http://www.nytimes.com/2004/01/08/technology/circuits/08lite.html?th

I heard about white led's last year when I was shopping for a flashlight. If they can ever generate a D56 or D65 white, it will be equivalent to achieving the holy grail in lighting. Never mind the cost, to a movie production. The compactness of the light and its low heat generation will be the selling points. It reminds me of how the flourescent light was introduced to film, in the movie Barfly. Find a niche application, and moviemakers will beat a path to your door.

When you record something in nighttime, is it ever possible to get a good picture without additional or studio lighting? I plan to shoot some scenes for a short movie outside in the nighttime, and the only lights are those of the the outside lights either on buildings or on poles and I want to get at least a not-too-grainy picture... I have a GL2, and I suppose it isn't too good for lowlighting compared to the Sony's VX2k1..

Unfortunately, you are out of luck in most cases.

Nobody shoots serious, other than documentary footage without additional lights when outside at night with insufficient light. What you have described very probably falls in the insufficient category.

All you can do is expose for faces and they are probably going to be grainy and maybe off-color depending on the light source.

I want to mount a Chimera on camera softbox (with Frezzi dimmer mini-fill) on a Bogen BO3085 boom arm. Can someone recommend a good quality bracket that would enable me to have some flexibility in positioning the softbox? I want this setup so I can get the softbox very close to the subject, and I would like to be able to tilt it anydirection. I would also like the light and softbox to be perpendicular to the pole. Is a hanging C-clamp the way to go here? The mount on the speed ring seems to screw pretty firmly onto the regular pole mount on my Bogen 3086 pole. What is that 3/8" of 5/8"? I can't seem to find any literature that tells me, or what the Frezzi mount is either. It is designed for a smaller post, still seems to work on the Bogen stand.

a standerd Bogen Umbrella clamp will get you all hooked up.

2905 I think

about $20

Just the thing, thanks.

Has anyone used these heads?

They look as a reasonable alternative to Lowel DP light heads, which also take different lamps and are my first choice for now for a versatile open quartz.

Any opinions for or against?


Carlos

Hey y'all,
I'm using the agdvx100 for documentary in the 24p mode. But it eats up light like a sixteen year old at a buffet. So I'm looking at lights, but alas, they are so expensive.

Here's my questions:
I want a xlr connectable light with a dimmer, it would seem. Can I get away with merely 50 Watts such as with the Bescor MPL-645, 75 watts like the Frezzolini, or do I need the whole 100? I want to be able to do interviews in lit rooms that are regular bright but may need a little extra push and for on location stuff when I can only get away with one or two lights.

Secondly, I've never bought one of these lights before and am debating between several companies: besides bescor, and frezzolini, there's cool lux and lowel. Do people have any warnings or ideas? Are they basically all equally good quality-wise?

Lastly, has anyone tried that new cool lux thing that is both soft light and hard light? The sl3000, is it all that or a cheap piece of junk?

I've been reading all the right videography books and asking professional videographers at my school equipment questions and there answers have been less than asatisfying, please help.
Thanks, Sam.

Ok, pretty new to lighting. Picked up a copy of John Jackman's lighting for digital video and telelvision, read it cover to cover.

I have the impression that back light should be high up and either directed at the back of the actors or at the wall itself, seperating the two from each other. If there are no light on the sealing which can be aimed, and you don't want to have a tall light stand in the frame, how can this be achieved?

A lamp in the background illuminates both the wall and the back of the person equally - is this sufficient?

Ali,
There are no hard rules when it comes to lighting. Your eyes determine what's "right" in any situation.

The 3-point lighting configuration was derived principally from still portraiture methods. That back light, sometimes called a "hair light" or "rim light", is indeed normally placed high and is aimed at the subject's back. The goal is to cast a rim of highlight around the subject's head and shoulders. This is intended to have a defining effect and to help to visually separate the subject from the background.

A background light is normally a separate instrument dedicated to dropping lower-level light onto a background surface. Background lights are often placed nearly parallel to the background surface such that they skim it. They are also often little more than scrimmed-down spotlights (fresnels) that cast dollops of light on something(s) interesting in the background.

Again, though, your eye and the specific scene need to determine what looks right to you. Learn, but don't be a slave to, dogma where lighting is concerned.

I hope this is helpful.

Depending on the look you want, it may be possible to have the hairlight just to the side of the frame, avoiding shooting the stand. Or you can get a boom stand--Manfrotto makes a decently priced one.

<<<-- Originally posted by Sam Trobot : Hey y'all,
I'm using the agdvx100 for documentary in the 24p mode. But it eats up light like a sixteen year old at a buffet. So I'm looking at lights, but alas, they are so expensive. >>>

Cheap home depot work lights aren't that expensive. Real lights with
pro quality are very expensive. There are reasons.

What to buy? It ALL depends on what you want to accomplish and
the level you would like to attain.

<<I want to be able to do interviews in lit rooms that are regular bright but may need a little extra push and for on location stuff when I can only get away with one or two lights.>>

On location? Outside . . . inside? There's a world of difference.
Outside you need either very powerful halogen (~3200 degree color temp)
with "booster blue" gel to bump the color temp up to daylight (5600 degrees)
or HMIs. HMI's are the best by far for this application, but way beyond the
normal human's budget.

Inside lighting is easier when using today's DV camcorders, because of
their low light abilities. You don't need as much power. However,
depending on what you want to accomplish. A good kit of lights
(I'd recommend a couple of soft boxes like the Lowel RIFA 88s)
and a Fresnel or two would be a good _start_. Altman makes
some nice durable fresnels of various sizes. Arri and Desisti make
great but pricey stuff. There are TONs of posts about all flavors
somewhere in this site.

A 25, 50 or 100 watt "on camera" light works well for close up interviews
*inside*, but won't win you any awards. You'll get a "live at 5" news
gathering look. So, it depends on what level you are going for.

<<<Secondly, I've never bought one of these lights before and am debating between several companies: besides bescor, and frezzolini, there's cool lux and lowel. Do people have any warnings or ideas? Are they basically all equally good quality-wise? >>>

At NAB a few years ago I scored one of the Cool Lux U3s. It works and
does the job for close up, "the light is in your face" videos. I think some
of the others you mention are brighter and may do a better job of
covering a larger area (like a wedding dance etc.)

I have no experience with that other cool lux you mention.

I've been working on a bmx movie and i've found that recentely we've been going out at night to shoot/ride.

what i was wondering about was if there were any cheap, portable lights i could take around with me that i wouldn't have to put on my camera.

Power is going to be your biggest problem. I've shot snowboarding at night using work lights which worked well but we had a portable generator we borrowed from a carpenter mate.

Anyone know why http://www.matthewsgrip.com/ is no longer online? Did they go belly up?

I was thinking about investing in a Road Rags kit, but if they're out of business....

Hi John,
Try http://www.msegrip.com
Best,
Helen
PS I'll do my best to keep them in business!

Thanks, Helen!

Nice new web site, too.

I am in the market for a basic light kit to use for lighting a standard portrait setup for interviews, both in studio and on location, and also to use as fill lights on location jobs.

I have seen some kits with combinations of 500 Watt or 300 W lights, but isn't this too much light for my need?

What about the Dedolight's, they have only 150 Watts and comes with a built in dimmer. And they are very compact and lightweight.

Which system (type/watts) can you recommend ?

If you want open face lights you might look at Redheads. I think they're made by Ianirio (not sure about the spellling). They take up to 1000 watt lamps.
You can also get a nice 3-light set from Arri or Mole-Richardson. I'd say two 650s and a 300 would be nice. You can get smaller lamps for the 650s--I have a set of 5 Altman fresnels and use mostly 500 watt lamps in them. Lowel also makes a compact set of 3 Omni lights, in a case with stands and barn doors and scrims. Omnis go up to 600 watt. I use 450s in mine. You can also get 200 watt DC lamps and run one off a cigaret lighter in a car.
I think 150watt lights would be too little for normal 3-point lighting, except maybe for a backlight.

'lo

This my first post, but it's something I've been thinking about for a while...

Filming DV indoors often looks bad against white walls - what's the best way of dealing with this irksome problem? Coloured gels on backlighting? Painting the walls a neutral shade?

Which strategies have proved the most successful with the film-makers on this board?

Any help would be appreciated...tia.

-Mike D-

Welcome Mike!

Well I'm sure that you'll get many ideas in response.

Indeed, a white background, such as a wall, looks pretty flat and dull if it's not treated in some way. I guess the first suggestion I'll offer is to try not to shoot in front of a blank white wall.

But if that's not possible you'll want to work towards visually pulling your subject off of that wall. Use a rim light on your subject. Try to provide generous separation between the subject and the wall. Use a patterned gobo with a background light to project some soft pattern across the wall, with or without a colored gel.

Hi all

In the market for a video light and from looking at some of the posts here I have decided that a Sony model might be the best option for me as I also own a TRV22 and I can use it's batteries to power the light when using my XL1s.

The model I was going for was the HVL20DW2.CE7 but I also noticed a HVL20DM.CE7. They both "look" identical and are the same price.

Can anybody tell me what the difference is between these lights and why I should choose one over the other?

Thanks so much...
Donie

Ok, I think I figured it out, the HVL20DM.CE7 (http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00005K4O3/ref=pd_ecc_rvi_1/202-9681566-1732602) light can be powered by the M-Series batteries which my Sony uses. I have a NP-QM91 battery for that.

It also says on amazon.co.uk that the light is for camcorders not equipped with Accessory Shoe. I guess the Sony hot shoe would not be compatible with the Canon hot-shoe? Is that correct? So I presume this is the light that would suit the Xl1s?

The other light, the HVL20DW2.CE7 (http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00005K4LJ/ref=pd_rhf_p_1/202-9681566-1732602) is powered by the L-Series batteries so I guess they are not compatible with my battery? Plus, they are compatible with the Sony hot-shoe.

Thanks in advance for any other input.
Donie

We're shooting in a room with removable acoustic tiles set in a metal grid like they have in offices and I want to hang a smallish fresnel using a ceiling scissors clamp. Can anyone tell me how much weight those things can support? I'm looking at hanging a 300W or 650W Arri. The 300W weighs 6.5 lbs and the 650W weighs 7.2 lbs. Is that too much weight?

Marco,

As I'm writing this, I'm looking at an Arri 650 light hanging from the ceiling in the office in which I work. There are 4 lights hanging from our ceiling grid here, 2 of them on downrods. If the grid was hung properly, you should have no problem.

Bill

Cool. Thanks.

Nice little french flags with clamp, stud or shoe mounts with 3 lengths to choose from.

www.ezprompter.com

Hi there,

I'm trying to get a basic lighting kit and I'm in auckland , NZ. Anyone know where to go, or if i order online which lights accept dual voltage?

Thanks in advance

Save your money. www.flarebuster.com
Starting at around 20 bucks.

Wayne Orr

I agree with Wayne. I've had a Flare Buster (http://www.flarebuster.com/) for a couple of years. Very light, very compact, very versatile, very inexpensive.

Ok i just got a couple LTM 100 peppers. Now the two lightstands I'm looking at are the Manfrotto 001 Nano stand or an import stand called WF (wei Fang) i believe. Anyone had any experiences with either?

Ive got three Manfrotto 156 stands for my LTM 300's. They seem to work fine for these though probably a bit lightweight if you wanted to fit something larger later on.

I currently use a GL2 and am considering purchase of a VX2100 as a second cam. I currently use a shotgun mic (Azden) mounted to the onboard shoe on the GL2.

I am also ready to invest in a lighting system. Problem is, my shoe is already taken by the mic. What can I do to mount BOTH a high quality mic AND a light to these cameras? Does someone make some sort of split-shoe or double shoe adaptor?

I'm not worried about power, just the physical mounting of the hardware.

This setup will be used mainly for weddings, and it must look professional (not some duct-taped basement built rig that I could set up myself).

This problem alone is almost justification enough to purchase a shoulder-brick style cam. ?!??!

Thanks!

Kevin:

BH has these, they are adapters for the hot shoe that gives you a dual mount (or even tri mount) out of the hot shoe. They run about 25-35 I think, and cool lux is one of the makers I beleive...you even get to buy from a sponser :)

M

Looking for a decent 'micro' set up to add a JTL softbox to perhaps.

Anyone have any experience with this?

I've heard Lowell stands suck, but noticed that the kit comes with Impact stands-are they any better or worse?

I wonder if dimmers can be addded?

Thanks all-

Jeff

There's a great article in this month's issue detailing how to put together an inexpensive, highly compact lighting kit. The whole thing, and there's a LOT of stuff, fits into a 3 foot case. I was surprised at how much Lowel gear this guy has. He also has hardware store flourescents and an ingenious way to clamp them to the stands. It's interesting to see what he does spend money on -- Manfrotto stands and Chimera softboxes. It confirms what I've suspected for a while. If you are going to make do with inexpensive lights, at least get decent stands and softboxes. Using worklights is one thing, but why anybody would want to make a stand out of a two-by-four and a pickle bucket full of cement is beyond me. Anyway, he also mentions putting 200 w lamps in his 100 w Pepper fresnels. I didn't know you could do that. I don't think the article's online yet, but they'll probably put it up some time this month.

1) When using the "Home Depot" lights, such as a 500-watt quartz halogen floodlight, what color do these come across as? Without having used them before, they look somewhat white to me, but are they still basically yellow in nature (as opposed to daylight blue)?

2) How to you determine the lighting potential of a compact fluroscent floodlight. I have a concept of how much light a 650-watt quartz light will give me, but I've seen people using 'tiny' 2x13-watt compact fluroscent floodlights for fill, background lighting, etc. Will the footcandle/lux rating tell the whole story?

Thanks.
--Craig

I'm using two 250w Home Depot work lights, and they seem to mix seamlessly with the 300w lamp in my Tota. I'm just using the lamps that came with the worklights too.

Whereas 'normal' quartz tungsten halogen lamps intended for photography have a colour temperature of around 3200K, there is another breed of tubular-shaped lamp designed for floodlighting/security applications.

It's been a few years since I used them but I seem to remember these lamps were more like 2900K, so the light looked a bit warmer by comparison. By way of compensation, these lamps had a much longer life.

I noticed that in at least some of these floodlighting lamps, the glass envelope was milky in appearance, and sometimes slightly pinkish.

Hope this is helpful

Al

really.. what kind of stands are you talking about.

Lets put it this way.. What kind of stand do you want.?

What are you trying to do friend?

I plan on making a couple Griff Lights (I think that's right) this week and see how they do.

I read that article too and it is a superb example of a road kit
that was put together using years of actual experience.
I don't know if I could ever carry as much in as small a package,
but it let's you know what is actually possible.

A must read IMO.

I have an Actiondome with a speedring designed for a Deedo. It's too small an opening for my Varilux, but I've gotten by with velcro. Would anyone have a more permanent adapter-type solution from a hardware store? I'm not mechanical minded, but I think I can follow instructions. :)

Their setup (at least the one I bought) allowed me to mount the dome and the varilight pro together onto the camera. Didn't come with a ring.

I am looking to purchase an on-camera light for my XL1s and GL1. I like what Frezzi has to offer (eventhough expensive, I feel you get what you pay for) but am looking for opinions on other brands. I feel the dimmer option is a must and I will be shooting weddings (when allowed to use lifgting) and sporting events. The big question though is what batteries. I want to be able to get two - three hours of lighting per event and it looks like a battery belt is the only option. Any advice from the seasoned lighting guru's would be very helpful.

Thanks

Gary

This issue of DV features an article by Walter Graff on assembling a low-cost/highly mobile lighting kit that fits into a single (large) Kata bag. Well worth the read, particularly if you are a runner an' gunner.

At this writing the article is not yet on the DV.com site. There is generally a month delay.

Spend the money and get a HMI light. A NP-1B battery is said to run the Frezzi 18 watter for over 3 hours. Makes for a very light battery belt.

I've searched though all these posts and still have a few questions regarding an on camera light for my PD170.

I shoot mostly weddings and a few other events. I feel strongly that I want a dimmable light with barn doors and filters. I'd love to buy the Frezzi Mini or micro but the total cost is prohibitive at the moment.

Have any of you used the NRG VARA-LITE PROF DC LIGHT #NR56001/56001? B&H suggested it as an option. They also suggested the BESCOR SLM-10ATM SLIMLINE 12v BATTERY BELT/REG #BESLM10ATM/SLM10ATM

The NRG is about $100 dollars less expensive than the Frezzi. It's supposed to color balance when dimmed also.

How heavy is this combo? How about the size of the light on the 170.

Have any of you used any of the Bescor lights. They have a couple that are dimmable.

If you have any suggestions on another kit that works well for you I'd like to know that as well.

Thanks
Tony Z
New Genesis Productions