Really Really Cheap Lighting Kit

[Rick Wise]

Robert, are you shooting stills? This is a strobe kit.

Rick Wise
director of photography
San Francisco Bay Area
and part-time instructor lighting and camera
grad school, SF Academy of Art University/Film and Video
https://www.RickWiseDP.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rwise
email: Rick@RickWiseDP.com

[Robert Weatherholt]

I’m shooting stills, but primarily video off a Sony hdr fx1.
Thanks again.

[John Sharaf]

Robert,

Although motion picture lights can be used for still photography, strobe lights can not be used for motion picture lighting (except special strobes used for high speed “slow motion” work at high frame rates.

The concept of “really cheap” lighting is kind of an oxymoron, because lights that burn hot can be dangerous both for the operator and the subject. Unlike video cameras, which often become obsolete the minute their unpacked, motion picture lights can often last 20 years or more, so even the most expensive unit is cheap in the long run, being amortized over a long period of time, and furthermore often has a substantial resale even then.

I think the thing to consider with your budget is the starter light of a kit that you’ll build over time, and I think you’re totally correct to look at ebay as a good source for used lighting. I’d recommend a 1K (1000 watt) Mole or Arri open face light as such a starter. It can be used straight on with a little diffusion clipped on the doors (like Lee 216), bounced into a white card or with a Chimera light bank. Later when you’;re ready to expand your kit, add a 650 watt fresnel and then a 300 fresnel. Over time, you might spend a $1000 buying these three used lights and accessories, but you’ll have a safe, worthy kit that will last many years.

JS

[Robert Weatherholt]

Thank you so much, but if I were to just buy one light at a time how would I be able to light using the 3-point technique. Would I just abandon the other two lights? or use some kind of cheap hardware lighting substitute?
Thanks again

[John Sharaf]

Robert,

Now that you mention it, I’d suggest that you start lighting with the one light. Use windows or other sources of natural or existing artificial lights for backlight, set light and fill. There is nothing more “elegant” than single source lighting when done correctly. Just as I recommend that in still photography you start with just a normal lens and add wide and telephoto after you’ve mastered the normal, it is verty liberating to have one light and have to consider how best to use it for each setup. I definitely woulds not advise ant cheap hardware lighting.

JS

[Alan Lloyd]

Bounce cards are nice. Foamcore is cheap. Clips and clamps are affordable.

[Robert Weatherholt]

Thank you guys very very much.

[Rick Wise]

What Alan is referring to is the way you can use one light as the key and a piece of foamcore as the fill, bouncing some of the spilled key light into the shadow side of the face. In fact, this is my preferred talking-head lighting method. I never use a fill light, just bounce the key. The third light in the 3-point lighting system is a back light. That can usually be very low wattage — you want just enough to separate the speaker from the background. Back lights can be tricky. As with all lighting, you have to really look at how the light plays on this person. In the case of a back light, if the person is bald or balding, it’s tough to not get a ugly sheen. See the posts on “Dulling Spray” below. You will want to look at: intensity on the head/hair, intensity on the shoulders, and color. People with some brown or red in their hair usually benefit from a bit of CTO (1/4 or maybe even 1/2) on the back light. Silver haired subjects often benefit from a little bit of blue on the back light. etc.

For now, I like a lot the suggestion you use just one light. At the most get a 4×4 piece of foamcore, a pony clamp, and a cheap light stand to hold the foamcore where you want. (A c-stand is a better gripping option, along with a platypus, but but those cost much more money.) Concentrate first on the look and the color of your key in relation to other lights in the room, whether windows, overheads, or practicals. Play with the 45º rule (place the key 45º from the direction of the speaker’s gaze, away from the camera, and 45º above. Look carefully; with some people with deep-set eyes, 45º is too much; for others with relatively flat faces and eyes that are not deep-set, you need to go further than 45º.)

Rick Wise
director of photography
San Francisco Bay Area
and part-time instructor lighting and camera
grad school, SF Academy of Art University/Film and Video
https://www.RickWiseDP.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rwise
email: Rick@RickWiseDP.com

[Robert Weatherholt]

Okay thank you, so as a good starter, this product

https://www.buy.com/prod/arrilite-1000-tungsten-light/q/loc/111/211120198.html

would be a good idea? then later expand to a smaller 300w fresnel for backlight?

[John Sharaf]

Robert,

Yeah, that’s a good start. Add a 650 and 300 Fresnel later and you’ll have a very tidy, useful kit. Lighting “kit” is like stamp collecting, one piece at a time, only it’s a lot more useful (and fun too). You don’t want a bunch of crappy stuff, but rather a select quiver of quality tools that will last a long time.

Good luck,

JS