Is practical lighting enough?

Huntress · March 15, 2004

When shooting on DV, do you need to use "movie lights" to achieve a polished-looking lighting scheme, or can you make do with consumer lights such as you might find in a hardware store (spotlights, floodlights, Chinese lanterns, et al) outfitted with practical bulbs? I'm not going for a highkey look, if that makes a difference.

Michael Nash · March 15, 2004

That all depends on your definition of "polished looking."

Most DV cameras are capable of capturing an adequate exposure in a variety of light levels, so there's little problem there. The concern becomes making the light LOOK the way you want it to. For one thing, DV cameras can't handle highlights very well and practical sources tend to clip or burn out pretty quickly. So you usually end up wanting to supplement thew light giev off by practical, so that you can reduce the contrast enough for the camera to capture smooth image.

But the major concern, whether it's DV or film, is shaping the light to look the way you want it to -- and KEEPING IT that way throughout the scene. You might have adequate light to shoot by, but it may be the wrong mood or tone for the scene, or it may not shape the character's face the right way. Lighting becomes about shaping and controlling the light, not just getting an image.

You can certainly make do with hardware store lights and other homemade materials. Do a search of this site and you'll find lots of suggestions. Also you'll want to flag, color and scrim the light to make it behave the way you want. Try to wrangle up some c-stands or even ordinary light stands that you can clip flags onto. On a zero bugdget you can make flags out of cardboard, as long as you keep enough distance from the lights so they don't burn. Blackwrap is also good, as it's more heat resistant.

Alvin Pingol · March 16, 2004

Mr. Nash is right. You can certainly make do with "DIY lighting kits," but the challenge is that working with them is more difficult than if you worked with a real kit.

a) DIY kits don't have cases where all the lights/stands/bulbs/gels/frames/etc. snugly fit into for easy transportation. You sort of have to lug em around in a giant duffel bag.

b) Creating flags and scrims and other beam modifiers that will attach correctly to the lights/stands can be difficult.

c) Aesthetically, the kit won't look good. Simple as that.

When you look at the cost of things, you can easily get 5000w of various lights from the local hardware store at a fraction of the cost of a 500w professional lighting kit, but the time, money, and difficulty of getting your DIY kit to function like a pro kit may, simply, not be worth it.

Huntress · March 16, 2004

What I meant by a "polished" look is "reasonably professional"... it doesn't look like something shot by an amateur in someone's backyard.

It sounds like I can, though. I have a lot more time and creativity than I do money, and hey, challenges bring out the best in us, right? ;-) So thanks, guys.

Malinko · March 16, 2004

Heh, yeah, creativity over money.. Money is your friend.

If you want it to look professional I suggest buying a simple lighting kit. I wouldnt use any practicals because they probably dont have the appropriate color temperture. I wouldnt use back light in this situation either. Be sure you have continuity. Control the dispertion and angle of the light. Beware of hard light with a video camera. I really dont know what you are shooting. Wish I could help more.

D_Begin · March 16, 2004

I used a mix or practicals and DIY Halogens on a DV feature I was working on.

I wish I had a light kit to paint the scenes better and some better soft fills.

Here's what I had available:

3-Chinese Lanterns w/Photo Bulbs

3-Halogen Work Lights w/Dimmers and Coathanger Mod (For diffusion)

1-Open Faced 500W Worklight

3-Cheap-O used stands from BH Photo

The halogen lights, the light oozes into everything. Its a pain in the arse to get the light to fall in any particular way. (Used Cinefoil to manipulate)

Professional, well... Polished, some of the frames look great and others, well...

If time is your friend, then give it a shot, it has the potential to look great. Eventually, you'll want the precision of a rented or bought lighting kit.

Phil Rhodes · March 16, 2004

Hi,

Well, not making it look like it was shot in someone's back yard is the trick, really, isn't it?

It's less to do with equipment and more to do with you. With a little preparation and handiness in the garden shed with some lumber and a saw, you can make up diffusion frames and suchlike which will pretty much normalise the light to a soft source. 500W sun floods into what Americans call grid cloth (white ripstop nylon) work nicely. Really it's less to do with exactly how you create light than it is to do with what you then do with it. Come to think of it, I've created nice backlights with sun floods as well. You can even project cookies with them, but be prepared to flag as they spill all over the place.

Phil

Michael Nash · March 16, 2004

Don't forget bounce lighting also. Those halogen work lights can be bounced into a piece of foamcore or even a white wall. Then it's simply a matter of flagging the spill since the bounce is then the source. Put the whole thing on a dimmer to control the level, or put some ND or diffusion gel on the little safety cage in front of the light. Get the worklights with the really big cage; the gels will last a little longer. Make sure the dimmer can handle the amperage of light -- many tabletop dimmers are rated for 600W, so you should be fine.

Huntress · March 18, 2004

No doubt about it- if I had the cash, we wouldn't even be having this conversation. I'd much prefer to work with a lighting kit designed for filmmaking too, but that isn't in the cards.

I once lit a dark shot in a (very) short film with a flashlight, a Bic lighter, a piece of cardboard covered with tinfoil and a scrap of white linen from an old sheet, and it looked good. I was just wondering if I could shoot a whole feature in a similarly rough-and-ready fashion and have it look OK.

Phil Rhodes · March 18, 2004

Hi,

Sure, you certainly could. I'm not sure about this, and not really experienced enough to say for sure, but I think there's a certain lift you get just from bouncing and cutting light in ways not normally seen around the house - your foil-covered board probably qualifies.

Search this forum, and particularly the older forums at:

http://forums.siteforums.com/~cinematography2003

There's lots of homebuilt lighting ideas there. I'm probably the world's worst offender for this kind of stuff. Obviously, if you use mains lighting equipment, and particularly if you try to rebuild it into anything else, all the usual mains safety precautions apply.

Phil

TJ Williams · March 19, 2004

Yea but can you paint. The brush doesn't make the painter but it may be hard to

paint nicely with really wrong brushes. Maybe it would be good for you to spend some time looking for a really good gaffer with a strong background in carpentry! or their may be folks who will bring in some small light kit as part of working with you.

Peter deWit · March 28, 2004

I'm not sure how often this method is used but in Eyes Wide Shut didn't Kurbirck make use of high wattage practicals? He took ordinary household lighting and simply put higher wattage bulbs in them until he had sufficient light for the scene. Anyone know more about this?

Alvin Pingol · March 30, 2004

I know no specifics about the film, but for high-wattage practicals in general...

Doing what you describe is dangerous, since there is risk of shock when putting bulbs of too high wattages in the sockets, and most obviously, fire risks. A lamphade designed to take heat emitted from a 50W bulb would probably start smoking if a 250W was put in its place.

I think you'd be alright if the lights weren't on for extended periods of time, though, don't quote me on that...

Mitch Gross · March 30, 2004

Kubrick did this on most of his films, but also added additional movie lighting when necessary. It was all part of his vsual style.

I'm constantly amazed at people who don't wish to light their movies. It's generally not about having enough illumination--that's easy. It's really about shaping the light to the look you want. Don't you want your movie to look good?