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  • 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 :)

cheap lights

I tried using these when I was first starting out. They get ridiculously hot and they put out a really hard light. Also, you cant really direct the light, it just blasts out everywhere. But, if that's your budget, then go for it. Light is light.

I definitely wouldn't use the japanese lamps, they'd catch fire for certain.
 
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Hi Jonathan : ) Thanks for your advice.. Its mainly for homemade shoots.
wonder if i can try to direct the light a little with some heat resistant flags.
For professional work i can get the real lights as its not my money : )
 
whoa, yeah, these are halogen worklights... i use them during buildout of my studio... SUPER SCALDING to the touch...and bulbs burn out all the time and are not cheap
as they tend to tip over easily.

I'd go to filmtools (dot) com and buy some cheap china ball set ups... if you are on a budget. they work great.

or write David Mullen, he probably has great ideas...

anyway, I would definitely NOT use these for a soft light source.
 
if you need a soft source, this is a no go, however, if you're inexperienced and putting together your very beginning lighting kit, a couple of these will suit you well. I used nothing but stuff from Home Depot for my first 2 years or so and made 3 shorts films that all were all selected for festivals and screened internationally.

Not the best piece of kit you'll ever own, and you can even buy some pro stuff for pretty cheap, but this is a good place to start if you ask me. But again, not is you need a soft source :(
 
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unfortunately filmtools is a US company which means everything i would buy from them would get stuck at customs here in europe then they'd charge me 20% in taxes to see get it back. Too much trouble :( but thanks Tim, wouldve been a good route.
 
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good point.. back at film school (93 to 97) we used Arri lights, but i just bounced light on the ceilings cos i never really got into lighting that much. Just as long as there were no shadows i was happy.. got a good 13 international awards with those shorts too :) If it was up to me, id buy a house without a roof and let the sun do the lighting :D my favorite time of day is cloudy.. no shadows to worry about with continuity etc..

I know most like hard symbolic shadows, and strong blacks, contrast.. etc.. but i used to ask the film lab to push all my developments 1 stop brighter and at video post id ask for warm tones :D im a freak i guess.. just my taste i suppose
 
Yeah these aren't good. I lit a whole feature using these three of these lights outside at night i must add, but they are awful two blew up and left us with one lol - mind you it was a student thing and they didn't have the budget & it was crap lol.

I had an idea to soften them a little on a few we had and it was to create a hood for them. Have them pointing up right and bounce the light out of them with a curved piece of metal over them as a reflector do its not directional, that softens them down quite a bit but still not great.

Like this but the yellow worklight pointing up and use a hood like this over them http://www.global-b2b-network.com/direct/dbimage/50273601/H_I_D__Flood_Light.jpg

I use my china balls set up for shooting. Daylight fluorescent light bulbs 375w ones in a lantern works a treat for lighting a large area softly. Ive got about 4 of those in my kit. Love those as quick and easy things.

Andi.
 
Andrew Martin said:
I use my china balls set up for shooting. Daylight fluorescent light bulbs 375w ones in a lantern works a treat for lighting a large area softly. Ive got about 4 of those in my kit. Love those as quick and easy things.
Click to expand...

How do you guys hang china balls usually? Off C-Stand arms or are there other preferred ways?
 
put a local ad on craigs list for older lights, i got 6 mole richardson lights,
1. 2k
1.1k
4 650s
for $200

some were busted but they were all repaired for under $100
so $300 for the setup..

this is a rare case but u might get lucky.
cheers
 
Joel Kaye said:
How do you guys hang china balls usually? Off C-Stand arms or are there other preferred ways?
Click to expand...

Lantern Locks are the way, but for the most part i have a couple of pieces of string and literally hang them from where ever i can if i don't have any spare stands and arms left. Between that and bulldog clips clamped where ever i can. (Those are only if i cant put it on a stand.)

Andi.
 
Remember that hard light can be converted to soft light if you put a diffuser in front of the light (extremely heat resistant diffusion material). I tried the work lights for a shoot a long time ago, and they turned the room into a furnace. They also threw out light in a rather odd pattern, nothing close to smooth and even coverage. I wouldn't use those work lights inside again, but they might work okay outside on a budget. I never had any lights breaking down, but I tend to be gentle on my gear.
 
You could build a nice box light out of foamcore, tape and diffusion, (probably double layering the diffusion). The big question is how to articulate the lamps (and the box light). These worklights are also a cheap bounce source.

While they are hot, so are mickey moles, etc.
 
interesting thread...

You can use these - you can bounce their light, you can flag/cut/diffuse it...

They are used from time to time as practicals - ("Se7en" used them on camera). If you're starting out, use whatever you can, at least you're concerned with lighting...

BTW - most lamps used on set get super hot. Kinos don't, but most everything else does.
 
These work lights are pretty much the same as a nook light. Which have their place, but they are of limited utility.
 
you can also get the 200 watt flo bulbs from coollights and some large china lamps from ikea and bingo...large soft lights and with some foam core as flags
your in business for very little money.
 
These would make a good source but difficult to control. My main concern would be color temperature overall (and differences between each unit). So, keep some correction gels handy (on frames so they don't burn.)
 
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