to rent: Lowel or Arri Light kit?

[Mark Suszko]

I’ve said it twenty million times, people shouldn’t exaggerate:-) I use Lowel Omnis and sometimes Totas in daily ENG run-and-gun situations where there is little time to waste standing around, and while they do get hot while turned on, the thin metal of their structure IS an effective radiator and dissipates the heat away most effectively once turned off, such that I can handle the instruments and safely put them away in their case in ten to fifteen minutes. By the time I’ve rolled up my mic and power cords and taken my camera and sticks down, the lights are cool to the touch and ready to box up and go. Hardly time to poach an egg, much less cook meat.

Tell me a Fresnel has a better throw or better quality for shaping a beam, I will stipulate to that. But this claim about heat is kind of silly. They are tungsten sources, guess what, they all generate heat along with light. If anything the more massive glass and metal of the Mole-Richardson retains residual heat longer due to more thermal mass and less outside surface area to radiate it away with. None of it means a thing. You don’t handle hot bulbs bare-handed at home, well, not usually more than once anyway. Wear a glove when adjusting or handling ANY hot luminaires, until they are no longer hot. That part is not rocket science. Its just normal practice.

Did Ross Lowel run over your dog when you were a boy or something, Dennis?:-) Thousands of folks have been using Lowel kits for over a quarter-century, me included. Are we all making some huge mistake?

[Dennis Size]

woof-woof

[Caitlin Miller]

Thanks – I’ve sent an email asking about the wattage.

I’m not 100% confident about the company I’ve hired for crew. Can anyone recommend a company based in NYC?
I need a two-man crew for 3 days on location at a hospital (camera, lighting, sound). We will be shooting everything from operating room footage to brol to interviews. These will be full days. The crew will need their own transportation to the hospital in north Jersey.
I’d like to use a SDX900 – the visual quality is very important.
I’m primarily a video editor, but I do have some directing experience. Since I’ve never had to blindly hire out a crew before, I’d like some advice from someone who has had a good experience with a crew.

Thanks

[John Sharaf]

Caitlin,

There are a million crews in NYC, some of the best and most experienced in the country (except of course for those in L.A. where I live).

Here’s email address for a buddy of mine there named Rodney McMahon, who I used to work with a lot when he lived in L.A.

rodneycam at hotmail dot com

Tell him I referred you.

John Sharaf

[Dan Brockett]

Neither.

https://www.bluesky-web.com/light-kit.htm

Dan

Providing value added material to all of your favorite DVDs

[Dennis Size]

Well Caitlin ….. based on the latest post from Dan Brockett, it appears you’d be foolish not to give Walter Graff a call.

DS

[Dennis Size]

If walter is not available call:

Bruce Colgate
Alliance Video and Post
https://www.alliancevideoandpost.com/
203-325-1190

Unfortunately I suspect your budget won’t allow for quality lighting as provided by THE LIGHTING DESIGN GROUP (https://www.ldg.com), but when your productions grow feel free to call us.

DS

[Julian Williamson]

Hamburgers always taste better cooked over Arris. 🙂

Seriously, I use totas all the time to light up a chimera bag, especially when travelling in “lightweight mode”. But I use Arris or LTM’s when I need a Fresnel. Both have their particular applications, as everyone has mentioned. But I agree with all who recommended some daylight balanced stuff, otherwise you’ll probably be fighting the existing lighting. This is time consuming as well as frustrating. The kino Diva’s are great for this, as are Litepanels 1×1’s. Even homemade rigs using multiple CFL’s can be an immense timesaver.

Good luck,

Julian Williamson
https://www.blueslandfilms.com