Lowell Lights

[Ashley Stracke]

I've read that A Clockwork Orange was shot almost entirely using a small Lowell kit that fit in a portable case. Alcott's said he commonly used Lowell 1,000 watt quartz lights, either in umbrellas or bounced off the ceiling.

Does anyone know what particular kind of Lowell light that is available today would be equivalent to the one's Alcott praises so highly in the Clockwork Orange interviews? Could it be the Lowell DP light? or the Rifa? i have a feeling he is talking about something like the Lowell DP light, and they mounted an umbrella on it as needed. But theres a few other lights Lowell makes today that might be similar to the one Alcott refers to. anybody know any more info?

I like the idea that they made that film with, for the most part, a minimal lighting setup that all fit in a small easy to transport case. That being said, should I be looking into any other lighting that might be similar to this methodology, or is Lowell the one to invest in? i don't wanna spend that much so i guess don't recommend that i purchase Arri fresnels or something in a higher price range (unless you really think I'm making a mistake if I don't!)

Thanks!

 

[Nathaniel Kramer]

Lowell DP lights i presume.. They are also really good for starting fires!

 

[Christopher Mills]

I am betting it was K5's

I am betting it was K5's

like these
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lowel-K5BR-...644?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2ec5f3b494
they are basically ceramic sockets, to use "mushroom" shaped floods, with barn doors that fit the actual lamp.
and lots of versatile rigging plates.. I have used them in the darndest places... had to light some trees in a wooded yard.. just wired them to limbs and trunks..
didn't leave them on long.. they get very hot very fast.

They are not really all that controllable.. but they are super portable. and cheap to use.

or maybe type D and type R..
I think the DP and tota are from the 1980s

all of them WILL burn you if you touch them while they are on..
and you should never ever ever ever point a tota down. It will melt the globe and mesh and drip molten metal on anything under it.

 

[David Rasberry]

We were using DP's and Tota's in the 70's. They have been around awhile.

 

[Christopher Mills]

We were using DP's and Tota's in the 70's. They have been around awhile.

I stand corrected

 

[Bob Gundu]

I still have a bunch of old Lowel lights in storage somewhere. Only lights still worth reaching for are the small Pro lights.

 

[Paul Hudson]

Tota's, DP's and Omni's have been burning fingers for at least 35 years.

 

[Peter Strietmann]

The totas and the omni's give you more bang for the buck than pretty much anything else. The art lies in how one controls them. Crazy heat...

 

[Rob Gardner]

Badly built, horrible to use, dangerous, and thankfully mostly remaining in the mists of memory, land fills and storage lockers. Back in the day, they were considered some kind of miracle because they were so small. I used to use them on documentaries back at the dawn of time, until they burned both of my hands off.

 

[Christopher Barrett]

Oh, man, these things are fucking God-Awful! However, I happen to have 8 Omni's. They are really terrible direct, but are damn decent through a silk or bounced. And seriously, how many other 600 watt lights can pack 8 heads in a Pelican 1600 at under 50 lbs???

Cheap as hell, but lot's of bang for the buck!

I think they're a good start for any indie filmmakers. Nowadays, I only use them when I run out of Jokers.

 

[Paul J Steinberg]

They're a rite of passage.

I can't think of any other lights that are as cheap and compact. They're not the best lights you'll ever own but they will teach you to be resourceful (and to buy gloves). You can make all sorts of handy kits out of them and if you can learn to make pretty pictures with them you'll be better prepared to use bigger and better tools later.

Tota's will fill a chimera bag beautifully, Omni's are pretty small for the amount of punch they offer, Pro lights are tiny and work well with the XS chimeras. All of those have their own umbrella holder. DP's are bigger but can be bulbed to higher wattage.

 

[David W. Jones]

Still have half a dozen Totas in my kit, although they don't get used all that often anymore.

Did a commercial shoot years back for an alarm company where we used 24 or so Tota lights for exterior house accent on a nighttime wide shot of a neighborhood.