I really think you should do some more research before dropping a lot of money that other people have donated to you. You realise bulbs are like £5! Hardly a deal breaker! I can agree that H&S can be an issue but if you want to work in films then you are going to have to learn how to use the equipment someday. Do your parents let you use the oven? I would say it's just as dangerous, it's just that every time you use it you make sure you take precautions to ensure you don't burn yourself or set anything on fire. It's exactly the same for a lighting kit. If you look after it and have some common sense then you won't make any mistakes! To put it into perspective one of those red heads from the craigslist guy is 5 times as powerful as the whole LED kit. Don't forget that if ever you put anything in front of the light (gels, diff, ND) then you are reducing the amount of light it produces making the red heads much more flexible as it's always easy to reduce the output but not so easy to add to it.
yeah, I am def. not going to be spending any money on anything for a few months, so thats why I wanted to start researching this now! I don't want to waste my contributors money, that is for sure! Yes those red heads are VERYYYY powerful, haha, they look awesome! Do you think the price is right though? 1150 for the red head kit, seems like a good deal to me. I feel that going with something like this would be similar, am I right? http://www.lincostore.com/product/Linco-6120FK-3359.html I hear redhead kits can get VERY hot. I would like something cheaper then that though, I mean again I dont want to blow my whole budget on lighting haha. Can I get a good 3 point lighting for $200-800 anywhere?! I am scared to buy something really cheap, that is not good. Do I even need 3 point lighting, can I get away with 2, or even 1 light! What are your experiences? Know of anything good? Sorry for being such a newb about all of this by the way, again..
Harrison and Archie - i agree with both of you... Harrison, this setup is F$#%ing sweet! i love it, i will definitely be getting this set up. it will be soooooo useful to me with certain set ups.... Having said that, this is where i agree with Archie; I have several other light kits already, so the only reason i like this kit is as a supplement to my existing lights. i would never consider this kit as a Main kit. this would be useful to me in very tight spaces like closets, inside cars, documentary shooting, and painting with light, etc. Harrison, you really need to concentrate on a GOOD set of Professional lights - i know that they are ridiculously expensive, but they are that way for a reason. the proof is in the build quality, light/color quality, etc. theres a reason the most commonly used lights in the idustry is ARRI, Mole, DiSisti, Dedolight, and the like - they are superbly built and calibrated for the best possible light/color output. Get the best possible Professional lights you can afford as your main kit. then you can supplement your kit with small lights like these later... Just my 2 cents
it all depends on the scene. it's your job to get creative with it. Last year i shot a short film in a day and i only used one (1) small 30watt store bought CFL in a small clamp light with a sheet of parchment paper clamped on for diffusion... can you imagine that? the entire film was shot with whatever available ambient light was available and one clamp light. i wanted to prove that you simply have to get creative with whatever is available to you. check it out: just get what you can afford and get really creative on your light set ups...
Thank you Jayson so much, maybe one of the most helpful posts yet. You just bluntly told me the truth of the whole matter. So thank you Do you think buying ONE really awesome, well built good branded light would be a good decision? Because then when I get the money to add 2 more high quality lights to it I can. Instead of me buying a cheap, light set that will end up being no use. Like you said in that short film you just posted you used 1 30watt light and any other light availible. So, I am sure I can get away with using one really awesome light, a super cheap $30 13 watt flourescent bulb costco light (that is surprisingly quite powerful lol) and then all available light of course. I am sure I would be able to pull it off. I will look into the really good companies like you mentioned. So what kind of lighting do you recommend in the end? I have heard EVERYONE uses HMI lights, but then there is tungston, fluorescent, and LED of course. What is a good all-around purpose light, what is the most versatile!
Which set up is this that you are talking about? The one with 4 LED lights that can attach to each other, is portable? etc..
there are pros and cons to all the types of light: HMI, Flourescent, Tungsten, and LED. it all depends on the look you are going for and whether or not HEAT and color temps, etc are important to you. in the days of Film stock it was crucial to match the proper film stock with lighting, etc. but since you are primarily shooting DSLR, that's not an issue. Tungsten is the tried and proven workhorse of the industry for years, and the ARRI frensels are the standard - however, HOT. but with your budget i'm sure you can get a few 300's or something. then paint with the lighting, get creative. HMI is probably going to be the best for your money (IMO). they run much cooler and produce excellent light, but they are VERY Expensive. Flourescent is a great option, also cooler than tungsten and produce great color/light. you can probably get a couple Kinoflo's with your budget - these are Excellent lights and of course you know a little about LED's. Advice...look into some ARRI frensels (Tungsten), or some KinoFlo's. I think you can definitely get what you want out of either of them, and then when you are done, you have a great set of lights, and with some additional investment (in the future) you can add on to that set with additional lights. also, try to stay away from knockoffs. in the end, they are knockoffs for a reason, and you will regret spending any money on them. beleive me - ive fell victim to that line of thinking in the past and regretted it.
Wow! Okay thank you so much for all that info, yes I want to stay far away from HOT lights, I don't want to spend $1000 or more on lights and then burn all of my equipment down, which I will never be able to buy back. LOL. Also, no one likes being really hot, especially here in Canada, I 110% can not buy hot lights, they will melt my igloo !! Not acceptable. Anyway, seriously.. thanks for the info! I am going to keep looking into it more and I will keep you posted to what I find and what not!
The ARRI Fresnels I am VERY into, they look amazing! Also I was reading a bunch of review, review after review, people LOVE and ADORE the one I have also picked haha! How does this look for a nice lighting set up, 2 of these beautiful ARRI lights, http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/?O=wishListDetail.jsp&A=wishlistDetail&Q=&li=464B67F709 Now my price is getting up there, can I cut costs by not buying Arri stands, can I buy this brand called Impact, it is in recommended accessories section on b&h, any experience? Or should I stick with Arri stands. Because going Impact could save me $100 or $200.
Sweeeetness !! I am totally going with these Arri Fresnels then !! A 2 - 650W, and a 300W. But first, I am contacting this beautiful guy, http://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/bnc/pho/2879341629.html because he has 2 300w's, a 650, and a 1000W light!! With stands, case, barn doors, screens, etc! SO good! I will see if he will take $1500 haha, I will explain to him my situation. You never know! If not, I will just go with my B&H list
That looks like a solid lighting kit. If your offer doesn't work out then I think the 650W and 350W are a great option. Coupled with a good reflector you could easily three point with the 650W Key, reflector fill and 350W backlight. I don't know if you were kidding about the heat but these lights will be hot too. You may want to invest in some gloves as well so you can handle the lights and the barn doors.
I think I have some gloves that should work, but yeah I can def. pick them up if I need them. Thanks for all the help you have been providing, really means a lot! Also yeah if I cant get that kit, I will get 2x 650W and a 300W, to save money though could I really just get a 650, the 300, and the reflector? I could always get a single 150 or something later on.. not saving any money by buying all 3 at once on B&H haha. So maybe I will do that! Thanks for the suggestion!
Update: Looks like I am going to get everything in this ad MINUS the 1k light and accessories for $1500 http://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/bnc/pho/2879341629.html So for $1500 id get 2x 300w, a 650w, the barn doors, screens, (maybe cords), and stands for those. Also the travel case for the lights. Sounds like a good deal to? He also offered me 50% off rates on a Red MX if I wanted to shoot with that! Oooh fancy!!!! A REDDDD, I might take him up on that.. but anyway.. back to lighting.. $1500, good deal for all that you'd agree? Remember if ordered from B&H I have to pay about $400 extra just because of shipping, tax, and duties. So take B&H prices of that equip new, plus $400. I think it ends up being $2500 or more! Wow!
Got the lights today, a soft case, 3 Arri light stands, a 650W and two 300w Arri frenels, as well as the bar doors and screens for all 3 ! $1500
My wife has a pretty full lighting kit - A full set of fresnels, some LED stuff, Kinos etc. She also has a set of shop lights purchased at Home Depot - They are very cheap and very effective. Shane Hurlbut used these on Act of Valor. Just another option to look at...
