I'm looking for a interview lighting kit for documentary work, something that is durable and easy to travel with, quick to set up and break down. I'm assuming 3 lights would be the norm, though I've seen 2-light kits, coupled with a reflector perhaps?

No specific budget, just looking for the best hardware for these needs.
Would love to hear your suggestions.

Thank you.

Sounds like an LED package would suit your needs best. The better 1x1 panels can be battery powered, there are bi-color options and even LED fresnels. Prices are steep for the good units, but you'll have better color rendition and matching should you go with a reputable manufacturer.

Have you checked out Doug Jensen's DVD tutorials on interview lighting?
How to Set up and Shoot Awesome Interviews with LED Lights (http://www.warmcards.com/DVD_LEDDVD.html)

He explains his 'conversion' to an all LED kit, and shares interview setup techniques.

Paul...have you investigated LED lighting solution? I just invested in a five (5) light interview lighting kit based on the recommendations of a very knowledgeable working professional. Warning! They are not cheap.

However, when you think about the ease and time for set-up, the ability to power everything from batteries, no heat, no cool-down, energy savings from much lower power requirements, no repetitive maintenance and replacement of expensive bulbs, and an advertised life-span of 50K + hours. What's not to like?

Regards,

J.

Oren...you beat me to the punch. Heh, heh!

J.

You will still need light stands for whichever route you take.

Paul...I would also recommend Doug Jensen's LED lighting DVD. I took a "Corporate Video" Workshop in August '2012 and used Doug Jensen's Lite Panels LED kit during the Workshop. It was the main reason I purchased the lighting kit I have now.

Mr. McPherson...yes, you still need stands.


Best regards,

J.

I've used LED's before in a traditional 3-point set up, and I was very happy with the result. I worry about taking those same lights on the plane however. They are too large to carry-on, so they will need to be checked, and checking them leads to unknown damage risks, so I need something that is fairly compact so I can afford to check the lights and stands all in one bag/case and something that will get there in one piece.

The stands will be harder to stow on-board than the lights.There are compact light stands you could carry onboard, so long as you don't mind a relatively short maximum height.

If heat/power isn't an issue, then you can opt for small Lowel lights and various modifiers as portable options. The Prolight is very versatile and packs a punch, but you'll need a softbox, umbrella or diffuser to soften it.

If you're worried about damage to your light stands, then I suggest a hard-shell rolling golf bag. In a pinch, you can get a tripod, 3 or 4 light stands, and power cords in there.

For quick setup and getting a good look for interviews it's really hard to beat a couple of Lowel Rifa's supplemented with a couple of Pros for a kicker or hair light. I use to have an eX 88 and a 66. They literally set up quicker than any other light I've used and are very compact and light. Now that I do projects that mostly require hard lights I no longer have them but sometimes when I need to do a quick interview setup I do miss them.

There are several ways to light any scene so this is just another way to go.

One of the things we have discovered is that while we love the size, durability, and portability of LED lighting we get a much more pleasing light from our softbox lighting kit using 5500k large CFL bulbs.

The CFL bulbs are a pain in the butt to transport as I am constantly worrying about them breaking but so far have never had an issue.

We still use our LED on camera lighting for wedding receptions and other run and gun situations but if we are doing event videography such as lectures we use our soft boxes with the CFL bulbs.

If you search you can find the technical reasons LED lights are not as pleasing as tungsten or CFL's (light spectrum, green spike, etc, etc).

I know that the quality of LED lighting is evolving and someday I am sure I will invest in some 500 and 1,000 bulb LED fixtures.

I'd go with Lowel Rifa lights or Lowel Pro lights with small soft boxes. Both are pretty cheap and very compact.

A very interesting option at the moment is the Lupolux LED Fresnels: Lupolux (http://www.lupolux.com)

Light quality looks very nice, and you get the benefits of both LEDs (low power needs, low heat, easily dimmable) and Fresnels (controllable output).

I just wish there was some more info out there in the way of hands-on reviews.

Alright, bringing this one back to life.

I've been experimenting with LED panels, but I'm having a hard time with how harsh the light is.
I know a few people have said buy doug jensen's tutorial. But I've purchased several of these video tutorials in the past, and would rather just hear it from the user!

My question is, how do you get soft light from LEDs? I've experimented putting soft boxes or diffusion material in front of the LEDs, but it's still pretty harsh and not as soft as a large soft box. Do you simply not get super soft light from LEDs, and deal with that because of the advantages of the units? Or is there a trick that I don't know about?

In short, the bigger the light source, the softer it will be. If you're dealing with small/harsh looking fixtures, get a pop-up 5 in 1 reflector/diffuser and mount it between your light source and talent (ideally, as close to talent as possible). Try to fill the diffuser with light, making it appear like one giant light. Blammo! Instant soft light.
Spill will be more of an issue than using a softbox, but it's a cheap solution. Be aware, this requires a reflector holding arm, boom arm or similar to position the diffuser properly. Not ideal for traveling light, so weigh this against your alternatives.

I have used led lights that by themselves are harsh not only for the talent's eyes but also the overall look is contrasty. My solution was to use the smallest tripod that extends out to 5 feet in height and colapses to just under 18 inches. Then I put a small 18 inch diameter umbrella, either a silvered finish ( reflects more light than the white one) or the white surfaced one. Yes, I lose a bit of light output, but with today's cameras sensitivity and the close proximity of the lights to the talent( about 10 feet), I never had any problems. All my led lights are battery powered with the option of AC power ( which I never use). The 3 lights, 2 tripods ( 1 tiny one also for hair light) and 2 umbrellas including 3 chargers 6 batteries and 3 AC adapters, all fit in a carry-on and weighs less than 25 lbs. including the case. It takes me 2 minutes to set up. There are times that you may want a different look other than very soft lighting for dramatic effects that a large softbox cannot do. Everything being bathed in soft light will tend to have a "flat" overall look, similar to an overcast day effect. Placing the lights with different amount of diffusion will generally be best for documentary/interview work.Led units freed me from extension cables, looking for outlets and not worrying about lamp breakage and heat issues. If I were tu use large softboxes, them my tripods would have to be much more sturdier and heavier as well as larger which negates the use of carry-ons.

After reading Arthur's last post where he mentioned the use of an umbrella/silver side, I was just wondering if by any chance the reflective surface (silver in this case) would have any effect on negating some of the color spikes in LEDs, specifically the green spike?

I know this is probably wishful thinking but I'm groping at straws to find an easy way to deal with the un-wanted color spikes up front rather than deal with them later. I've tried gelling the LEDs and this helps, but some of the green still gets through.

For info, I'm using Cool Light CL-LeD600 Dimmables CL-LED600 600 LED Panel Dimmable - Cool Lights USA (http://www.coollights.biz/clled600-panel-dimmable-p-114.html?osCsid=88018eb0da5e5a0914504b6df9c1f65f) (but I don't take them on a plane).

I suspect the reflector would make no more difference than the gel but I thought I'd ask anyway.

Hi. I have read with great interest your views on lighting and wonder if you could advise me on my own lighting problem. I am new to this whole game so any tips would be greatly appreciated. I am setting up a studio for video interview and have purchased an economy three light setup with softboxes. There seams to be plenty of controllable light, which I am sure will fit my purpose but the problem is with the hair light - I simply do not have enough headroom to keep the soft box out of shot. Reading through the forums I am realizing that this is a bit of a science and am worried about mixing different lights. Thanks in advance. Steve

"but the problem is with the hair light - I simply do not have enough headroom to keep the soft box out of shot"
Are you using a softbox for a hairlight? How many persons are in the interview ?
I usually use a narrowish beam or spotlight that is either hidden behind the talent or placed somewhere at a distance out of view, The trick is a narrow beam just for 1 person interview, unless you have several, then it's another matter.

Hi Arthur
Thanks for your reply. In my studio situation, it will only ever be one person, possibly demonstrating a product and almost certainly - they will be moving around - although this will be in a predictable and controllable manner. I was kind of liking the sound of your suggestion, with a narrow beam for the hair light, but now that I have given you more detail I am thinking I may have changed your view? What I imagine that I need is a large area of diffused, soft lighrt directly above the tallent and very close to the ceiling. I suppose a reflecter would be just too simple?

Steve - Ah-Ha! Since it is YOUR studio the solution is simple. Buy a large cheap mirror (used?) and screw it to the ceiling and just bounce the light off the mirror!

If the hair light is a spot this could be a work-around.

I can imagine a setup like a TV cooking show where the cook moves around the confines of a small kitchen showing in detail the food as it is being prepared. If I am correct in that assumption then perhaps a large area evenly lit will be required. Same lighting as a product demonstration involving cooking appliances, small movements in a predetermined area. No need to adjust the lighting once it is set in place. Perhaps the overhead softbox is not needed after all, but 2 large ones at 45 degrees towards the set and placed close enough and slightly elevated as to not be in the frame. I have seen large ones being almost 6ft. in height.

Steve - Ah-Ha! Since it is YOUR studio the solution is simple. Buy a large cheap mirror (used?) and screw it to the ceiling and just bounce the light off the mirror!

If the hair light is a spot this could be a work-around.

Hello John. Many thaks for this seemingly brilliant solution to my lighting problem which makes sense to me and is something I can see some experimenting with. Now here's a new problem - not quite sure how to tell the wife about the "mirror on the ceiling" thing! Could prove interesting!! Keep you posted - Cheers Steve

I can imagine a setup like a TV cooking show where the cook moves around the confines of a small kitchen showing in detail the food as it is being prepared. If I am correct in that assumption then perhaps a large area evenly lit will be required. Same lighting as a product demonstration involving cooking appliances, small movements in a predetermined area. No need to adjust the lighting once it is set in place. Perhaps the overhead softbox is not needed after all, but 2 large ones at 45 degrees towards the set and placed close enough and slightly elevated as to not be in the frame. I have seen large ones being almost 6ft. in height.

Hello Arthur
I think your vision of my studio setup is very close to the mark. Can you imagine how "under the moon" I was when it dawned on me that my room wasn't high enough? So many thanks to you guys for showing a complete novice that there is always a workaround. It has been a real boost talking to you and to my confidence also. I will be trying the lighting setup as you suggest and who knows - I may try my own version as well. Thanks again - Steve

Ahhhhhhhh....Necessity is the mother of invention !!
Keep us posted on how you make out.

Getting back to the original post. I recently had a job involving 16 interviews in 3 different states over 4 days, each location mostly involved walking between shoots.

This was all solo work with a 30 minute set-up, so having an easy, quick lighting setup was crucial (hair lights... forget it). Much of my work (non-broadcast) does involve filming in reception areas, boardrooms etc. with inexperienced talent AND client so I had no hesitation in looking at a LED solution.

So I bought 2 "312 LED Dimmable" lights off ebay, reckoning that you need at leads 500 LEDS (maybe a redhead equivalent ) to illuminate the subject. These lights can be assembled together. I also had a small light-weight stand. The second purchase was a Photoflex liteDome XS which with a bit of modification and a bit of gaffer tape allowed me to soften the light to a decent level, I also used 2 or 3 LED 120's as fill and to light the backgound when necessary.

All the lights, stands and other stuff I did not use was packed into a Sony Camera bag, All up 3 bags including Tripod and a Camera backpack. Next time I will get it down to 2. Yes I would love a litepanels fresnel and a reflector but I'm waiting for the Chinese to come to the party. Will I post the videos to vimeo... No. Was the client happy.. Yes.

Neil, I hear you on that. I've shot some stuff with cheaper LEDs before, simply because I needed lighting. Right now I have a very important personal project that I need broadcast quality lighting for, so I probably won't be using any of my ephoto stuff.

Paul, take a look at the Litepanels Sola ENG Kit with 3 lights, stands in a travel pelican case.

Hey Steve!

Hello John. Many thaks for this seemingly brilliant solution to my lighting problem which makes sense to me and is something I can see some experimenting with. Now here's a new problem - not quite sure how to tell the wife about the "mirror on the ceiling" thing! Could prove interesting!! Keep you posted - Cheers Steve

I feel your concern. Realize this is a really tough and dicey situation and you have to be REALLY CAREFUL how you go about it with your significant other. Video, audio, lighting, and editing is not easy but it is something that with a lot of work and experience one can improve upon. Having said that, Women, on the other hand, constantly represent new territory and a whole new ball game. Now here is another thought:

Forget saving money and buying A used mirror for the ceiling. Instead, now this is going to cost more but it will save a ton of money and frustration in the long term, go and buy TWO New mirrors, both the same size. You don't want to be accused of playing favorites and give your studio a larger mirror! Nor do you want to have to explain why you installed a smaller mirror on the studio ceiling!

Go ahead an install the studio mirror and keep the second one off to the side but handy as though you would be getting around to it. If the S-O then makes a comment about being a second-class person, or comments about how the studio always gets the good stuff, or that she's always neglected, then brake out the second mirror and explain you've really been running ragged getting work done (so you can take care of her) and then discuss how she'd like it installed.

Disclaimer: I'm no psychologist and this aspect breaks (somewhat) new ground so please proceed at your own risk. However, having said that, I do have a lot of experience dealing with the she-sex, and not always with a positive outcome! Good Luck (you might need it).

One positive thought: The worst case scenario is you'll always have your studio to go back to.

John

I like your thinking - it might just work. I am quite fortunate in that my "SO" is very understanding... As I keep telling her - she is the best wife I've had so far. I will definitely keep you informed and have already moved supplies into the studio.