Practical lights

Eugene Lehnert · April 17, 2009

Hello-

When setting up lighting on a set how do you keep practical lights from blowing out? Do you merely use low wattage lights or do you use something to knock it down a few stops?

Thanks,

Eugene

Tom Jensen · April 17, 2009

Hello-

When setting up lighting on a set how do you keep practical lights from blowing out? Do you merely use low wattage lights or do you use something to knock it down a few stops?

Thanks,

Eugene

depends on the fixture. Dimmers, ND on the shades, white streaks and tips on headlights. Experiment.

Onno Perdijk · April 17, 2009

Hello Eugene,

I used to work with a gaffer who used to carry a box of dry-coloured-hairspray. He used the blacks to dim the practicals or highlights, or used the red/blue to change the colours. It worked well (except for the smell). It was easy to wipe away when it was to much or not decently enough.

Try and test.

Good luck.

Onno

Adrian Sierkowski · April 17, 2009

Or raising you're lighting level up higher, or smaller wattage bulbs, as mentioned etc etc.

Tom Jensen · April 17, 2009

a piece of black paper tape on the hot spot of the bulb.

Adrian Sierkowski · April 17, 2009

Oh that's a new one for me Tom. Ill have to try it out!

Tom Jensen · April 17, 2009

Oh that's a new one for me Tom. Ill have to try it out!

I can't remember, was that the trick that caught fire or the one that worked?

Adrian Sierkowski · April 17, 2009

I'll let you know ;)

April 20, 2009

A slightly less practical (haha) solution would be to raise the amount of ambient light in the scene and then stop down on your lens. That way you avoid having extreme levels of light and dark causing stuff to be blown out or go under.

This only applies to certain situations however. Usually i would just use a dimmer.

Tom Jensen · April 20, 2009

A slightly less practical (haha) solution would be to raise the amount of ambient light in the scene and then stop down on your lens. That way you avoid having extreme levels of light and dark causing stuff to be blown out or go under.

This only applies to certain situations however. Usually i would just use a dimmer.

The thing you have to remember is that stages get hot fast, even in low light levels. You generally pick or know the stop you will shoot and light around it and it's usually going to be on the wider end of the aperture. Indoors, sets are generally tight or small so you don't want a lot of depth of field because you are usually focusing on a person or a thing so the backgrounds go soft. Raising the ambiance just wouldn't be practical. I'm not saying this is always the case. You may want the background and foreground equally sharp.

Eugene Lehnert · April 20, 2009

Placing the tape on the bulb sounds like a nice solution. It's usually the center hot spots that blow out and the light then tapers off quickly. Thanks. I'll give it all a try next time I shoot.

Chris Pritzlaff · April 20, 2009

I can't remember, was that the trick that caught fire or the one that worked?

We tried that on a shoot once - didn't catch on fire but it definitely melted to the globe

Tom Jensen · April 20, 2009

We tried that on a shoot once - didn't catch on fire but it definitely melted to the globe

What kind of light was it?

Chris Pritzlaff · April 20, 2009

What kind of light was it?

250w 213 G.E

Tom Jensen · April 20, 2009

250w 213 G.E

That's probably why. It's been a while for me so I'm going off a not so sharp memory but if memory serves me correctly I was probably using something between 75-150 watts. 250 watts gets pretty hot. Let that be a lesson. Don't use tape on a 250 watt practical. Unless you're bored of course. Then it's just for entertainment.