Best Ideas for Lighting...

[keifer]

Hey,

I have about $450 left in my budget for lighting. I am shooting a $7,600 feature. None of the lighting really needs to be nuanced or anything, just enough to light up the scenes adequately.

I don't know if the Home Depot route is really a good one to take, or should I try to haggle with a rental house...

 

[Sarah C.]

I gave $100 to an indie filmmaker for a Tota/Omni kit by Lowel once-upon-a-time.. all the lights, stands, umbrellas, CC gels, diffusion, frames, cutters included in one neat portable hard case. This is FAR MORE than what Robert Rodriguez had for El Mariachi btw..

 

[Mark Allen]

keifer - what about just renting 1 kino 4x4 and 1 dedo at like $40/day each I think x3 day week... x 2 week shoot?

 

[Andrew Wilding]

None of the lighting really needs to be nuanced or anything, just enough to light up the scenes adequately.

No matter your budget, I should think that settling for mere illumination is not a good starting place...

 

[keifer]

Ok, maybe I misspoke. Sorry. What I mean was that I'm not looking for anything extremely high wattage or anything. It is a very simple film with very simple lighting requirements.

 

[Stephen Lovett]

What Mark said,

You kind of need a hard light and soft light. I love the big 4x4 Kinos, but the diva size are a great general purpose tool as well.

Cool lights makes something similar to the Diva's. The fit and finish isn't on par with the Kino's. (I own both) but they are a good value for the money, and about half the cost.

Personally I like the 55w Kino bulbs better I find Richard's 55w tungsten bulbs to be too pink for my taste, but eye of the beholder and all that. The bulbs are interchangeable, at least on the units I have.

However renting would provide you personal experience to make an informed purchase decision. I don't own Dedo's but I wish I did.

http://www.coollights.biz/cl455p-co....html?osCsid=5939d354431d8741f167a121a81cea9a

 

[Kim Frank]

Well than don't light at all...

Heres a tiny toolkit you could built and keep for your Budget:

For interiours I often find myself wanting to lift up the overall lighting, to raise my blacks with details above the noise floor and decrease dynamic range.
I'm using a big Chinaball with a 500W bulb (watch out to use a porcellan soccet). You can also use 4 daylight balanced Compact flourencents in a splitter. That way you can get a 1k daylightbalanced soft lightsource (you could even use outside) but get the floods with a high IRE above 90. You also want to buy more high wattage bulbs (100w) or CFLs to change the bulbs in the fixtures. For eyelights or wrapping light around a face just get a second smaller China ball.

Built a wooden frame and hang some christmas chains across it (Dante Spinotti Technik in PUBLIC ENEMIES)

For diffusion you can use a shower Curtain (Michael Ballhaus Tip)
Put it on a frame or hang it to diffuse hard sunlight.
You can also use the Canvas Covers they use on construction works to cover larger areas. You can get them in different strengths. They have eyelets all around for easy setup. You can also use those as a big Reflector.

You would also need some styrofoam cardbords in different sizes to use them as a bounce card to fill in light. Paint one side black to cut off and shape lights (of the Cinaballs for example)

Now you would need some stands, ropes, gaffa tape and extension cables and youre ready to go.

 

[David W. Jones]

The Sun is Free!

 

[Leo Ticheli]

The Sun is Free!

Yes, the sun is free, but unlike proper kit and crew, the sun works only where it wants to, for as long as it wants, and is prone to simply walk off the set for hours or days at a time.

Somewhat in jest, of course, but you need good location scouting and schedule planning to use the sun.

In situations like this it may be best to find a Gaffer with kit who will work on your project.

Good shooting and best regards,

Leo

 

[Larry McKee]

There have been some really good suggestions listed already. I don't know your level of experience so I'll try not to assume anything one way or another. But, in case you are just starting out, you might want to volunteer on other projects. You can accomplish a couple of things that way. Firstly, you can see how others stretch their budgets. And, just as important, you can build up your "favor currency." Doing favors for each other is big way low budget projects get done.

 

[David W. Jones]

Yes, the sun is free, but unlike proper kit and crew, the sun works only where it wants to, for as long as it wants, and is prone to simply walk off the set for hours or days at a time.

Somewhat in jest, of course, but you need good location scouting and schedule planning to use the sun.

In situations like this it may be best to find a Gaffer with kit who will work on your project.

Good shooting and best regards,

Leo

Leo, apparently the easiest way to work with the sun is to have plenty of Jimmy Dean breakfast products on set.

By the way, I have always enjoyed your work.

All the Best!

 

[Leo Ticheli]

...and large volumes of coffee!

All the best, David!

Leo