use 150w, 24v bulbs and aspheric optics. The question arises, why not just go with a slide projector? Leica makes a complete system that is small and compact (compared to a 13" long Dedolight Projector) for about $250. The Dedolight is over $1000.

Another option I have considered is getting a DJ Gobo projector, which are often found for $100 to $150. They use the same globes as the Dedolight and are specifically designed to project Gobo's! The only reason I can see going for the Dedolight is the availability of the "85mm Gaffer's lens" but that's something I could only determine with experience.

Personally, I think I will buy the DJ projector for a hundred and put the difference towards a Lightools fabric eggcrate! Cheers.
 
Lowel Omni 500w
Lowel pro 250w
Lowel Tota 750w

A piece of posterboard that I bounce light off of.

A 1k dimmer that I built using Walters directions.

Some foam type boards that I cut random shapes out of that I can rig to the Tota and use as cookies.

Music Stands, extension cords, flexible plastic cord that I use to tie things.
 
For work we trudge around with one of our Arri kits (nicknamed "Rolling Thunder):

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/con...715&is=REG&addedTroughType=categoryNavigation

Aside from a bunch of reflectors and gels that we bring, we sometimes bring either the large or small Lowel Caselight:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/con...s&Q=&sku=200800&is=REG&addedTroughType=search

The producers HATE the look of these lights though, as they can run "too white," no matter how we gel 'em (although I think that they're just looking to cause problems!). And I'm of the opinion that certain parts-- the egg crate and the light stand connector-- are absolute junk for something at that price point.

David Kuznicki
Production Manager, WGTE-TV30
 
Arri 650W with soft box for bounce key
Arri 300W for background/dead on Key with black rap, gobo or gel
Arri 150W for hair light
Arri 150W for side light

Kino-Flo Kamio ring light on camera for special key.
 
thisiswells said:
I am sure you know the Diva Lite comes with a plastic egg crate. Why do you like the Lightools fabric eggcrate so much? I mean, it costs a $159 and it's made of nylon for crying out loud. What do you get for the huge sum? A little more output? Is that all?
Click to expand...
Both the KinoFlo "eggcrates" and the DivaLite "eggcrates" really only work as scrims. They do not control the light very well. Lighttools fabric eggcrates come in three degree angles, and work very well in keeping the light on your subject, and not all over your background. Kinos and Divas are especially hard to control since they're basically a large soft source and tend to spray light everywhere. Keeping the soft key light on only your subject allows your gelled background lighting to stay more saturated since there is less white light spraying all over the place. Hard eggcrates (like the ones made for ziplights) or honeycombs (like the ones used on strobes) work great, but fabric eggcrates are good because they roll up and store very compactly.
 
Window, reflector, and a fluorescent fill if necessary. I carry a (huge) light-kit, but this is what I end up using almost 100% of the time.

The client usually provides the window. :)
 
The usual package:

Chimera Video Pro w/ 1k tota and Honeycomb

4x4 foamcore bounce card for fill

300 watt Mole Inky on a C-stand arm for back light. Opal difussion.

Arri 650 / Tweenie for background light through a....

Chimera Gobo pattern kit on a C-stand (usually a window pattern or such). CTO/CTO 1/2

Dedo kit for plants , etc. on location.

Jeff Patnaude
 
Lowel V (500), Photoflex Medium Silverdome, Lighttools 40 degree grid, Chimera Speedring
Lowel Pro (250w) - background - sometimes gelled or black wrap gobo
2 - Cool-Lux Mini Cools (150W) w/ dimmers for hairlight & accent on background
Westcott 42" Silver / White Reflector
Westcott Reflector Arm
6 - Bogen Stacker Light Stands (7') with carry strap
Bogen Mini Clamp & Bogen Adjustable Pole (boom)
Small weight for boom arm
2 - Photoflex Umbrella adapters with Delta Foam Core Forks (use for foamcore flags)
4 - 25' extension cords
misc. gels, diffusion, c-47's, etc

Even with 4 lights I'm still drawing only 1050 watts of power. All the lighting and most accessories fit in a small Tenba Camera bag. I have a carry strap for the stands and mount the other accessories and extention cords on the stands.
 
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