The back light or Hair light,
Is a very important light in making shots look good;
However its also the hardest light to rig off the floor.

Now if you don't have the ability to do ceiling mounts, then Do they make some kind of long extension arm for a C-stand or other stand that would allow you to rig a tungsten back light very far out - say 8 to 10 feet out. I realize you would need a lot of sand bags, or counter balance with a longer pole... but how are these things typically done.

If you're on location with small lights, a neat trick is to use one of these http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/31946-REG/Lowel_KG_Grip.html with two light stands.

Extend the legs fully of the stand being used as the boom, they'll work as a counterweight and hang a totebag off them with a stinger or two in it. Use a small light like a Lowel Pro. Only takes a couple of minutes to rig, and you've only added the Lowel "Grip" to your package.

That's the only easy way to boom a hairlight with small stuff I know of - everything else requires bigger hardware and lots of sandbags.

Disclaimer: Boom rigs involve an increased degree of risk of injury to people and property. Use at your own risk.

The back light or Hair light,
Is a very important light in making shots look good;
However its also the hardest light to rig off the floor.

Now if you don't have the ability to do ceiling mounts, then Do they make some kind of long extension arm for a C-stand or other stand that would allow you to rig a tungsten back light very far out - say 8 to 10 feet out. I realize you would need a lot of sand bags, or counter balance with a longer pole... but how are these things typically done.

Tyson:

Why do you need so much extension, are you framing the entire talent from head to toe? I usually use just a regular 40" grip arm on a C-stand. Also, which light are you using for your hairlight? I use an Arri 150 fresnel, it's small and light.

If you really need that much extension, I also use a Manfrotto 8' matte black boompole, usually on a Matthews Beefy Baby or sometimes on a Norms steel three riser stand if I need maximum extension. A lot of metal to move around just for a hairlight but it works well if needed.

Dan

This works very well. It's a light stand with a built in boom arm:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?shs=bogen+boom+stand&ci=0&sb=ps&pn=1&sq=desc&InitialSearch=yes&O=RootPage.jsp&A=search&Q=*&bhs=t

It comes with an aluminum base or a steel base. It folds up just like a light stand.

However, in use, the boom extends and tilts.

The boom stands on the page that Jack linked are great. Some boom out to about 7 feet. I use a similar setup for hair/backlights (with a Lowel Pro Light - very light). If you're using a similar-sized light you won't need much weight on the other end. Depending on how long you're extending the boom, you can get very stable with a 10-15 lb sandbag.

Good luck.

~~Dave

Great thread, I was thinking about this same type of idea. However, I don't think I will need to boom out 7 feet, maybe 4 feet, but it's always good to have extra to play around with. I will probably end up ordering one of these. Nice find Jack.

Thinking about all this boom stuff, I'm wondering if anyone uses the background stands to attach a hair light. Is that too far back?

I just picked up a couple of these
scissor clips (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/264537-REG/Mole_Richardson_500939_Adapter_Scissor_Clip.html) to use in my office, ( I use it for some solo news anchor type stuff and it's cramped) work great for my situation, and I also picked up a couple of the scissor clip cable supports.

they wouldn't work everywhere, but drop ceilings abound around here. ;-)

This may be more trouble or space-consuming than you can manage in some situations, but it you have two free light stands--and they don't need to be weighty, just tall enough--you can clamp a cross bar to them and the light to the cross bar. Electrical conduit of suitable diameter (1" or so) can serve for a small light (I like the Prolight, too) and you can make the bar semi-collapsible by using two diameters, one fitting snugly inside the other, or using a joiner for two pieces of the same diameter.

By the way, in tight quarters with a modest level of keylighting, even a Prolight may be too strong for a hairlight. A dimmer will solve this (see Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices (http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=43060) and search for comments on it in this forum), althogh you may need to cool-gel it a bit as the lamp K temp warms.

Hi all:

I have discovered something really cool for doing this. Especially in rooms with low ceilings and nothing to rig a scissor clamp to.

I had a chance to do a shoot with one of these, they are so sweet Matthews | Mini Max Boom | B377701 | B&H Photo Video (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/443231-REG/Matthews_B377701_Mini_Max_Boom.html#specifications)

9' of extension or 14' feet of vertical extension. Most importantly, this tool saves a LOT of time. Put your light on it, extend it, bag it, shoot. No rigging of multiple cable clips, cable routing, no step ladder needed. Time is money on shoots.

Really a useful tool for $727.00

Dan

Hi Dan,

That's quite a product. The small thumbnail photo there doesn't show much and its hard to understand how it stays stable unless that bottom piece is like an extremely heavy counterweight. Also, what do the two small legs that protrude near the bottom do? Is that something to add to stabilization?

Hi Dan,

That's quite a product. The small thumbnail photo there doesn't show much and its hard to understand how it stays stable unless that bottom piece is like an extremely heavy counterweight. Also, what do the two small legs that protrude near the bottom do? Is that something to add to stabilization?

Hi Richard:

No counterweight needed, the legs spread and it also has a Rocky Mountain leg for stairs and curbs. It's very stable, light and can be setup in about two minutes. That picture doesn't do it justice.They do show it with a sandbag on it but I used it without one with an Arri 300 on it.

Ed Philips, the president of Matthews walked me through it, I want one. Nice product. It's a miniature version of their full-sized menace arm that the big boys use. The whole bottom is like a tripod sort of, the legs fold out for stability as you extend the arm.

I'll see if I can dig up a better picture of it.

D

I see, so it's just a terrible pose for that picture. The wide leg spread then will explain why it can handle such a long arm with weight on the end of it.

It's on the Matthews website now...

http://www.msegrip.com/mse.php?show=article&cat=4&ID=89

Nice, but it weighs in at about 25 pounds. So I'm not sure it's going in my "go to" kit unless I decide to buy a grip truck in the future!

If this is too obvious, I apologize, and I realize it only fits certain situations. If you have a fairly high-rise bookshelf or similar shelves in the vicinity behind the subject, you can clamp a small light on. I use a Lowel Prolight on on Tota clamp, an adjustable C-clamp type which has a stud. I cut two 2" pieces from a wooden paint stirring paddle from the paint store, sanding and rounding the corners, one of them going between clamp and shelf to protect the furniture.

Another possibility, though less controllable, is to bounce a light off the ceiling from behind the subject. This can yield a very soft hair light, but usually requires a more substantial light to begin with. If there's too much spill, sometimes a black skirt can be taped to the ceiling; circumstances vary, but it's sometimes the only way.

Good points Philip. While I love what can be done with the Mini Max, I am all for making everything smaller, lighter, easier and cheaper.

My problem is that I just never know where I am going to be shooting and what sorts of rigging opportunities I will have for a backlight/hairlight. You can use a Mafer clamp, Cardellini, Putty Knife with a spud, C-clamp with a spud and I bought a couple of these really cool rigs, they are a plastic tube that on one end has threads like a lightbulb and on the opposite end, they have a 5/8 spud. You can screw them into any can light or track lighting fixture that takes a standard lightbulb and hang a small Arri 150 or Lowel ProLight from them. Between this entire bag of tricks, I an usually find something to mount a hairlight/backlight to but not always.

Dan

For head shots, it seems the best solution would be to clamp a light onto the background crossbar or stand to save setup time. Does anyone do this?

For head shots, it seems the best solution would be to clamp a light onto the background crossbar or stand to save setup time. Does anyone do this?

Hi Dana:

Yes, I usually use a 40" C-stand arm on a C-stand for single interviews and I have a Manfrotto 9' steel boom that I use when doing a full length shot or a shot with two or three talent in it. Problem is, to balance that 9' boom with a light hanging on the end of it, I need to use my steel combo stand that is huge and weighs about 35lbs itself, then I need to use an 8lb sandbag up in the air opposite the light on the boom as a counterweight and you can see where this all going. Big, heavy, time-consuming = old school. New school = small, light and quick to setup.

I am all about the new school these days. LEDs, small light grip gear, rigging in more clever, space saving and quick ways. There are about ten methods for hanging up a backlight/rim light and a boom is fine when you have crew and time but if you are with a small crew and little time, you have to think really creatively and figure out different ways to get a light up there quickly and painlessly.

Dan

Since B&H has changed some info, here's a direct link to the stand I linked early in the thread, the Bogen Convertible Boom Stand (aluminum) for $122.50:
Bogen / Manfrotto | 420NSB Convertible Boom Stand - | 420NSB (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/513014-REG/Bogen_Manfrotto_420NSB_420NSB_Convertible_Boom_Stand.html#specifications)

It weighs 6 lbs. and can be used as a boom or just a light stand. If using it as a boom you can still put a clamp on the main riser for a background or side light.

For people doing lots of interviews with similar setups, this is a very convenient stand. The boom will carry a small hair light or a small soft box.

For a counterweight there is usually some equipment or case that can double, so it's not necessary to carry a weight. Obviously, this needs to be worked out in advance. There are also bag counterweights that can be filled with rocks, sand or water.

Bogen also makes the same stand with a steel base. It holds more weight, it it also weighs 3 times as much (18.5 lbs.):
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/162697-REG/Bogen_Manfrotto_420CSUNS_Boom_Stand_Convertible_with.html#specifications

The Manfrotto 420B does fill a nice sweet spot for cost and use. It comes with a reversible 5/8" stud that allows for 1/4"-20 or 3/8" threading so you can hang other items as well, such as a shockmount with microphones. Here's a quick demo we through together on Vimeo (http://vimeo.com/1958315).