Welcome to our community

Be a part of something great, join today!

Register Log in
  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

Lighting for small interior shots

Matt Hall

Matt Hall

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 4, 2011
Messages
322
Reaction score
0
Points
0
So, I have a question about lighting, and I would really love some input as I have very little experience. I'll be shooting a no budget feature in two months and need some lights. I already have a couple of Interfit octoboxes (8 x 55W fluorescent bulbs producing 5200K lighting). Do you think that these would be sufficient to light most small interiors?

I could probably afford this Fresnel kit as well, and it couldn't hurt to have them: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=&sku=541089&is=REG&Q=&A=details

Any thoughts?
 
You will want a mix of hard and soft light. The Arri Fresnel kit will serve you for decades if you take care of it. A 650 fresnel will ALWAYS be useful, and often times more so than a big, soft fluorescent light. Can you get enough light from the fluorescents? Certainly. Will they give you the right quality of light for every situation? Almost certainly not.
 
Thanks, Justin. I really appreciate the advice!
 
Thanks guys! I appreciate the help!
 
Hey Matt -

Since you have time why not light a few sample spaces with just the light you have - I'm sure this will point out weaknesses and give you a better understanding of what you need / want - Also remember that it's one thing to light a scene with small lighting kits - and another to carry the interest of a feature length production. Options are always good. Arri kits are a standard for a reason. Dedos are awesome too (and pricey) - If your budget is killing you a creative trip to home depot can do wonders.
 
Matt Hall said:
So, I have a question about lighting, and I would really love some input as I have very little experience. I'll be shooting a no budget feature in two months and need some lights. I already have a couple of Interfit octoboxes (8 x 55W fluorescent bulbs producing 5200K lighting). Do you think that these would be sufficient to light most small interiors?

I could probably afford this Fresnel kit as well, and it couldn't hurt to have them: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=&sku=541089&is=REG&Q=&A=details

Any thoughts?
Click to expand...

I agree that a good set of tungsten lights will be extremely versatile. Just watch that green spike in the CFLs on the market, there are a lot of bad ones.

One other thing that might be pointing out the obvious, but if you say you have very little experience in lighting then you might want to consider removing the "DP / Cinematographer" title in your signature. I won't do you or a possible client any good if you can't perform the job title you have. Not meaning to be an a*s, just an observation.
 
My experience is growing daily. But thanks for looking out for me, Eric ;)

When I finish this project I will upload some stills showing the choices I made with the lighting. Then you can really tear into me and demand that I change my signature. Ha. Only kidding.
 
Matt Hall said:
My experience is growing daily. But thanks for looking out for me, Eric ;)

When I finish this project I will upload some stills showing the choices I made with the lighting. Then you can really tear into me and demand that I change my signature. Ha. Only kidding.
Click to expand...

No worries, no demands, the fact that it's a profession is just often overlooked by those eager to jump in, and hey, there is something great about excitement. But just as it would be beneficial for a surgeon to know basic procedures before calling himself a surgeon, or a lawyer to know the letter of the law before hanging out a shingle it's good to know the basics first, but I guess Frank Abagnale got away with it!

Either way, get yourself a good hot light kit (a few 650s, 300s 1Ks), some CTB and some diffusion. That will keep you going for a long time.
 
Your point is well taken, Eric. (Thanks for the lighting tip, too.)
 
ditch the 300 fresnel, and definitely ditch the 150 fresnel. I used these a lot till I finally got my dedolights. Now I cant live without my dedo's and have since sold my 300 and 150 and wondered what took me so long. The dedo's have so much more control and punch. If I were to give some advise, I would just take the hit and get what you need 1st! Dont do what I did and just keep upgrading, you'll loose so much more money like that! Get 2-3 dedolights (150's) and 2-3 Arri Plus 750's. tac on a cheap 500 nook-light and you will be golden. I light small interior all the time with a kit like this and it's perfect...a couple nice sources, and a few controllable kickers, you'll do fine.
cool
trey
chaceimaging.com
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top