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Starter lighting set suggestions please

Samir Patel

Samir Patel

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Can someone please give me a suggestion on a starter lighting set for interviews. I would like to make the interviews really pop.
Suggestions for a minimal set and also the best would be helpful so that when my budget improves I can move up. I have seen 3 point lighting seems to be best but I am still unclear if I need all 3 lights to be same power or not, etc.

Interviews would be shot on 1 or 2 cameras (REDs. or if not 2 REDs then one DSLR). Thanks.

If possible links to actual sets would be helpful so I can start to budget properly.
 
In my opinion lighting people isn't that difficult. Lighting the environment and composition is what separates a good looking interview. I still use the trusted Kino Divas and a barfly for most of them. And then for the background it could be anything depending on the space and time of day.
 
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Solid kit.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/285925-REG/Lowel_DV_901LBZ_DV_Creator_1_Kit.html I usually rent lights as I only have to use them every once in a blue moon but for easy 3 point light kit this takes the cake. There are other variations from Lowell as well.

Kino Flo Diva Light kit will be a a lot more expensive but also a go to.

I would say rent a couple different lighting kits and see which one you like using.
 
For interviews, it can be helpful to work with big, soft sources. In particular with digital. Hard edges and strong, small sources can sometimes look too bold for interviews. At least that's been our approach, especially when we work with female talent.

Try this RIFA kit. Gives you 3 lights, nice big soft sources. You can use both Tungsten and Daylight bulbs (Rifa's were used on some of the Harry Potter movies, fyi...to quickly provide additional soft lighting):

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/285906-REG/Lowel_LC_9568_Rifa_eX_Big_Triple.html

Then add a couple of Arri fresnels (300, 150) in case you need something harder to edge/rim with....and you could have a pretty decent kit to start working with.

Hope this helps!!


PS here's a spot that used soft lighting similar to Rifa's, from a portable lighting kit we brought with us (obv Im referring to the interviews, not the Army Wives show footage):

 
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Rifas are about as easy as it gets for soft lights. Kinos too. The Dedo lights are unique and can be very useful due to their controlled beam and pattern manipulation. I want to try out their new LED solutions as well.

Book lights, negative fill, and plenty of other techniques to get a variety of looks. I agree with Bob about backgrounds. It's the thing that trips me up the most. What to do when you walk into a room with white walls and you have to make something out of nothing. It's very easy to create effects that get cheesy and it's very easy to create a simulated cyc effect but when you want subtlety and just the right touch of backdrop for your subjects that's where you can challenge yourself. Lighting is quite often about controlling the light, so not only is it important to have the lights themselves but having the modifiers is just as important.

And a light meter is still a great tool to have on set. I just picked up a new one. retiring my old sekonic for a fancy modern one. Getting contrast ratios correct for the subject matter and not relying entirely on the camera is probably a good way to go.
 
Steve Sherrick said:
Book lights, negative fill, and plenty of other techniques to get a variety of looks.
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+1

Haha - My DPs and gaffers are almost always focused on either making a book light, setting up flags, using negative fill, etc. I keep adding to our grip kit to make these tasks easier, and easier.
 
Kinos have become the go to for interview kits out here. LEDs also, but beware of color crazyness.

In terms of power, for my main kit I like to have lights of all the same power output and even type. Many will differ on this, but there are occasions where I like to start with a balanced ratio for certain setups and dim, filter, flag accordingly. It's something you can do by having a harmonious kit, but not so easy with a kit of various types and powers.

I also prefer hard lighting I can diffuse rather than just soft lights all the time, but if your primary function is interviews I'd say Kinos are the way to go.
 
Thanks everyone. Time to go exploring.

Marcos Montenegro said:
What's your budget limit? That would help us in pointing you into the right direction. "Starter kits" vary.
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Hard to say. I don't want to skimp, thinking of $2000 max. But the problem is when I keep trying to save up an amount like that something always comes up that I want to buy before and I end up without ANY light kit. That and I think the next time I have a huge chunk of money coming my way I likely will want to go for the Scarlet to EPIC upgrade to not miss the window for that.
 
Samir Patel said:
Thanks everyone. Time to go exploring.



Hard to say. I don't want to skimp, thinking of $2000 max. But the problem is when I keep trying to save up an amount like that something always comes up that I want to buy before and I end up without ANY light kit. That and I think the next time I have a huge chunk of money coming my way I likely will want to go for the Scarlet to EPIC upgrade to not miss the window for that.
Click to expand...



I always say that better understanding of light will dramatically improve your shots more than the camera will.
 
Bob Gundu said:
I always say that better understanding of light will dramatically improve your shots more than the camera will.
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I agree.

Samir Patel said:
Hard to say. I don't want to skimp, thinking of $2000 max. But the problem is when I keep trying to save up an amount like that something always comes up that I want to buy before and I end up without ANY light kit. That and I think the next time I have a huge chunk of money coming my way I likely will want to go for the Scarlet to EPIC upgrade to not miss the window for that.
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Teaming up with a gaffer who has their own gear might also be another way to go. The problem really comes down to spreading yourself too thin. I would recommend keeping it simple at first. Get a basic kit that does the job for the kind of work you do. Then decide as time goes on if you want to keep investing in more gear or build relationships with those who might be able to complement what you do, such as a good gaffer or a key grip.
 
As someone who is about to embark on the long task of looking at a 'cheap' budget lighting set up, this thread has been incredibly helpful (so thank you)..
To add a question for the more experienced shooters.. whats the overall opinion with shooting with fluorescent bulbs? I was on a shoot a few weeks ago and the techs did a set up using 120 and I have to say it looked amazinig - but I wasn't able to see the final footage that they got from it.

But then, a friend that swears by using these sorts of things:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2875W-Pho...graphy_StudioEquipment_RL&hash=item2ec9e70744

Having always been 'hands off' with lighting, I'd appreciate any thoughts...
 
They're fine gary and certainly do a job, but you'll spend most of your life putting them up and dismantling them.

You'd be far better off getting a small LED panel like the F&V ringlights that go up and down in seconds, can be used as ringlights or standard LEDs and you can use cheap £2 'china ball' lanterns on them as per - http://www.reduser.net/forum/showthread.php?110693-Chinese-Ball-LED - when you need something softer.

Since owning 2 of the ringlights I haven't used my CFL softboxes once.
 
Dedolight "portable studio" 5 light kit is sweet, small, versitile, flexible, well built, and quick to set up. Will put a smile on your face and last for years to come.
 
Any ARRI kit with chimeras and Kinos and basic flag kit. Work great for interviews. It's good to have some hard sources when you need it. Too many soft sources can get boring for interviews.


And a smoke machine… haha
 
Ben Scott said:
They're fine gary and certainly do a job, but you'll spend most of your life putting them up and dismantling them.

You'd be far better off getting a small LED panel like the F&V ringlights that go up and down in seconds, can be used as ringlights or standard LEDs and you can use cheap £2 'china ball' lanterns on them as per - http://www.reduser.net/forum/showthread.php?110693-Chinese-Ball-LED - when you need something softer.

Since owning 2 of the ringlights I haven't used my CFL softboxes once.
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Thanks for your thoughts Ben - good to hear a fellow Brit chime in ;)

How do the two light sources compare - do you get better output with the lightring? Also have you successfully used both CLF softboxes and the ringlights togther?
(so many questions!)
 
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