Guy Holt

Continued from above. To maximize the number of lights that you can run off your portable generator, I would suggest you run all your HMIs on Power Factor Corrected ballasts. This will not be easy because until recently Power Factor Correction (PFC) has not been readily available in 800 or 1200 Watt HMI ballasts in this country (the EU countries are further along in this respect), and not always available in 2500 and 4000 Watt ballasts. A name brand to ask for is Power-2-Light. Power-2-Light is the only ballast manufacturer to include Power Factor Correction (PFC) as standard in their 800w, 1200w, 2.5kw/4kw electronic ballasts. Formerly only available in the larger ballasts of other manufacturers, this advanced electronics reduces current spikes and harmonics in the power line and contributes to a more economical use of power than typical electronic ballasts. For this reason, Power-2-Light PFC electronic ballasts enable the operation of both larger HMIs, or more smaller HMIs, off of standard wall outlets and portable generators. Power-2-Light PFC ballasts, used in conjunction with a modified Honda EU6500is and a step-down transformer/distro, can go a long ways towards eliminating the need for large diesel generators, or dangerous tie-ins, in many situations. Until the introduction of PFC circuitry in smaller HMI ballasts it was not possible to reliably operate more than a couple 1200W HMIs with non-PFC ballasts on a conventional generator because of the voltage waveform distortion they created. The harmonic noise that magnetic and non-PFC electronic ballasts kick back into the power stream has an adverse effect on the power waveform of conventional generators where it does not on grid power. Normally, when you plug an HMI light into a wall outlet you need not be concerned about current harmonic distortion producing voltage distortions. The impedance of the electrical path from the power plant is so low, the distortion of the original voltage waveform so small (1-3%), and the plant capacity so large, that inherently noisy loads placed upon it will not affect the voltage at the load bus. However, it is an all together different situation when plugging HMIs into conventional portable generators. Given the large sub-transient impedance of conventional portable generators, even a small degree of harmonic noise being fed back into the power stream will result in a distortion of its’ voltage. Add to that, the likely hood that the percentage of the generator’s capacity taken up by non-linear loads (HMI or Kino ballasts) will to be very high given its small size relative to typical lighting loads, and given the increasing prevalence of non-linear light sources (HMI & Kinos) in production. Finally, add that the original supply voltage waveform of a conventional generator is appreciably distorted to begin with, and you have a situation where the return of any harmonic currents by an HMI or Kino ballast will result in significant waveform distortion of the voltage in the distribution system. In the past, the primary factors limiting the use of HMIs on portable generators has been their inefficient use of power and the harmonic noise they throw back into the power stream. The power waveform below left (from my article) is typical of what results from the operation of a 2.5kw non Power Factor Corrected HMI load (electronic ballasts) on a conventional portable generator. The adverse effects of the severe harmonic noise exhibited here, can take the form of overheating and failing equipment, efficiency losses, circuit breaker trips, excessive current on the neutral return, and instability of the generator’s voltage and frequency. For these reasons it has never been possible to reliably operate more than a couple of 1200W HMIs on a conventional 6500W portable gas generator. Harmonic noise of this magnitude can also damage HD digital cinema production equipment, create ground loops, and possibly create radio frequency (RF) interference. The increasing use of personal computers, hard drives, and microprocessor-controlled recording equipment in production has created an unprecedented demand for clean, reliable power on set. For this reason, when your lighting package consists predominantly of non-linear light sources, like HMI and Fluorescent lights, it is important to have power factor correction (PFC) circuitry in the ballasts and operate them on inverter generators. The combination of improved power factor and the nearly pure power waveform of inverter generators makes it possible to power larger lights, or more smaller lights, than has been possible before on a small portable gas generator. For example, the power waveform above on the right, is the same 2500W load but with power factor correction operating on our modified Honda EU6500is Inverter Generator. As you can see, the difference between the resulting waveforms is startling. Even though the load is the same, the fact that it is power factor corrected and the power is being generated by an inverter generator, results in virtually no power waveform distortion. For this reason, sensitive electronic production equipment will operate reliably and without damage. And, the generator is capable of operating larger, or more smaller, lights than has ever been possible before on a portable gas generator. For example, the substantial reduction in line noise that results from using power factor corrected ballasts on the nearly pure power waveform of an inverter generator creates a new math when it comes to calculating the load you can put on a generator. In the past we had to de-rate portable gas generators because of the inherent short comings of conventional generators with AVR and Frequency governing systems when dealing with non-PFC electronic ballasts. The harmonic distortion created by non-PFC ballasts reacting poorly with the distorted power waveform of conventional generators limited the number of HMIs you could power on a portable generator to 60% of their rated capacity (4200Watts on a 6500W Generator). But now, where inverter generators have virtually no inherent harmonic distortion or sub-transient impedance and power factor correction (PFC) is available in small HMI ballasts, this conventional wisdom regarding portable gas generators no longer holds true. Where before you could not operate more than a couple 1200W HMIs with non-PFC ballasts on a conventional generator because of the consequent harmonic distortion, now according to the new math of low line noise, you can load an inverter generator to 100% capacity. And if the generator is our modified EU6500is inverter generator, you will be able to run a continuous load of up to 7500W on it with our 60A Full Power Transformer/Distro as long as your HMI and Kino ballasts are Power Factor Corrected. According to this new math, when you add up the incremental savings in power to be gained by using only PFC HMI ballasts, add to it energy efficient sources like the Kino Flo Parabeam fixtures, and combine it with the pure waveform of inverter generators, you can run more HMI lights on a portable gas generator than has been possible before. For example, the 7500W capacity of our modified Honda EU6500is Inverter Generator can power a lighting package that consists of a PFC 2.5kw HMI Par, PFC 1200, & 800 HMI Pars, a couple of Kino Flo ParaBeam 400s, a couple of ParaBeam 200s, and a Flat Head 80. Given the light sensitivity of HD cameras, this is pretty much all the light your will need to light both the forground and deep background of you night exteriors. (For more details on how this is accomplished I suggest you read my newsletter article on the use of portable generators in motion picture production. The article is available at www.screenlightandgrip.com/html/emailnewsletter_generators.html. ) Guy Holt, Gaffer, ScreenLight & Grip, Boston

Continued from above. Where you are shooting dramatic shorts, it’s likely you will be shooting outdoors at night and will need some HMIs to light the deep background and edge your actors with moonlight. I am recommending that you create a moonlight edge with HMIs, rather than a tungsten edge, because HMIs will cover a lot more area given their high output (lumens/watt). To light deep background on night exterior sets, I would recommend that you rent one of the dual wattage (2.5/4kw) HMI Pars. Not only will the Par configuration give you more output but it will also be more versatile. When you need a lot of light for fill on day exteriors you can lamp it with a 4k globe. When you don’t need the punch of a 4k Par, like on this night exterior, you can swap the 4kw globe for a 2.5kw globe giving you more power to run additional lights on your portable generator. The 15 Amps you save by burning the smaller 2500W globe will power quite a few more lights when you consider that a Kino Flo Parabeam 400 uses only 2 Amps. For example, it is possible to power a lighting package that consists of PFC 1200, & 800 HMI Pars, a couple of Kino Flo ParaBeam 400s, a couple of ParaBeam 200s, and a Flat Head 80, in addition to a PFC 2.5kw HMI Par off of our modified Honda EU6500is Generator. Given the light sensitivity of the HD cameras, this is just about all the light you need to light both the deep background and action area of your night exterior. The new Mole Richardson 2.5/4kw HMI Day-Lite Par is an especially compact 2.5/4k Par. For versatility and high output in a small HMI fixture I would suggest the 800W Joker Bug Light. Its’ par configuration offers punchy directional lighting. Its bug configuration is ideal for soft banks and lantern lights. It can take a soft-tube for linear soft lighting. And, now an innovative Bugabeam Adaptor enables the 800W Joker Bug to be plugged into the back of a Source 4 Leko to create a controllable high intensity daylight balanced beam projector. The 800W Joker Bug’s lantern adapter is an accessory that I think you will find especially useful for your night exteriors. A Joker Bug Lantern armed out behind talent in a two shot with a 20’ boom arm will create the Reverse Key Lighting that is typically desired for night exteriors. In this approach, the one light does the job of two Keys and allows for rapid resetting for cross cutting singles because there are not light stands in the background of each single. With this kind of versatility, the 800W Joker Bug is an HMI light to have since your budget will allow you to have just a few. To round out a HMI pkg. that you can run on a portable gas generator, I would suggest the Mole 1.2kw HMI Day-Lite Par. With a Power-2-Light Power Factor Corrected (PFC) 1200W electronic ballast, the Mole Day-Lite 1.2 HMI Par will draw only 11 Amps (verses the 19 Amps required by standard electronic ballasts.) The lower draw of the Power-2-Light PFC 1200W electronic ballast will be helpful at your Bungalow set because it will enable you to power it off both 20A, as well as the more common 15A, wall circuit. Where you quite often don’t know the rating of the wall circuit that you are plugging into, the lower draw of the Power-2-Light PFC 1200W electronic ballast will ensure that it will work where a standard electronic ballast will not. While a definite advantage when plugging into your bungalow location, the added efficiency of a PFC 1200 ballast will make a huge difference when powering a lighting package off of a portable generator at the missile location. For example, when you consider that a Kino Flo Parabeam 400 draws only 2 amps, the 8 Amp difference between using a PFC 1200W electronic ballast and standard non-PFC 1200W electronic ballast, can mean the difference between running four additional Parabeam 400s on a portable generator or not – I think you would have to agree that is a major boost in production capability. More on the benefits of using Power Factor Corrected Small HMI & Kino Ballasts on portable generators in my next post. Guy Holt, Gaffer, ScreenLight & Grip, Boston

Continued from above. For Key sources to light your medium/close up, I don’t recommend incandescent lights because they are the least efficient of all the available light sources. Since eighty percent of the energy consumed by an incandescent light goes into the generation of heat, they generate less lumens per watt of any other light source. Add to that, the fact that the Full CTB gel required to convert incandescent lights to daylight has a transmission factor around .3 (it takes a 1000 Watt incandescent source to generate 300 Watts of day light balanced light) make them the most impractical light source from an efficiency standpoint to operate on a portable generator. For this reason, I suggest you use the new Kino Flo Parabeam fluorescent par light where you would traditionally use an incandescent light as a Key source. The Kino Flo Parabeam 400 fixture is similar to a 2,000 Watt incandescent softlight in both quality and intensity. But unlike a 2k softlight, they can operate both 5500K (daylight) & 3200K (quartz) lamps and use 1/10th the power of comparable incandescent soft lights. These features make the Kino Flo Parabeam fixtures, like all fluorescent lights, a more efficient light source to operate off of portable generators. In HD Digital Cinema, the quality of light is more critical than ever. In High Def every detail of on camera talent is rendered clearly on the screen – even the imperfections. Where traditional hard light can exaggerate textural details, soft light is generally better for lighting talent in High Def productions because it can subdue those same textures and render a more cosmetic appearance. I suggest the Kino Flo Parabeam fixtures, over other fluorescent lights, to replace incandescent soft lights because they are more suitable to serve as a key or backlight source than any other conventional fluorescent movie light fixture. What distinguishes the Parabeam fixtures from other fluorescent lights is their throw, power efficiency, and the innovative accessories Kino Flo makes available for the fixtures. Accessories include barndoors, a gel frame, a diffusion panel, and Honeycomb Louvers. These features enhance the production capabilities of the Parabeam fixtures and make them suitable to serve as a key or backlight source where conventional fluorescent movie light fixtures are not. Conventional fluorescent movie lights (Kino Flo’s included) have a very broad soft light output that is hard to control. The light also tends to drop off rapidly which means that to serve as key source, the units need to be positioned close to the subject they are lighting. These characteristics make them best suited to serve as key sources in documentary interview set ups where the keys are typically positioned close to the interview subject. In that capacity they generate a wonderful soft light that wraps around the interview subject without wilting them. But, given these characteristics, conventional fluorescent movie lights have only limited applications as fill sources in dramatic set lighting – that is until the development by Kino Flo of their ParaBeam fixtures. The ParaBeam fixtures have computer aided designed (CAD) parabolic reflectors that focus the light output where it is needed most for lighting dramatic scenes - at a medium distance – making it an ideal key source for HD Digital Cinema. If you compare the photometric tables of the Parabeam 400 and the Diva 400 (which uses the same four lamps), you will notice that at 16’ the Parabeam 400 puts out almost three times the light level (28FC) than the Diva 400 (10FC) even though they both use the same tubes. In fact a Parabeam 400 generates as much light at 16’ as the 4’ 8-Tube Kino Flathead 80 fixture, yet uses less than a quarter of the power (2 Amps verses 9.2 Amps.) While the seven amp difference is not a major consideration when using house power, it can make a difference when your power is limited (coming from a portable generator) because you can use four Parabeam 400s for the same power as a 4’ – 8 Bank Kino Flathead 80. Kino Flo Parabeam ballasts are one of the few Kino ballasts to include filters to reduce the return of harmonic currents into the power stream and improve their power factor. The Parabeam fixtures have power factor ratings of over .9 making them an especially suitable fluorescent light for use on small portable generators. Not only are the Parabeam fixtures more efficient, but they are also easily controlled – an essential requirement in a Key source. Parabeam fixtures are controlled by interchanging Kino Flos’ innovative Honeycomb Louvers. Louvers are available in 90, 60 and 45 degrees. Swapping louvers provides beam control similar to that of swapping lenses on an HMI Par. These features enhance the production capabilities of the Parabeam fixtures and make them suitable to serve as a key or backlight source where conventional fluorescent movie light fixtures will spill all over the set. These features make the Parabeam fixtures the best candidate of all fluorescent lights to replace incandescent soft lights in their roll as dramatic key sources. And, the power you save by not using tungsten instruments for keys and backlights, enables you to power more lights on the generator than you could otherwise. If by chance you are shooting with the Red Camera, Kino Flo Parabeam fixtures are ideal for filming with the Red One. Since the Red’s native color balance is 5000K, it looks best when the lighting package consists of 5500K sources. Using tungsten light sources doesn’t make a lot of sense because balancing tungsten to 5000K is not very efficient for the reasons given above.. A 1000W 3200K light becomes a 300W 5000K light when you put Full CTB on it. It makes more sense to use HMIs to light for the Red’s native color balance of 5000K because they provide more lumens/watt and require less filtration with gels. A 400 W HMI will give you considerably more output than a color corrected Tungsten 1k, and use up a lot less of the limited power available from your generator. Unfortunately HMIs are expensive to buy or rent. Kino Flo Parabeam fixtures are a cost effective alternative to HMIs because they can use 5500K tubes. The provide beam control similar to that of swapping lenses on an HMI by interchanging their honeycomb louvers. And, they are even more efficient sources than HMIs. When using 5500K tubes to light for the Red’s 5000K native color balance, you can warm the lights without losing output to CTO gels by simply mixing in 3200K tubes with the 5500k tubes. Compared to LED Fixtures, Kino Flo Parabeam fixtures offer greater versatility. Able to interchange different color temperature tubes, and vary beam spread with their interchangeable honeycomb louvers, the Parabeam fixture can do what it takes four different Lite Panel LED fixtures to accomplish – Spot and Flood in both 5500K and 3200K. Offering great light quality, output, beam control, and versatility, the Kino Flo ParaBeams makes an ideal key or back light source for HD cinema production. Guy Holt, Gaffer, ScreenLight & Grip, Boston

From the description of your productions, it sounds like you will need a portable generator to power lights on location. Given the wide variety of portable generators and motion picture lights available, in order to maximize the number of lights you can run on the generator it is important to use the right kind of generator and the right kind of motion picture lights. Especially, given that the increasing use of personal computers and microprocessor-controlled recording equipment in HD production has created an unprecedented demand for clean, reliable power on set at a time when the trend in lighting is toward light sources that can generate harmonic noise and dirty power. If one uses the right equipment, it is possible to create clean stable set power that is capable of reliably operating larger lights (HMIs up to 6kw or Quartz lights up to 5kw), or more smaller lights (7500 Watts total), off of portable gas generators. In the interest of full disclosure, I should say at the outset that in addition to being a gaffer, I also own and operate a rental house that rents and sells a lot of the equipment I will recommend in this post. If it sounds like I’m hyping certain product lines it is not because we rent and sell them exclusively. We are dealers and rental agents for all the major brands. The equipment I am about to recommend, I recommend as a professional Gaffer of a lot of historical documentaries for PBS’ American Experience and The History Channel (see my “credit-entials” on Imbd). I recommend this equipment because I think it offers greater production capability for the dollar than anything else out there at this time. My recommendations are also based upon extensive research I have done on the use of portable gas generators in motion picture production. For this research, I ran a series of tests in order to analyze the interaction of conventional AVR generators (a Honda EX5500 with Crystal Governor), as well as inverter generators (a Honda EU6500is), with the prevalent light sources available today. My tests came up with some rather startling results. They show that when your lighting package consists predominantly of non-linear light sources, like HMI and Fluorescent lights, it is essential to have Power Factor Correction circuitry in the ballasts and to operate them on an inverter generator. The combination of improved power factor and the nearly pure power waveform of the inverter generator creates clean stable set power that is capable of reliably operating larger, or more smaller lights, off of portable gas generators than has ever been possible before. I have compiled the results of my tests in an article for my company newsletter and it is available on our website at: http://www.screenlightandgrip.com/html/ema...generators.html Based upon my tests, I have come up with a package of lights that maximize the light output that can be had from a portable generator. The lights that make up this package capitalize upon the following technological advances in lighting and production technology by Mole Richardson, K5600, Power to Light, and Kino Flo: 1) More efficient and compact HMI, Quartz, and now Fluorescent Par Lights. 2) Brighter and more efficient "short arc" HMI bulb designs. 3) 120/240V Electronic small HMI and Kino ballasts with Power Factor Correction. In order to maximize the number of these lights that can be run on a portable generator I have combined these lights with proprietary distribution technology I developed during my tests that enhances the production capability of the new Honda Inverter Generators. Since, I’m almost out of space here, I will give my recommendations for lights that will give you the maximum production value from portable gas generators in successive posts to come. I will also detail my reasons for my choices. Guy Holt, Gaffer, ScreenLight & Grip, Boston

In order to make the scene look natural you usually have to do more than just fill the interior, you should also bring in a sun source. If the sun is shining directly on the window you should silk it for two reasons. First, it will be hard to balance direct sunlight. Second, the sun moves. If it is a big scene that takes a while to shoot you will notice the movement of the sun when you edit it all together. The best approach is to silk the real sun so that you take any directionality out of it, and then bring in your own sun source for consistency. If you are shooting on a low budget, your best bet is to use 4ks because you can operate them on common 240V wall outlets or our modified Honda EU6500is inverter generator. A set-up that would give you the most natural look would be to silk the sun, use a 4k Fresnel outside for a consistent sun feel, and then use a heavily diffused 4k Par inside to fill. Diffusing the 4K inside will take the “source-i-ness” out of it and using a 4k Fresnel outside will give you the crisp direct sunlight feel. To operate both 4ks without having to tie-in or rent an expensive diesel tow generator (with all its hidden costs), I would suggest you use one of our step-down transformer/distros that Eileen mentions above on a 240v receptacle in the store to power the inside 4k. To power the outside 4k, I would suggest a second step-down transformer/distro powered by our modified Honda EU6500is inverter generator. I have found a package of two transformer/distros and two modified Honda EU6500is generators to be all that is necessary to shoot independent features. For night exteriors, you use one generator with a transformer distro to power a 4k Par to light the deep background. The second generator with a transformer distro powers is used to power smaller HMIs or Kino Flos that light your talent action area. Using two generators allows you to light both foreground & background (the sign of good production values) without having to run tons of cable. You might also consider using our 18 Gallon Extended Run Fuel Tank for the EU6500is supplying power to the 4K Par lighting the deep background. Our Extendend Run Fuel Tank will run the generator for a continuous 18 hours, so that you can set it and forget it, without worrying about it running out of fuel in the middle of a shot (use this link for more details.) When shooting interiors (like the one discussed here), you use one of the transformers on a 240V range or dryer receptacle to power a larger light inside; while using the other transformer to run a 4k Par along with a 1200 Par on the Honda EU6500is outside. I have used this same combination of wall outlets, 60A step-down transformer distros, and Honda EU6500is generators to eliminate the need for tie-ins or a tow genny on many of the historical documentaries I have gaffed. For example, I have used this same package repeatedly at a historical mansion in Easton MA called the Ames Estate. (Scene from "Unsolved History" powered from 50A/240V range outlet through step-down transformer/distro at the Ames Estate) A popular state fee free location, the Ames Estate, like many historical house/museums, does not permit tie-ins and the electrical wiring in the house is so antiquated that it is unusable. Fortunately, they have a 50A/240 volt circuit in the carriage house for a welder they use to repair the mowers they use at the park. Our standard mode of operation when shooting there is to run 250V extension cable from the welding receptacle to a 60A Full Power Transformer/Distro placed in the entry hall of the house. Using a 60A Siamese at the Transformer/Distro, we then run 60A 6/3 Bates extensions, down to the library, to the second floor, and back to the maid’s pantry. At the end of each run we put another 60A Siamese. A 60A snackbox on one side of the Siamese gives us 20A branch circuits. The other side we leave open for a large HMI or Tungsten Light. Now we can safely plug 1200 & 2500W HMIs, or even a 5k Quartz, into our own distribution anywhere in the house.A good example of this approach is an American Experience program titled “The Most Dangerous Women in America” about Typhoid Mary that I lit for PBS. For part of her life Typhoid Mary was quarantined on an island in New York's East River. (Typhoid Mary in quarantine on an island in New York's East River. Note the view out the window of the East River shoreline at the turn of the century.) Because New York’s East River today looks nothing like it did when she was in quarantine, we used a 30' blowup of a picture of the East River at the turn of the century rigged outside the windows of a house in Arlington MA. As you can see by the production stills I have attached, the requirements of this production were very similar to what Ram Shani faced. We had to strike a delicate balance between the interior and exterior levels. We wanted to overexpose the exterior by one stop so that it would look realistic and hide the fact that the exterior was a blow-up. As you can see in the production still of the exterior of the actual location used for the quarantine island, we rigged a solid over the porch windows and the blow-up to keep the sun off both. That way we could light the blow-up and interior so that it remained consistent even though the sun moved on and off the porch in the course of the day. To take the edge off the blow-up, we used a single scrim outside the window to help throw it out of focus. (The actual exterior of Mary’s cottage was the backyard of a house in Arlington Ma with a 30’ blow up of a picture of New York’s East River shoreline at the turn of the century.) To maintain continuity between shots, we brought a 4kw HMI Par in a window on one side of the room as a sun source and a 1200 par through a window on the other side as a northern light source. We powered both heads off a dryer plug in the laundry room of the house using one of our transformer/distros. The two 2.5k Par lights used outside to light the blow-up were powered by a Honda EU6500is through a second 60A Full Power Transformer/Distro. Since the Honda EU6500is could be placed right on the lawn, we were saved from running hundreds of feet of feeder back to a tow generator. (A child dying of Typhoid Mary filmed in a bedroom of the Ames Estate) We have been able to use this same basic package at numerous museums and historical houses throughout New England including Sturbridge Village. Fortunately for us, to make ends meet, many historical houses rent themselves out for events and weddings. For that reason, they usually have at least one updated service with 30 or 50 Amp 240 volt circuit for the warming ovens of caterers. (The New York City Health Inspector filmed in the library of the Ames Estate) Use this link - http://www.screenlightandgrip.com/html/HDPP_Transformer.html - for more production stills of PBS and History Channel historical documentaries shot entirely, or in part, with our 60A Full Power Transformer/Distros and modified Honda EU6500is inverter generators at the Ames Estate. Guy Holt, Gaffer, SreenLight & Grip, Boston

If you will recall Eileen we had an unusually high neutral return on that inverter rig because of the harmonics that the Kino T-12 ballasts were dumping back into the power stream. If I were to do it again, I would do it differently. But, first in the interest of full disclosure, I should say at this point that in addition to being a gaffer, I own and operate ScreenLight & Grip – the rental house Eileen mentions that rents and sells the equipment she recommends above. If what I am about to say sounds like I’m hyping the Kino Flo product line it is not because we rent and sell them. We are dealers and rental agents for just about all the major brands. As a professional Gaffer of a lot of tight budgeted historical documentaries for PBS’ American Experience and The History Channel (see my “credit-entials” on Imbd), I think it is worth noting that the Kino Flo Parabeam fixtures are a viable alternative to HMIs when used with the new inverter generators because they offer low budget independent filmmakers a more affordable alternative to HMI lighting. My recommendations are based upon extensive research I have done on the use of portable gas generators in motion picture production. For this research, I ran a series of tests in order to analyze the interaction of conventional AVR generators (a Honda EX5500 with Crystal Governor), as well as inverter generators (a Honda EU6500is), with the prevalent light sources available today. I have compiled the results of my tests in an article for my company newsletter and it is available on our website. If I were to light that shuttle bus again, I would only use the Kino T-12 tubes where I absolutely had to because they were serving as practical lights in the shot. For off-camera lights I would instead use Parabeam or Diva lights because their ballasts are Power Factor Corrected and don’t dump harmonic currents into the power stream the way the T-12 ballasts do. If the power is being supplied by a small portable generator, I would strongly recommend they use a inverter generator and as many Kinos with PFC ballasts as possible. With a Power Factor Rating of over .9, the Parabeam and Diva fixtures are especially well suited for use on small portable generators. In situations like this, the drawback to the older style Kino Flo fixtures that use the T-12 tubes (the Single, Double, and 4 Bank Fixtures, the Wall-o-Lite, Flathead 80, and the Image 20, 40, & 80 fixtures) is that their ballasts are not Power Factor Corrected and so return harmonic currents into the power stream. When used in quantity, as in studio chroma key productions, they can constitute a source of considerable harmonic noise in the power stream. For this reason, Kino Flo cautions users, on their website: “Kino Flo ballasts are generally not power factor corrected. They will draw double the current on the neutral from what is being drawn on the two hot legs. On large installations it may be necessary to double your neutral run so as not to exceed your cable capacity.”( FAQ “Why is the neutral drawing more than the hot leg” at http://www.kinoflo.com/FYI/FAQs.htm#2) For a detailed explanation for why harmonic currents cause unusually high neutral returns see my article on the use of portable generators in motion picture production available on our website. When you plug a single 4’ - 4 Bank Kino into a wall outlet you need not be concerned about harmonic currents. As is the case with non-PFC HMI ballasts discussed elsewhere in this this forum, the impedance of the electrical path from the power plant is so low, the distortion of the original voltage waveform so small (1-3%), and the plant capacity so large in comparison to the load of the one light, that the inherently noisy load of the 4’- 4 Bank Kino will not affect the voltage at the distribution bus. Left: Grid Power w/ no load and a THD of less then 3%. Center: Conventional Generator w/ no load and a THD of 17-19%. Right: Inverter Generator w/ no load and a THD of 2.5%. It is, however, an all together different situation when plugging Kino Flo T-12 fixtures into conventional portable generators. As a comparison of the oscilloscope shots from my article above and below indicate, the return of harmonic currents by conventional Kino Flo T-12 ballasts can generate voltage distortion in the power stream. Given the large sub-transient impedance of conventional portable generators, and the fact that the original supply voltage waveform of conventional generators is appreciably distorted (a THD of 17-19%) to begin with , you have a situation where the return of any harmonic currents by a non-PFC electronic ballast (HMI or Kino) will result in significant waveform distortion of the voltage in the distribution system. Left: Grid Power w/ Kino Flo Wall-o-Lite. Center: Conventional AVR Power w/ Kino Flo Wall-o-Lite. Right: Inverter Power w/ Kino Flo Wall-o-Lite. Given the effect of just one 10–tube Kino Flo Wall-o-Lite with non-pfc electronic ballasts on a 5500W conventional generators, what would be the accumulative effect of a typical lighting load on a generator? To see, I ran a package consisting of two Arri 1200 HMI Par Pluses with standard Arri non-PFC electronic ballasts in addition to the Kino Flo Wall-o-Lite on the Honda EX5500 (a conventional generator). And, for the sake of comparison, I ran the same package but with power factor corrected electronic ballasts on our modified EU6500is (an inverter generator.) The difference between the resulting waveforms below is startling. The adverse effects of the severe harmonic noise exhibited below left, can take the form of overheating and failing equipment, efficiency losses, circuit breaker trips, excessive current on the neutral return, and instability of the generator’s voltage and frequency. For these reasons it has never been possible to reliably operate more than a couple of 1200W HMIs on a conventional 6500W portable gas generator. Harmonic noise of this magnitude can also damage HD digital cinema production equipment, create ground loops, and possibly create radio frequency (RF) interference. For a detailed explanation for why this is, see my article on the use of portable generators in motion picture production available on our website. Left: Conventional generator power w/ pkg. of non-PFC Elec. HMI Ballasts & Kino Flo Wall-o-Lite. Center: Scope time base adjusted to bring elongated waveform back on screen. Right: Inverter generator power w/ Pkg. of PFC Elec. Ballasts & Kino Flo Parabeam 400. Why are harmonics suddenly an issue in motion picture electrical distribution systems? First, one must appreciate that the power generation and electrical distribution systems developed for motion picture production were never designed to deal with an abundance of non-linear loads like electronic HMI and Kino Flo ballasts. It’s a problem that has only recently begun because of the increasing use of these types of non-linear lighting loads. The problem is being further compounded by the increasing prevalence on set of sophisticated electronic production equipment like computers, hard drives and HD monitors which are themselves sources of harmonic distortion. The increasing use of these microprocessor-based equipment in production has created an unprecedented demand for clean, reliable power on set at a time when the prevailing light sources are dumping more and more noise into the power stream.? It is worth noting in the oscilloscope shots above that the distortion of the voltage waveform is considerably less in the case of our modified Honda EU6500is inverter generator (far right) with PFC ballasts than that of the conventional Honda EX5500 generator with non-PFC ballasts (left.) The reason for this is that, as discussed at length in my article, the original waveform of the power generated by the EU6500is (an inverter generator) has less harmonic distortion at the outset than that originally generated by a EX5500 (conventional generator.) For this reason, when your lighting package consists predominantly of non-linear light sources, like HMI and Fluorescent lights, it is important to have power factor correction (PFC) circuitry in the ballasts (HMI & Kino) and operate them on inverter generators like our modified Honda EU6500is. The combination of improved power factor and the nearly pure power waveform of inverter generators makes it possible to power larger lights, or more smaller lights, than has been possible before on a small portable gas generator. Wide Shot of Night exterior scene lit with our HD P&P Pkg. For example, the substantial reduction in line noise that results from using power factor corrected Kino and HMI ballasts on the nearly pure power waveform of an inverter generator creates a new math when it comes to calculating the load you can put on a generator. In the past we had to de-rate portable gas generators because of the inherent short comings of conventional generators with AVR and Frequency governing systems when dealing with the harmonic noise of non-PFC electronic ballasts. The harmonic distortion created by non-PFC ballasts reacting poorly with the distorted power waveform of conventional AVR generators (as evident in the oscilloscope shots above) limited the number HMIs and Kinos you could power on a portable generator to 60% of their rated capacity (4200Watts on a 6500W Generator). Two Shot of Night exterior scene lit with our HD P&P Pkg But now, that inverter generators have virtually no inherent harmonic distortion or sub-transient impedance and power factor correction (PFC) is available in both small HMI and Kino Flo Parabeam ballasts, this conventional wisdom regarding portable gas generators no longer holds true. Where before you could not operate more than a couple 1200W HMIs with non-PFC ballasts on a conventional generator because of the consequent harmonic distortion, now according to the new math of low line noise, you can load an inverter generator to capacity. And if the generator is our modified EU6500is inverter generator, you will be able to run a continuous load of up to 7500W as long as your HMI and Kino ballasts are Power Factor Corrected. The PFC 2.5 & 1.2 HMI Pars, PFC 800w Joker HMI, Kino Flo Flat Head 80, 2 ParaBeam 400s, and a ParaBeam 200 of our HD P&P Pkg. powered by our modified Honda EU6500is through our 60A Full Power Transformer/Distro Another, benefit to having PFC circuitry in the Parabeam and Diva ballasts is that they use less power. That’s because this advanced electronics contributes to a more economical use of power in the Parabeam and Diva ballasts than Kino Flo’s conventional ballasts. For example, the Parabeam 400s and Diva 400s draw less than half of the power (2 Amps) than the 4’ – 4 Bank Kinos that we used (4.6 Amps). While this nearly 3 amp difference is not a major consideration when using house power, in situation like this (when your power is coming from a portable generator) it can make a difference because you can use two Parabeam 400s for the same power as a 4’ – 4 Bank Kino. When you add up the incremental savings in power to be gained by using only PFC ballasts, and combine it with the pure waveform of inverter generators, you can run more lights on a portable gas generator than has been possible before. For example, on a recent Red shoot (see production stills above and below) the 7500W capacity of our modified Honda EU6500is Inverter Generator powered a lighting package that consisted of a PFC 2.5kw HMI Par, PFC 1200, & 800 HMI Pars, a couple of Kino Flo ParaBeam 400s, a couple of ParaBeam 200s, and a Flat Head 80. Given the light sensitivity of HD cameras, this is all the light needed to light even a large night exterior. (For more details on how this is accomplished I suggest you read my newsletter article on the use of portable generators in motion picture production. The article is available on our website. A Distro System consisting of a 60A Full Power Transformer/Distro, 2-60A GPC (Bates) Splitters, 2-60A Woodhead Box distributes power from a modified Honda EU6500is. Even though the generator is 100' away to reduce noise, plug-in points remain conveniently close to set. Given how well Kino Flo Parabeam ballasts interact with inverter generators, not to mention their versatility (they can operate both 5500K & 3200K lamps) and their efficiency (they consume 1/10 the power of comparable incandescent soft lights), Kino Flo Parabeam lights would appear to be the better source for this type of rig. Guy Holt, Gaffer, ScreenLight & Grip, Boston

Since you do a lot of “short films and narrative work,” you would probably be better served by a Kino Flo Parabeam 400. But, first in the interest of full disclosure, I should say at this point that in addition to being a gaffer, I own and operate ScreenLight & Grip – the rental house Eileen mentions that rents and sells the equipment she recommends above. If what I am about to say sounds like I’m hyping the Kino Flo product line it is not because we rent and sell them. We are dealers and rental agents for just about all the major brands. As a professional Gaffer of a lot of tight budgeted historical documentaries for PBS’ American Experience and The History Channel (see my “credit-entials” on Imbd), I think it is worth noting that the Kino Flo Parabeam fixtures are a viable alternative to HMIs when used with the new inverter generators because they offer low budget independent filmmakers a more affordable alternative to HMI lighting. My recommendations are based upon extensive research I have done on the use of portable gas generators in motion picture production. For this research, I ran a series of tests in order to analyze the interaction of conventional AVR generators (a Honda EX5500 with Crystal Governor), as well as inverter generators (a Honda EU6500is), with the prevalent light sources available today. I have compiled the results of my tests in an article for my company newsletter and it is available on our website. What distinguishes the Parabeam fixtures from the Diva fixtures (and all other fluorescent lights for that matter) is their throw, power efficiency, and the innovative accessories Kino Flo makes available for the fixtures that enhance their production capabilities. Accessories include barndoors, a gel frame, a diffusion panel, and Honeycomb Louvers. Honeycomb Louvers are available in 90, 60 and 45 degrees. Swapping louvers provides beam control similar to that of swapping lenses on an HMI Par. The Diffusion Panel, on the other hand, slightly softens the beam structure in the open face mode. In the end, which fluorescent light will serve you best, depends on how you plan to use it. By the description of what you shoot, it sounds like you would be best served by the ParaBeam 400 fixtures because they have computer aided designed (CAD) parabolic reflectors that focus the light output where it is needed most for lighting dramatic scenes - at a medium distance – making it a better key source for HD Digital Cinema than the Diva 400 or 4’ 4 Bank Kinos. If you compare the photometric tables of the Parabeam 400 and the Diva 400 (which uses the same four lamps), you will notice that at 16’ the Parabeam 400 puts out almost three times the light level (28FC) than the Diva 400 (10FC) even though they both use the same tubes. In fact a Parabeam 400 generates as much light at 16’ as the 4’ 8-Tube Kino Flathead 80 fixture, yet uses less than a quarter of the power – making it an ideal light to operate on a portable generator. The flip side, is that the Parabeam 400 will be harder and less flattering to your talent as a key source in an interview set up. Given its large size, a 4’ – 4 Bank Kino makes for a more flattering key source in interview set ups than the Parabeam 400. But, where a 4’ – 4 Bank Kino generates a very broad soft light that tends to drop off rapidly they generally do not have the “throw” to serve as a key source in dramatic sets ups. Another advantage to the Parabeam 400 is that you can use the accessory diffusion panel or put diffusion on it to make it softer, where you can not make a 4’ – 4 Bank Kino Flathead harder or make it throw further. Not only do the Parabeam fixtures have more throw, but they are also easily controlled – an essential requirement in a Key source. Parabeam fixtures are controlled by interchanging Kino Flos’ innovative Honeycomb Louvers. Louvers are available in 90, 60 and 45 degrees. Swapping louvers provides beam control similar to that of swapping lenses on an HMI Par. These features enhance the production capabilities of the Parabeam fixtures and make them suitable to serve as a key or backlight source where conventional fluorescent movie light fixtures will spill all over the set. These features make the Parabeam fixtures the best candidate of all fluorescent lights to replace incandescent soft lights in their roll as dramatic key sources. And, the power you save by not using tungsten instruments for keys and backlights, enables you to power more lights on the generator than you could otherwise. Another, advantage to the Parabeam 400 is that it draws less than half of the power (2 Amps) than a 4’ – 4 Bank Kino Flathead 80 (4.6 Amps). While this nearly 3 amp difference is not a major consideration when using house power, it can make a difference when your power is coming from a portable generator because you can use two Parabeam 400s for the same power as a 4’ – 4 Bank Kino. Kino Flo is able to obtain such efficiency in their Parabeam fixtures by incorporating Power Factor Correction circuitry into their ballasts. As it does in HMI ballasts, this advanced electronics contributes to a more economical use of power than Kino Flo’s conventional electronic ballasts and reduces the return of harmonic currents into the power stream. With a Power Factor Rating of over .9, the Parabeam 400 fixtures are especially well suited for use on small portable generators. All Kino Flo fixtures are a good choice for operation on small portable generators in the limited sense that they use a quarter of the power of a comparable tungsten soft light. However, the ballasts of the older style Kino Flo fixtures, like the 4’ – 4 bank Kinos, that use the T-12 tubes (the Single, Double, and 4 Bank Fixtures, the Wall-o-Lite, Flathead 80, and the Image 20, 40, & 80 fixtures) are not power factor corrected and return harmonic currents into the power stream. When used in quantity, as in studio chroma key productions, they can constitute a source of considerable harmonic noise in the power stream. For this reason, Kino Flo cautions users, on their website: “Kino Flo ballasts are generally not power factor corrected. They will draw double the current on the neutral from what is being drawn on the two hot legs. On large installations it may be necessary to double your neutral run so as not to exceed your cable capacity.”( FAQ “Why is the neutral drawing more than the hot leg” at http://www.kinoflo.com/FYI/FAQs.htm#2) For a detailed explanation for why harmonic currents cause unusually high neutral returns see my article on the use of portable generators in motion picture production available on our website. When you plug a single 4’ - 4 Bank Kino into a wall outlet you need not be concerned about harmonic currents. As is the case with non-PFC HMI ballasts discussed elsewhere in this forum (XXXXX), the impedance of the electrical path from the power plant is so low, the distortion of the original voltage waveform so small (1-3%), and the plant capacity so large in comparison to the load of the one light, that the inherently noisy load of the 4’- 4 Bank Kino will not affect the voltage at the distribution bus. Left: Grid Power w/ no load and a THD of less then 3%. Center: Conventional Generator w/ no load and a THD of 17-19%. Right: Inverter Generator w/ no load and a THD of 2.5%. It is, however, an all together different situation when plugging Kino Flo T-12 fixtures into conventional portable generators. As a comparison of the oscilloscope shots above and below indicate, the return of harmonic currents by conventional Kino Flo T-12 ballasts can generate voltage distortion in the power stream. Given the large sub-transient impedance of conventional portable generators, and the fact that the original supply voltage waveform of conventional generators is appreciably distorted (a THD of 17-19%) to begin with , you have a situation where the return of any harmonic currents by a non-PFC electronic ballast (HMI or Kino) will result in significant waveform distortion of the voltage in the distribution system. Left: Grid Power w/ Kino Flo Wall-o-Lite. Center: Conventional AVR Power w/ Kino Flo Wall-o-Lite. Right: Inverter Power w/ Kino Flo Wall-o-Lite. Given the effect of just one 10–tube Kino Flo Wall-o-Lite with non-pfc electronic ballasts on a 5500W conventional generators, what would be the accumulative effect of a typical lighting load on a generator? To see, I ran a package consisting of two Arri 1200 HMI Par Pluses with standard Arri non-PFC electronic ballasts in addition to the Kino Flo Wall-o-Lite on the Honda EX5500 (a conventional generator). And, for the sake of comparison, I ran the same package but with power factor corrected electronic ballasts on our modified EU6500is (an inverter generator.) The difference between the resulting waveforms below is startling. The adverse effects of the severe harmonic noise exhibited below left, can take the form of overheating and failing equipment, efficiency losses, circuit breaker trips, excessive current on the neutral return, and instability of the generator’s voltage and frequency. For these reasons it has never been possible to reliably operate more than a couple of 1200W HMIs on a conventional 6500W portable gas generator. Harmonic noise of this magnitude can also damage HD digital cinema production equipment, create ground loops, and possibly create radio frequency (RF) interference. For a detailed explanation for why this is, see my article on the use of portable generators in motion picture production available on our website. Left: Conventional generator power w/ pkg. of non-PFC Elec. HMI Ballasts & Kino Flo Wall-o-Lite. Center: Scope time base adjusted to bring elongated waveform back on screen. Right: Inverter generator power w/ Pkg. of PFC Elec. Ballasts & Kino Flo Parabeam 400. Why are harmonics suddenly an issue in motion picture electrical distribution systems? First, one must appreciate that the power generation and electrical distribution systems developed for motion picture production were never designed to deal with an abundance of non-linear loads like electronic HMI and Kino Flo ballasts. It’s a problem that has only recently begun because of the increasing use of these types of non-linear lighting loads. The problem is being further compounded by the increasing prevalence on set of sophisticated electronic production equipment like computers, hard drives and HD monitors which are themselves sources of harmonic distortion. The increasing use of these microprocessor-based equipment in production has created an unprecedented demand for clean, reliable power on set at a time when the prevailing light sources are dumping more and more noise into the power stream.? It is worth noting in the oscilloscope shots above that the distortion of the voltage waveform is considerably less in the case of the inverter Honda EU6500is generator (far right) than that of the conventional Honda EX5500 generator (left.) The reason for this is that, as discussed at length in my article, the original waveform of the power generated by the EU6500is (an inverter generator) has less harmonic distortion at the outset than that originally generated by a EX5500 (conventional generator.) For this reason, when your lighting package consists predominantly of non-linear light sources, like HMI and Fluorescent lights, it is important to have power factor correction (PFC) circuitry in the ballasts (HMI & Kino) and operate them on inverter generators like our modified Honda EU6500is. The combination of improved power factor and the nearly pure power waveform of inverter generators makes it possible to power larger lights, or more smaller lights, than has been possible before on a small portable gas generator. Wide Shot of Night exterior scene lit with our HD P&P Pkg. For example, the substantial reduction in line noise that results from using power factor corrected Kino and HMI ballasts on the nearly pure power waveform of an inverter generator creates a new math when it comes to calculating the load you can put on a generator. In the past we had to de-rate portable gas generators because of the inherent short comings of conventional generators with AVR and Frequency governing systems when dealing with the harmonic noise of non-PFC electronic ballasts. The harmonic distortion created by non-PFC ballasts reacting poorly with the distorted power waveform of conventional AVR generators (as evident in the oscilloscope shots above) limited the number HMIs and Kinos you could power on a portable generator to 60% of their rated capacity (4200Watts on a 6500W Generator). Two Shot of Night exterior scene lit with our HD P&P Pkg But now, that inverter generators have virtually no inherent harmonic distortion or sub-transient impedance and power factor correction (PFC) is available in both small HMI and Kino Flo Parabeam ballasts, this conventional wisdom regarding portable gas generators no longer holds true. Where before you could not operate more than a couple 1200W HMIs with non-PFC ballasts on a conventional generator because of the consequent harmonic distortion, now according to the new math of low line noise, you can load an inverter generator to capacity. And if the generator is our modified EU6500is inverter generator, you will be able to run a continuous load of up to 7500W as long as your HMI and Kino ballasts are Power Factor Corrected. The PFC 2.5 & 1.2 HMI Pars, PFC 800w Joker HMI, Kino Flo Flat Head 80, 2 ParaBeam 400s, and a ParaBeam 200 of our HD P&P Pkg. powered by our modified Honda EU6500is through our 60A Full Power Transformer/Distro According to this new math, when you add up the incremental savings in power to be gained by using only PFC ballasts, and combine it with the pure waveform of inverter generators, you can run more lights on a portable gas generator than has been possible before. For example, the 7500W capacity of our modified Honda EU6500is Inverter Generator powered a lighting package for a recent Red shoot (see production stills above and below) that consisted of a PFC 2.5kw HMI Par, PFC 1200, & 800 HMI Pars, a couple of Kino Flo ParaBeam 400s, a couple of ParaBeam 200s, and a Flat Head 80. Given the light sensitivity of HD cameras, this is all the light needed to light even a large night exterior. (For more details on how this is accomplished I suggest you read my newsletter article on the use of portable generators in motion picture production. The article is available on our website. A Distro System consisting of a 60A Full Power Transformer/Distro, 2-60A GPC (Bates) Splitters, 2-60A Woodhead Box distributes power from a modified Honda EU6500is. Even though the generator is 100' away to reduce noise, plug-in points remain conveniently close to set. Given how well Kino Flo Parabeam ballasts interact with inverter generators, not to mention their versatility (they can operate both 5500K & 3200K lamps) and their efficiency (they consume 1/10 the power of comparable incandescent soft lights), Kino Flo Parabeam lights would appear to be the better source for the type of filming you do. Guy Holt, Gaffer, ScreenLight & Grip, Boston

As Tim O’Conner suggests, you might consider renting two of our gen-set systems. This would be an ideal set up for many of the situations you face. For night exteriors, you could use one generator with a transformer distro to power the 4k Par to light the deep background. The second generator with a transformer distro would power smaller HMIs or Kino Flos that would light your talent action area. And as Tim O’Conner points out, two generators would allow you to light both foreground & background (the sign of good production values) without having to run tons of cable. You might also consider renting our 18 Gallon Extended Run Fuel Tank for the EU6500is to supplying power to the 4K Par lighting the deep background. Our Extendend Run Fuel Tank will run the generator for a continuous 18 hours, so that you can set it and forget it, without worrying about it running out of fuel in the middle of a shot (use this link for more details.) When shooting interiors, you can use one of the transformers on a 240V range or dryer receptacle to power larger lights inside; while using the other transformer to run a 4k Par along with a 1200 Par on the Honda 6500is outside. I have used this same combination of wall outlets, 60A step-down transformer distros, and Honda EU6500is generators to eliminate the need for tie-ins or a tow genny on many of the historical documentaries I have gaffed. For example, I have used this same package repeatedly at a historical mansion in Easton MA called the Ames Estate. (Scene from "Unsolved History" powered from 50A/240V range outlet through step-down transformer/distro) A popular state fee free location, the Ames Estate, like many historical house/museums, does not permit tie-ins and the electrical wiring in the house is so antiquated that it is unusable. Fortunately, they have a 50A/240 volt circuit in the carriage house for a welder they use to repair the mowers they use at the park. Our standard mode of operation when shooting there is to run 250V extension cable from the welding receptacle to a 60A Full Power Transformer/Distro placed in the entry hall of the house. Using a 60A Siamese at the Transformer/Distro, we then run 60A 6/3 Bates extensions, down to the library, to the second floor, and back to the maid’s pantry. At the end of each run we put another 60A Siamese. A 60A snackbox on one side of the Siamese gives us 20A branch circuits. The other side we leave open for a large HMI or Tungsten Light. Now we can safely plug 1200 & 2500W HMIs, or even a 5k Quartz, into our own distribution anywhere in the house. (Typhoid Mary in quarantine on an island in New York's East River. Note the view out the window of the East River shoreline at the turn of the century.) To maintain continuity between shots on these dramatic historical recreations, we usually bring a 4kw HMI Par in a window on one side of the room as a sun source and a 1200 par through a window on the other side as a northern light source. We usually power both heads off of a Honda EU6500is through a second 60A Full Power Transformer/Distro. Since the Honda EU6500is can be placed right on the lawn, we are saved from running hundreds of feet of feeder back to a tow generator in the drive. (The exterior of the actual location used for the quarantine island. A 30' blowup of a picture of the East River at the turn of the century was rigged outside the windows of a house in Arlington MA.) We have been able to use this same basic distribution package at numerous museums and historical houses throughout New England including Sturbridge Village. Fortunately for us, to make ends meet, many historical houses rent themselves out for events and weddings. For that reason, they usually have at least one updated service with 30 or 50 Amp 240 volt circuit for the warming ovens of caterers. I have included several production stills from these shows. Use this link - http://www.screenlightandgrip.com/html/HDPP_Transformer.html - for more production stills of PBS and History Channel historical documentaries shot entirely, or in part, with our 60A Full Power Transformer/Distro at the Ames Estate. Guy Holt, Gaffer, SreenLight & Grip, Boston

Not if you use Honda EU6500is inverter generators. Since Honda introduced their EU series of inverter generators it is possible to record location audio without picking up generator noise if you use them with a distribution system like our 60A Full Power Transformer/Distro. To start, the Honda EU6500is inverter generator is much quieter than the older movie blimped Hondas like the EX5500. Part of what makes the new Honda EU6500is so quiet is it’s “Eco-Throttle.” The Eco-Throttle’s microprocessor automatically adjusts the generator's engine speed to produce only the power needed for the applied load. It can do this because the Inverter Technology of the Honda EU6500is enables it to run at different RPMs and maintain a constant frequency and voltage. Where conventional generators like the Honda EX5500 and ES6500 have to run full speed at a constant 3600 RPM to produce stable 60 hertz (cycle) electricity, a Honda EU6500is only needs to run as fast as required to meet the load demand. Since their engines do not have to run at full speed, and the fact that an inverter generator generates 20% more power per revolution of the engine, makes the Honda EU series of inverter generators substantially quieter than conventional models. (For more details on how inverter generators accomplish this, I suggest you read my newsletter article on the use of portable generators in motion picture production. The article is available at my Website) To make them even quieter, Honda has designed a new separate triple chamber construction and a new centralized intake/exhaust system. The net result is that the EU6500is is half as loud (ten decibels) as the comparable EM7000is and ES6500 generators typically found at lighting rental houses. Honda's EU Series generators operate at 34 to 44 dBA at 50 ft. - well below what is required for trouble free location recording and quieter than your typical Crawford 1400 Amp “Movie Blimped” Generator. With sound specs this good all you need is a distro system that will enable you to remove the generator from the set to record sound without picking up generator noise. That is where our 60A Full Power Transformer/Distro comes in. To record sync sound without picking up any generator noise, all you need to do is add 100' - 150’ of heavy duty 250V twist-lock extension cable between the generator and our Full Power Transformer/Distro. This is usually enough cable to place the generator around the corner of a building, or to run the it out of a van or truck - which is usually all the additional blimping you need with these generators. The heavy-duty 250V twist-lock cable eliminates multiple cable runs to the generator and the subsequent drop in voltage from line-loss from using standard electrical cords. Our 60A Full Power Transformer/Distro is equipped with the industry standard 60A/120V GPC (Bates) receptacle. The 60A GPC outlet can be used to power a 5kw Quartz or 2.5kw & 4kw HMI Pars. With additional 60A GPC extension cables, 60-to-60 Splitters, and fused 60A GPC-to-Edison Breakouts (snack boxes) you can run power around your set - breaking out to 20A Edison outlets at convenient points. The best part about using a transformer as a distro box is that no matter where in the distribution system you plug in, the transformer/distro automatically balances the additional load, so that you don't have to. You simply plug in lights until the load wattage displayed on the “iMonitor” of the generator control panel reaches 7500 Watts. An overload alarm on the “iMonitor” display will tell you if you inadvertently overload the 60A Transformer/Distro. It is so simple that you don’t need to be an experienced electrician to operate it. Guy Holt, Gaffer, SreenLight & Grip, Boston

The purpose to the Transformer/Distro is to give you access to the enhanced output of our modified Honda EU6500is in a single 60A/120V circuit that is capable of powering larger lights or more smaller lights than was possible before. Without a Transformer/Distro it would not be possible to take advantage of the enhanced capacity of our modified Honda EU6500is because the load of a light would have to go on one circuit/leg of the generator or the other. For example, when plugging lights into the factory installed power outlet panel of a Honda EU6500is, you reach a point where you can't power an additional 1200W Par because there is not 11 amps (w/ a P2L PFC ballast) available on either one of the factory installed 20A outlets/leg of the generator. With a transformer/distro you can still add that 1200 Par because the transformer/distro not only accesses more power (7500 Watts) through a higher rated circuit (60 Amps), but it also splits the load evenly over the two legs (5.5A/leg) of the generator on the 240V circuit. The end result is that the generator is capable of handling a larger load and able to handle it more easily because it is a perfectly balanced load. Another benefit to our Transformer/Distro is that it splits the load of what ever you plug into it automatically. Which means you no longer have to carefully balance the load over the generator's two 20A/120 circuits/legs as you plug in lights because the transfomer/distro does it for you. With our modified Honda EU6500is you simply plug in lights until the load wattage displayed on the generator’s iMonitor reaches 7500 Watts. An overload alarm on the iMonitor display will tell you if you inadvertently overload the Transformer/Distro. Now that you have access to the generator's enhanced power, you are able to benefit by the new math of low line noise and load it to 100% capacity (7500W) with larger lights, or more smaller lights, than you could otherwise. Our 60A Full Power Transformer/Distro will also enable you to safely access more “house power” on your location. It is likely that, unless the farm house uses propane gas, it will have a 240V Range Plug and/or Dryer Plug. The barn will also likely have 240V outlets for heaters, compressors, welders, or large motors. Our Full Power Transformer/Distro can also be used to step down these common 240V power outlets to a single 120V circuit capable of powering bigger lights, or more smaller lights, than is possible on the house 120V circuits alone. By giving you access to more “house power” through common 240V household outlets, our 60A Full Power Transformer/Distro can eliminate the need for dangerous tie-ins or expensive tow generators. Use this link - www.screenlightandgrip.com/html/HDPP_Transformer.html - for more details on the use of our 60A Full Power Transformer/Distro to access more “house power”. Guy Holt, Gaffer, SreenLight & Grip, Boston

How we modify the Honda EU6500is is proprietary information. What I can say is that our Transformer/Distro is able to provide 7500 Watts in a single circuit because the capacity is already built into the machine by Honda. Because 120 Volts/20 Amps (2400 Watts) is the standard circuit for domestic power in North America, Honda outfits the generator for this market with a power output panel that is under-rated for the power generating capacity of the machine when you compare it to how Honda outfits the same generator for the European and UK markets where the standard circuit for domestic power is 230/240 Volts and 16 Amps (3680/3840 Watts). Where England and Ireland have not entirely conformed to the European Union Standard of 230 Volts, but still generate 240V power, Honda makes a version of this generator for the UK market (the EU65i) with two 240V/16A circuits (3840 Watts/circuit). To support markets worldwide, including the UK market, Honda has designed the base model of this generator to generate 7680 Watts (2x3840W/circuit = 7680W). When Honda configures this same base model with a power output panel for 120 Volt circuits for the North American Market, it is not fully utilizing the power generating capacity they have built into the machine for the worldwide market. What we do is "tap" the generator at a point that gives us access to the 7680 Watt capacity built into the machine for the world wide market. Guy Holt, Gaffer, SreenLight & Grip, Boston

To maximize the number of lights that you can run off your Honda portable generators, I would suggest you run all your HMIs on Power Factor Corrected electronic ballasts. This will not be easy because until recently Power Factor Correction (PFC) has not been readily available in 800 or 1200 Watt HMI ballasts in this country (the EU countries are further along in this respect), and not always available in 2500 and 4000 Watt ballasts. A name brand to ask for is Power-2-Light. Power-2-Light is the only ballast manufacturer to include Power Factor Correction (PFC) as a standard feature in their 800w, 1200w, 2.5kw/4kw electronic ballasts. Formerly only available in the larger ballasts of other manufacturers, this advanced electronics reduces current spikes and harmonics in the power line and contributes to a more economical use of power than typical electronic ballasts. For this reason, Power-2-Light PFC electronic ballasts enable the operation of both larger HMIs, or more smaller HMIs, off of standard wall outlets and portable generators. Power-2-Light PFC ballasts, used in conjunction with a modified Honda EU6500is and a step-down transformer/distro, can go a long ways towards eliminating the need for large diesel generators, or dangerous tie-ins, in many situations. Until the introduction of PFC circuitry in smaller HMI ballasts it was not possible to reliably operate more than a couple 1200W HMIs with non-PFC ballasts on a conventional generator because of the voltage waveform distortion they created. The harmonic noise that magnetic and non-PFC electronic ballasts kick back into the power stream has an adverse effect on the power waveform of conventional generators where it does not on grid power. Normally, when you plug an HMI light into a wall outlet you need not be concerned about current harmonic distortion producing voltage distortions. The impedance of the electrical path from the power plant is so low, the distortion of the original voltage waveform so small (1-3%), and the plant capacity so large, that inherently noisy loads placed upon it will not affect the voltage at the load bus. However, it is an all together different situation when plugging HMIs into conventional portable generators. Given the large sub-transient impedance of conventional portable generators, even a small degree of harmonic noise being fed back into the power stream will result in a distortion of its’ voltage. Add to that, the likely hood that the percentage of the generator’s capacity taken up by non-linear loads (HMI or Kino ballasts) will to be very high given its small size relative to typical lighting loads, and given the increasing prevalence of non-linear light sources (HMI & Kinos) in production. Finally, add that the original supply voltage waveform of a conventional generator is appreciably distorted to begin with, and you have a situation where the return of any harmonic currents by an HMI or Kino ballast will result in significant waveform distortion of the voltage in the distribution system. With the increasing use of personal computers, hard drives, and microprocessor-controlled video recording equipment in HD production, there is an unprecedented demand for clean, reliable power on set. The adverse effects of the severe harmonic noise created by non-PFC ballasts, can take the form of overheating and failing equipment, efficiency losses, circuit breaker trips, excessive current on the neutral return, and instability of the generator’s voltage and frequency. Harmonic noise of this magnitude can also damage HD digital cinema production equipment, create ground loops, and possibly create radio frequency (RF) interference. For this reason, when your lighting package consists predominantly of non-linear light sources, like HMI and Fluorescent lights, it is important to have power factor correction (PFC) circuitry in the ballasts and operate them on inverter generators. The combination of improved power factor and the nearly pure power waveform of inverter generators makes it possible to power larger lights, or more smaller lights, than has been possible before on a small portable gas generator. (For more details on why this is I suggest you read my newsletter article on the use of portable generators in motion picture production. The article is available at www.screenlightandgrip.com/html/emailnewsletter_generators.html. ) For example, the substantial reduction in line noise that results from using power factor corrected ballasts on the nearly pure power waveform of an inverter generator creates a new math when it comes to calculating the load you can put on a generator. In the past we had to de-rate portable gas generators because of the inherent short comings of conventional generators with AVR and Frequency governing systems when dealing with non-PFC electronic ballasts. The harmonic distortion created by non-PFC ballasts reacting poorly with the distorted power waveform of conventional generators limited the number of HMIs you could power on a portable generator to 60% of their rated capacity (4200Watts on a 6500W Generator). But now, where inverter generators have virtually no inherent harmonic distortion or sub-transient impedance and power factor correction (PFC) is available in small HMI ballasts, this conventional wisdom regarding portable gas generators no longer holds true. Where before you could not operate more than a couple 1200W HMIs with non-PFC ballasts on a conventional generator because of the consequent harmonic distortion, now according to the new math of low line noise, you can load an inverter generator to 100% capacity as long as your HMI and Kino ballasts are Power Factor Corrected. According to this new math, when you add up the incremental savings in power to be gained by using only PFC HMI ballasts, add to it energy efficient sources like the Kino Flo Parabeam fixtures, and combine it with the pure waveform of inverter generators, you can run more HMI lights on a portable gas generator than has been possible before. For example, on a recent independent short shot with the Red, I used our modified Honda EU6500is Generator to power a lighting package that consisted of a 2.5kw, 1200, & 800 HMI Pars (with PFC ballasts), a couple of Kino Flo Parabeam 400s, a couple of Parabeam 200s, and a Flat Head 80. Given the light sensitivity of the Red Camera, this was all the light we needed to light a large night exterior. The scene takes place behind a mall, rather than the woods, but the principles are the same: we used the 2.5 HMI par to light the deep background, the 1200 HMI par to light the near background, and the 800 Joker was mounted on a Source 4 Leko with a bug-a-beam adapter to create a window pattern on the ground from a building that doesn’t exist but you don’t see that in the movie. We used two Parabeam 400s to key the talent and a Kino Flo Flathead 80 to fill the entire scene. We balanced the color temperature of the lights to the Red’s native 5000K color balance as follows: the 2.5 & 1200 Pars were gelled with ½ CTB for moonlight. We put half CTO on the Joker 800 to create warm window light. We mixed 3200K tubes into the Parabeam 400 on the “window” side to create a warm key source motivated by the window. The Parabeam on the other side was gelled with ¼ CTB to create a cool key source motivated by the moonlight. Finally, we lamped the Flathead 80 with only 5500K tubes to create a slightly cool fill. So that you can see the set up and the final results I have posted some production stills here. Use this link - www.screenlightandgrip.com/html/hdfilmstrip4lg.html - to our website where we have posted more detailed information on the lighting package we used along with more production stills from the short. Guy Holt, Gaffer, Boston

Even if the Red’s native color balance were not 5000K, you would want to fill out your lighting package with HMIs because their high output (lumens/watt) and daylight color temperature make them ideal for daylight fill and creation of cool moonlight. As long as there is a sun and moon in the sky there will be a place for a large HMIs (2.5-4kw) on interior and exterior sets because small HMIs, Kino-Flos, & LED panels don’t come close to balancing direct sunlight in daylight scenes or covering deep background in night scenes. For powerful daylight fill on exterior sets, to create the feel of hard sunlight on interior sets, or to light deep background on night exterior sets, I would recommend that you rent one of the dual wattage (2.5/4kw) HMI Pars. Not only will the Par configuration give you more output but it will also be more versatile. When you need a lot of light for fill on day exteriors you can lamp it with a 4k globe. When you don’t need the punch of a 4k Par, like on a night exterior, you can swap the 4kw globe for a 2.5kw globe giving you more power to run additional lights on your portable generator. The 15 Amps you save by burning the smaller 2500W globe will power quite a few more lights when you consider that a Kino Flo Parabeam 400 uses only 2 Amps. For example, it is possible to power a lighting package that consists of PFC 1200, & 800 HMI Pars, a couple of Kino Flo ParaBeam 400s, a couple of ParaBeam 200s, and a Flat Head 80, in addition to a PFC 2.5kw HMI Par off of our modified Honda EU6500is Generator. Given the light sensitivity of the Red Cameras, this is just about all the light you need to light both the deep background and action area of night exteriors. The new Mole Richardson 2.5/4kw HMI Day-Lite Par is an especially compact 2.5/4k Par. For versatility and high output in a small HMI fixture I would suggest the 800W Joker Bug Light. Its’ par configuration offers punchy directional lighting. Its bug configuration is ideal for soft banks and lantern lights. It can take a soft-tube for linear soft lighting. And, now an innovative Bugabeam Adaptor enables the 800W Joker Bug to be plugged into the back of a Source 4 Leko to create a controllable high intensity daylight balanced beam projector. The 800W Joker Bug’s Bugabeam adapter is an accessory that I think you will find especially useful in lighting your Day Interiors. Plugged into the back of an ETC Source-4 Leko, the 800W Joker Bug will enable you to achieve production values beyond your limited budget. In the past, the effect of sunlight streaming through windows has required a fairly significant lighting budget because it required large HMI Fresnels outside windows, powered by large diesel generators. Now, a 800W Joker Bug plugged into an ETC Source-4 Leko can create a very similar effect. Used as a powerful daylight Gobo Projector from a corner of a room, a 800W Joker Bug plugged into an ETC Source-4 Leko can throw a window pattern onto the set creating the effect of sunlight streaming through the windows. The lamp used in the 800W Joker Bug offers many advantages in this particular application, its "short" arc gap is punctual enough to be very well suited to the optical design of the ETC Source-4 Leko as a gobo projector. The 4 to 1 efficiency ratio of HMI versus Tungsten incandescent creates a gain in light output of two full stops. This huge increase in light level allows patterns to be visible even under the higher ambient light levels of day light scenes. The 800W Joker Bug plugged into an ETC Source-4 Leko will offer you big budget feature style production values on your shoe string budget. The 800W Joker Bug’s lantern adapter is an accessory that I think you will find especially useful for your night exteriors. A Joker Bug Lantern armed out behind talent in a two shot with a 20’ boom arm will create the Reverse Key Lighting that is typically desired for night exteriors. In this approach, the one light does the job of two Keys and allows for rapid resetting for cross cutting singles because there are not light stands in the background of each single. With this kind of versatility, the 800W Joker Bug is an HMI light to have since your budget will allow you to have just a few. To round out a HMI pkg. that you can run on a portable gas generator or safely plug into wall outlets, I would suggest the Mole 1.2kw HMI Day Lite Par. Mole has established a new standard with the introduction of their single ended HMI Day-Lite Pars. Mole took the opportunity to re-engineer the interaction of lamp, reflector and converter lens, resulting in better performance in a lighter more compact head. So that you can safely plug a 1.2 HMI Par into 15A wall outlets (that you are more likely to find on the fram), I would make sure it has one of the new Power-2-Light Power Factor Corrected (PFC) 1200W electronic ballast. Drawing only 11 Amps (verses the 19 Amps required by standard electronic ballasts), the Power-2-Light PFC 1200W electronic ballast enables you to safely plug the Mole Day Lite 1.2 HMI Par into both 20A, as well as the more common 15A, wall circuit. Where you quite often don’t know the rating of the wall circuit that you are plugging into, the lower draw of the Power-2-Light PFC 1200W electronic ballast will ensure that it will work where a standard electronic ballast will not. While a definite advantage when plugging into house power, the added efficiency of a PFC 1200 ballast can make a huge difference when powering a lighting package off of a portable generator. For example, when you consider that a Kino Flo Parabeam 400 draws only 2 amps, the 8 Amp difference between using a PFC 1200W electronic ballast and standard non-PFC 1200W electronic ballast, can mean the difference between running four additional Parabeam 400s on a portable generator or not – I think you would have to agree that is a major boost in production capability. More on the benefits of using Power Factor Corrected Small HMI & Kino Ballasts on portable generators in my next post. Guy Holt, Gaffer, Boston

I would suggest you use the new Kino Flo Parabeam fluorescent par lights, over other fluorescent lights, as a Key source for the following reasons as well. In HD Digital Cinema, the quality of light is more critical than ever. In High Def every detail of on camera talent is rendered clearly on the screen – even the imperfections. Where traditional hard light can exaggerate textural details, soft light is generally better for lighting talent in High Def productions because it can subdue those same textures and render a more cosmetic appearance. I recommend the Kino Flo Parabeam fixtures, over other fluorescent lights, to replace incandescent soft lights as a Key source because they are more suitable for this purpose than any other conventional fluorescent movie light fixture. What distinguishes the Parabeam fixtures from other fluorescent lights is their throw, power efficiency, and the innovative accessories Kino Flo makes available for the fixtures. Accessories include barndoors, a gel frame, a diffusion panel, and Honeycomb Louvers. These features enhance the production capabilities of the Parabeam fixtures and make them suitable to serve as a key or backlight source where conventional fluorescent movie light fixtures are not. Conventional fluorescent movie lights (Kino Flo’s included) have a very broad soft light output that is hard to control. The light also tends to drop off rapidly which means that to serve as Key source, the units need to be positioned close to the subject they are lighting. These characteristics make them best suited to serve as Key sources in documentary interview set ups where the Keys are typically positioned close to the interview subject. In that capacity they generate a wonderful soft light that wraps around the interview subject without wilting them. But, given these characteristics, conventional fluorescent movie lights have only limited applications as Fill sources in dramatic set lighting – that is until the development by Kino Flo of their ParaBeam fixtures. 
 The ParaBeam fixtures have computer aided designed (CAD) parabolic reflectors that focus the light output where it is needed most for lighting dramatic scenes - at a medium distance – making it an ideal Key source for HD Digital Cinema. If you compare the photometric tables of the Parabeam 400 and the Diva 400 (which uses the same four lamps), you will notice that at 16’ the Parabeam 400 puts out almost three times the light level (28FC) than the Diva 400 (10FC) even though they both use the same tubes. In fact a Parabeam 400 generates as much light at 16’ as the 4’ 8-Tube Kino Flathead 80 fixture, yet uses less than a quarter of the power (2 Amps verses 9.2 Amps.) While the seven amp difference is not a major consideration when using house power, it can make a difference when your power is limited (coming from a portable generator) because you can use four Parabeam 400s for the same power as a 4’ – 8 Bank Kino Flathead 80. Kino Flo Parabeam ballasts also include filters to reduce the return of harmonic currents into the power stream and improve their power factor. The Parabeam fixtures have power factor ratings of over .9 making them an especially suitable fluorescent light for use on small portable generators. Not only are the Parabeam fixtures efficient, but they are also easily controlled – an essential requirement in a Key source. Parabeam fixtures are controlled by interchanging Kino Flos’ innovative Honeycomb Louvers. Louvers are available in 90, 60 and 45 degrees. Swapping louvers provides beam control similar to that of swapping lenses on an HMI Par. These features enhance the production capabilities of the Parabeam fixtures and make them suitable to serve as a key or backlight source where conventional fluorescent movie light fixtures will spill all over the set. And, the power you save by not using tungsten instruments for keys and backlights, enables you to power more lights on the generator than you could otherwise. These features make the Parabeam fixtures the best candidate of all fluorescent lights to replace incandescent soft lights in their roll as dramatic Key sources in HD Cinema productions in general. And the fact that you can lamp them with 5500K tubes, make them an especially good Key source when filming with the Red One. As discussed previously, since the Red’s native color balance is 5000K, it looks best when the lighting package consists of 5500K sources. The Kino Flo Parabeam 400 fixture is similar to a 2,000 Watt incandescent softlight in both quality and intensity. But unlike a 2k softlight, they can operate both 5500K (daylight) & 3200K (quartz) lamps and use 1/10th the power of comparable incandescent soft lights. These characteristics make Kino Flo Parabeam fixtures a cost effective alternative to HMIs as a Key source for the Red. Not only do Parabeam fixtures provide beam control similar to that of swapping lenses on an HMI by interchanging their honeycomb louvers; they are even more efficient sources than HMIs. When using 5500K tubes to light for the Red’s 5000K native color balance, you can warm the lights without losing output to CTO gels by simply mixing in 3200K tubes with the 5500k tubes. Compared to LED Fixtures, Kino Flo Parabeam fixtures offer greater versatility. Able to interchange different color temperature tubes, and vary beam spread with their interchangeable honeycomb louvers, one Parabeam fixture can do what it takes four different LED fixtures to accomplish – Spot and Flood in both 5500K and 3200K. Offering great light quality, output, beam control, and versatility, the Kino Flo ParaBeams makes an ideal key or back light source for Red cinema productions. Guy Holt, Gaffer, Boston

I agree that you would probably be better served by a couple of small generators rather than one large one for the same reasons given by Tim. However, I want to add that it makes a big difference what generators they are and what type of HMI and Kino ballasts you use on them. If you use the right equipment you can do better than a couple of 1200s on a 6500W generator. In the interest of full disclosure, I should say at the outset that in addition to being a gaffer, I also own and operate a rental house that rents and sells a lot of the equipment I will recommend in this post. If it sounds like I’m hyping certain product lines it is not because we rent and sell them exclusively. We are dealers and rental agents for all the major brands. The equipment I am about to recommend, I recommend as a professional Gaffer of a lot of historical documentaries with similar budgets for PBS’ American Experience and The History Channel (see my “credit-entials” on Imbd). I recommend this equipment because I think it offers greater production capability for the dollar than anything else out there at this time. My recommendations are based upon extensive research I have done on the use of portable gas generators in motion picture production. If one knows how, it is possible to take advantage of very recent technological advances in HMI & Kino ballast design and power generation, to create clean stable set power that is capable of reliably operating larger lights (HMIs up to 6kw or Quartz lights up to 5kw), or more smaller lights (7500 Watts), off of portable gas generators. But, given the wide variety of generators manufactured, it is important to understand the benefits and drawbacks to each when it comes to powering motion picture lights. Especially, given that the increasing use of personal computers and microprocessor-controlled recording equipment in HD production has created an unprecedented demand for clean, reliable power on set at a time when the trend in lighting is toward light sources that can generate harmonic noise and dirty power. For this reason, I ran a series of tests in order to analyze the interaction of conventional AVR generators (a Honda EX5500 with Crystal Governor), as well as inverter generators (a Honda EU6500is), with the prevalent light sources available today. My tests came up with some rather startling results. They show that when your lighting package consists predominantly of non-linear light sources, like HMI and Fluorescent lights, it is essential to have Power Factor Correction circuitry in the ballasts and to operate them on an inverter generator. The combination of improved power factor and the nearly pure power waveform of the inverter generator creates clean stable set power that is capable of reliably operating larger, or more smaller lights, off of portable gas generators than has ever been possible before. I have compiled the results of my tests in an article for my company newsletter and it is available on our website at: http://www.screenlightandgrip.com/html/ema...generators.html In order to maximize the light output that can be had from a portable generator, I have come up with a package of lights, based upon my tests, that offers the highest output (lumens/watt), the most feature style production capability, and the lowest line noise. The lights that make up this package capitalize upon the following technological advances in lighting and production technology by Mole Richardson, K5600, Power to Light, and Kino Flo: 1) More efficient and compact HMI, Quartz, and now Fluorescent Par Lights. 2) Brighter and more efficient "short arc" HMI bulb designs. 3) 120/240V Electronic small HMI and Kino ballasts with Power Factor Correction. In order to maximize the number of these lights that can be run on a portable generator I have combined these lights with proprietary distribution technology I developed during my tests that enhances the production capability of the new Honda Inverter Generators. Here are my recommendations for lights that will give you the maximum production value from portable gas generators. I have also detailed my reasons for my choices. I don’t recommend incandescent lights for two reasons. The first reason is that incandescent lights are the least efficient of all the available light sources. Since eighty percent of the energy consumed by an incandescent light goes into the generation of heat, they generate less lumens per watt of any other light source. Add to that, the fact that the Full CTB gel required to convert incandescent lights to daylight has a transmission factor around .3 (it takes a 1000 Watt incandescent source to generate 300 Watts of day light balanced light) make them the most impractical light source from an efficiency standpoint to operate on a portable generator. The second reason is that you are shooting on the Red. Since the Red’s native color balance is 5000K, it would be better to use 5500K light sources like HMIs. But this will require you to take a different approach to creating the mix of warm lamp light and cool moonlight that you desire. In the past, it was customary to use 3200K light sources to create warm lamplight in night scenes because most high speed films and video imaging systems were balanced for 3200K. With this traditional approach HMIs were used to create blue moonlight and tungsten lights were used to create white or slightly warm lamp-light. In this approach CTO gels are used to either make the HMIs less blue or the tungsten warmer. Using tungsten light sources for a night scene when the Red’s native color balance is 5000K doesn’t make a lot of sense. As mentioned previously, balancing tungsten to 5000K is not very efficient because full CTB cuts the output of the light by 70% in converting it to 5000K (a 1000W 3200K light becomes a 300W 5000K light.) A 400 W HMI will give you considerably more lumens/watt than a color corrected Tungsten 1k, and use up a lot less power available from your generator. For this reason, it makes more sense to use HMIs to create white or warm light on the Red because they provide more lumens/watt and require less filtration with gels. In this approach raw HMI light would provide white light, Half CTB gel would provide moonlight, and Qtr. CTO gel would provide warm lamp light. I personally believe you should always combine color temperatures in a frame. You can shift your overall color balance to the cool side in the camera or in post to create moonlight, but without a white light or warm light reference in the frame, your audience will subconsciously adjust and filter out your moonlight effect. Putting white light in the frame gives your audience a reference point and they will not filter out a color effect like moonlight. One of the downsides to lighting for the Red’s native color balance of 5000K is that it requires an all 5000k balanced lighting package and HMIs are considerably more expensive to rent. A cost effective alternative to HMIs are florescent light fixtures because they can use either 3200K or 5500K tubes. When using 5500K tubes to light for the Red’s 5000K native color balance, you can warm the lights without losing output to CTO gels by simply mixing in 3200K tubes with the 5500k tubes. The drawback to using florescent light fixtures to light night scenes is that they generally not well suited to serve as Key sources in dramatic scenes. The one exception to that rule are the new Kino Flo ParaBeam Par Lights. For these reasons, I would suggest you use the new Kino Flo Parabeam fluorescent par lights in place of incandescent lights as a Key source. I will go into more detail on my next post. Guy Holt, Gaffer, Boston

Gabriel, You have to be really careful when splitting 240 volt circuits as being discussed. If the 240 volt circuit is a four wire system (the receptacle has four slots: one for ground, one for neutral, and two for hot), one can use a distro box that splits the two hot circuits as long as it is wired so that each circuit has a ground and neutral. Where you run into trouble is when the 240V circuit uses a three wire system (the receptacle has three slots: one for ground, and two for hot, and no neutral.) Many older household and industrial 240V receptacles use a three wire system (no neutral) because they were wired for the sole purpose of powering single phase motors or heating elements that draw a perfectly balanced load and return no current. A perfectly balanced load doesn’t require a neutral because the single phase service legs are 180 degrees out of phase and cancel each other out – hence there is no return that would require a separate neutral (a later revision to the NEC required all 240V circuits to include a neutral.) You run into trouble with this kind of circuit when you start to pull an unbalanced load on your distro. And, where under most production situations you can never perfectly balance your lighting load, the two 120V circuits that make up this 240V circuit will not have 100% phase cancellation and the extra current of the high leg will not have a safe return path because by necessity with a three wire system you have had to bond the ground and the neutral in the splitter box (after all what else can you do with the ground and neutral of your splitter box but to bond them when plugging into a three wire 240V circuit.) Not only is it unsafe, but bonding ground and neutral after the service side of a main service head is a violation of the National Electrical Code (NEC.) To quote Mike Holt, of Mike Holt Enterprises, Inc. (A Leading Electrician Training Program in FL): “The National Electrical Code requires a neutral-to-ground connection to be made at service equipment only and there shall not be any neutral-to-ground connection on the load side of service equipment [250-23(a), 250-24(a)(5)]” (full excerpt is available online at his website) The only safe way to pull power from three wire 240V circuits is to run your lighting load through a 240v-to-120v step down transformer. A transformer converts the 240 volts supplied by these industrial and household 240V receptacles back to 120 volts in a single circuit that is the sum of the two legs of the circuit. For instance, a transformer can make a 60A/120v circuit out of a 30A/240v dryer circuit that is capable of powering bigger lights, like a 5k. What makes it safe to use a step town transformer with three wire 240V dryer/range/motor circuits is that the transformer automatically splits the load of whatever you plug into it evenly over the two legs of the 240V circuit. Where there is no high leg, the loads on each leg of the 240V circuit cancel out and there is no return that would require a separate neutral. And unlike 240V splitter distro boxes where you have to meticulously balance your load, a transformer greatly simplifies your set electrics by automatically splitting the load. As long as you plug lights in through the transformer, you no longer have to carefully balance the load over the two 120V circuit/legs because the transformer does it for you automatically. If you outfit the transformer with a 60 Bates receptacle, you can use 60A GPC extension cables, 60-to-60 Splitters, and fused 60A GPC-to-Edison Breakouts (snack boxes) to run power around set - breaking out to 20A Edison outlets at convenient points (rather than one central point.) The best part about using a transformer with a 240V receptacle in this fashion is that no matter where in the distribution system you plug in, the transformer automatically balances the additional load, so that you don't have to. I use transformers to power bigger HMIs (2.5-4Kw) in situations where a tie-in is not an option and the budget doesn’t permit for a tow generator. Where the production budget is particularly tight, I use a package consisting of two transformers and a portable generator. I use one transformer to access more power through a 240V circuit on location to run lights inside; while the other I use to bring larger HMIs in the windows from outside. This approach eliminates the need for a dangerous tie-in or expensive tow generators, it also greatly reduces the amount of cable that has to be run. For those who would like to see samples of what can be accomplished with this basic package, I have attached these links to production stills of the PBS and History Channel historical documentaries shot entirely, or in part, with just a couple of transformers and a Honda generator. The History Channel’s “Unsolved History” episode “Presidential Assassins” American Experienes Typhoid Mary Biography "The Most Dangerous Women in America" WGBH’s Ben Franklin Biography “Franklin” Or, use this link for more details about using step-down transformers on set: . By giving you access to more house power through common 240V house outlets, a transformer can quite often eliminate the need for tie-ins or generators. - Guy Holt, Gaffer, ScreenLight & Grip, www.screenlightandgrip.com

One of the great benefits for motion picture production of inverter generators is that the voltage and frequency of the power they generate is no longer linked to the engine speed of the generator so they do not need crystal controls. Traditional AVR generators, with simple two-pole cores, require crystal governors to run at a constant 3600 RPM to produce stable 60 hertz (cycle) power. Inverter generators do not have to run at a constant speed because the AC power they output is generated from high voltage DC power that is micro-processor switched according to a PWM control logic with a voltage stability of ± 1%, and Frequency stability of ± 0.01 HZ. Where the AC Frequency (Hz) of the power PWM inverter modules generate is rock solid, they don’t require the expensive and ultimately unreliable engine governors. In fact, the multi-pole core of an inverter generator alternator supplies so much power per revolution to the inverter module (several hundred overlapping sine waves at frequencies of up to 20’000 Hz) that the core doesn’t even need to operate at full speed to support a load. Instead, the micro processor of the inverter module automatically adjusts the generator's engine speed to produce only the power needed for the specific load in use. For this reason, inverter generators can run at much slower RPMs (hence quieter) while maintaining frequency and power for the requested load. Since the output frequency is no longer dependent on engine RPM, voltage and frequency are not susceptible to fluctuations because of varying loads as is case with conventional generators. This feature of inverter generators make them much more suited for motion picture production than conventional generators. Where voltage and frequency are not a function of engine speed with inverter generators, as they are with conventional generators, a transient load has no effect on either the voltage or frequency (Hz) and so HMI ballasts won’t cut out. We have struck 6k HMI Pars on a modified Honda EU6500is inverter generator without problem. Use the URL below for more detailed information on this new generator system: www.screenlightandgrip.com/html/hd_plug-n-play_pkg.html - Guy Holt, Gaffer, ScreenLight & Grip, Boston

I run a rental house in Boston by the name of ScreenLight and Grip and we rent and sell Honda Generators for film production. You no longer need to modify Honda generators with crystal governors. The conventional wisdom regarding portable generators went out the window with the recent development of inverter generators and power factor correction (PFC) in smaller (575-1200W) HMI ballasts. We modify the Honda EU6500is Inverter Generator and have developed a distro system for it that offers 7500W of stable power in a Single 120V circuit. Which is enough power to run not only 2.5kw HMIs, but also 4kw, or even 6kw HMIs. It can run a Mole 6kw Six Light (6x 1kw Par 64 Globes), the new powerful Mole 5k Quartz Par, or a complete HD Lighting Pkg. we have developed to maximize the production capability of our new Gen Set System that we are calling the HD Plug & Play Pkg. (HD P&P Pkg.).Use the URL below for more detailed information on this new generator system: www.screenlightandgrip.com/html/hd_plug-n-play_pkg.html Where our modified Honda EU6500is is an inverter generator you will also have a lot less trouble with harmonic distortion and noise than you will with conventional generators like the EX5500 or ES6500, and it is half as loud as these machines or the Honda EM7000is. This new generator system is specifically designed to address the increase in problems caused by harmonic distortion. While our modified EU6500is system is new the power generation issues it addresses have been vexing set electricians for years. If you are interested we have posted on our website and article that explains the electrical engineering principles behind these issues and how our HD P&P Pkg resolves them. You can access the article at: http://www.screenlightandgrip.com/html/ema...generators.html Until recently, to power HMI lights over 1.2kw or Quartz lights over 2kw required a large diesel movie generator. Movie generators are not only expensive to rent, but they come with hidden costs that usually break the budget of independently funded HD projects. Movie generators require special tow equipment not found on Ryder or Penske rental trucks. For that reason, movie generators require that you rent a more expensive grip truck from a lighting and grip rental company in order to tow them. Lighting rental companies will not send out a grip truck without a company driver - further adding to the expense of renting a movie generator (driver rates run about $400/10hrs with overtime after 10hr). Our HD P&P Pkg. takes advantage of technological advances to power HMI lights up to 6kw or Quartz lights up to 5kw off of wall outlets or the new generation of portable Honda Inverter Generators. The primary factors limiting the use of HMIs on portable Honda generators has been their inefficient use of power and the harmonic noise they throw back into the power stream. The power waveform below left is typical of what results from the operation of a couple of 1200W HMIs with non power factor corrected ballasts on a conventional portable generator. The adverse effects of the harmonic noise exhibited here, can take the form of overheating and failing equipment, efficiency losses, circuit breaker trips, excessive current on the neutral wire, and instability of the generator’s voltage and frequency. For these reasons it has never been possible to operate more than a couple of 1200W HMIs on a conventional 6500W portable gas generator. Harmonic noise of this magnitude can also damage HD digital cinema production equipment, create ground loops, and possibly create radio frequency (RF) interference. The increasing use of personal computers, hard drives, and microprocessor-controlled recording equipment in production has created an unprecedented demand for clean, reliable power on set. Our HD P&P Pkg. takes advantage of recent technological advances in HMI ballast design and power generation to create clean stable set power that is capable of operating larger lights (HMIs up to 6kw or Quartz lights up to 5kw), or more smaller lights, off of portable gas generators than has ever been possible before. For example, the power waveform above on the right, is the same package of HMI lights but with power factor corrected electronic HMI ballasts operating on our modified Honda EU6500is Inverter Generator. As you can see, the difference between the resulting waveforms is startling. Even though we are running the same overall load, the fact that the HMI ballasts in our HD Plug and Play Pkg. are power factor corrected and the power is being generated by our modified Honda EU6500is Inverter Generator, results in virtually no power waveform distortion. For this reason, sensitive electronic production equipment will operate reliably and without damage. And, the generator is capable of operating larger, or more smaller, lights than has ever been possible before on a portable gas generator. For example, our modified Honda EU6500i Inverter Generator with our 60A Full Power Transformer/Distro is capable of powering the 2.5kw, 1200, & 800 HMI Pars, of our HD Plug and Play Pkg., plus a couple of Kino Flo Parabeam 400s, Parabeam 200s, and a FlatHead 80. Given the light sensitivity of HD Camcorders, this constitutes a complete location lighting package for HD Digital Cinema productions. By eliminating the need for a tow generator in order to have feature style production capability, our HD P&P Pkg. saves you the expense of not only the generator, but also the added expense of a rental house grip truck and truck driver. So that you can still enjoy the amenities of a grip truck, we can set up our HD P&P Pkg. on several Backstage rolling grip carts that you can load onto a Ryder or Penske rental box truck. So that you can record sound without picking up the noise of a portable generator, we can outfit your production with a custom distribution package that will enable you to run the generator from inside your rental truck while keeping your power plug in points conveniently on set. - Guy Holt, Gaffer, ScreenLight & Grip, Boston

I run a rental house in Boston by the name of ScreenLight and Grip and we rent and sell small portable generators for film production. The conventional wisdom regarding portable generators reflected in these posts went out the window with the recent development of inverter generators and power factor correction (PFC) in smaller (575-1200W) HMI ballasts. It is now possible to get 7500W of clean stable power in a single 120V circuit from a portable generator. And, when you add up the incremental savings in power to be gained by using PFC HMI ballasts, add to it the energy efficiency of light sources like LEDs and Kino Flos, and combine it with the increased light sensitivity of film stocks and digital imaging systems, you have what, I would argue, amounts to a paradigm shift in lighting with portable generators. In the past, it was not possible to reliably operate more than a couple of 1200w HMIs on a portable generator. The primary factors limiting the use of HMIs on portable generators has been their inefficient use of power and the harmonic noise they throw back into the power stream. The adverse effects of the harmonic distortion generated by HMI ballasts (see power waveform below left), can take the form of overheating and failing production equipment, circuit breaker trips, overheating of the neutral wire, and instability of the generator voltage and frequency. Severe harmonic noise can also damage HD digital cinema production equipment, create ground loops, and create radio frequency (RF) interference. www.screenlightandgrip.com/images/waveform_AVR-Inv_Pkg.jpg If one knows how, it is possible to take advantage of recent technological advances in HMI ballast design and power generation, to create clean stable set power (like that in the power waveform above right) that is capable of reliably operating larger lights (HMIs up to 6kw or Quartz lights up to 5kw), or more smaller lights, off of portable gas generators than has ever been possible before. For example, on a recent independent short shot on the Red, I used a modified Honda EU6500is Generator to power a lighting package that consisted of a 2.5kw, 1200, & 800 HMI Pars, a couple of Kino Flo ParaBeam 400s, a couple of ParaBeam 200s, and a Flat Head 80. Given the light sensitivity of the Red Camera, this was all the light we needed to light a large night exterior. But, given the wide variety of generators manufactured, it is important to understand the benefits and drawbacks to each when it comes to their use in motion picture production. Especially, given that the increasing use of personal computers and microprocessor-controlled recording equipment in HD production has created an unprecedented demand for clean, reliable power on set at a time when the trend in lighting is toward light sources that can generate dirty power. For this reason, I have tried to compile a comprehensive survey of the prevalent lighting and portable power generation equipment. Test how well they work together and make the results available to the production community. Where Harry Box, the author of the Set Lighting Technician’s Handbook is interested in incorporating this material in the 4th edition of the handbook I am making it available for peer review first. I feel the need to make this material available prior to publication in the handbook because specific details of the inner workings of the latest portable power generation equipment is in short supply and harmonic noise has only recently become an issue. Why is harmonic distortion suddenly an issue in motion picture production? Because, the power generation and electrical distribution systems developed for motion picture production were never designed to deal with the abundance of non-linear loads like the electronic HMI and Fluorescent lighting ballasts so prevalent in production today. It’s a problem that has only recently begun because of the increasing use of these types of non-linear lighting loads. The problem is being further compounded by the increasing prevalence on set of sophisticated electronic production equipment like computers, hard drives and HD monitors which are themselves sources of harmonic distortion. In the past, attention was given to generator features such as automatic voltage regulation and speed regulation. But, given the rise in production problems associated with harmonic noise, an increasingly more important feature today is the quality of the generated power waveform and how well it interacts with today's light sources. For that reason, I did a series of tests that have resulted in oscilloscope shots of the power waveforms of different light sources on different portable generators. I have attempted to interpreted the artifacts of harmonic distortion exhibited in these power waveforms, but where this is a relatively new issue, I welcome the input of other film/video production professionals so that the material can be as complete as possible for the handbook. To see the results of my tests, use the link below to our website where I have posted my analysis of the compatibility of the latest lighting and portable power generation technology www.screenlightandgrip.com/html/emailnewsletter_generators.html I welcome any and all feed back. - Guy Holt, Gaffer, ScreenLight & Grip, Boston

I run a rental house in Boston by the name of ScreenLight and Grip and we rent and sell small portable generators for film production. The conventional wisdom regarding portable generators reflected in Michael Colliers comment went out the window with the recent development of inverter generators and power factor correction (PFC) in smaller (575-1200W) HMI ballasts. It is now possible to get 7500W of clean stable power in a single 120V circuit from a portable inverter generator without the use of crystal governors. And, unless your ballasts have power factor correction circuitry, electronic square wave ballasts are not necessarily the best for use with portable generators. In the past, it was not possible to reliably operate more than a couple of 1200w HMIs on a portable generator. The primary factors limiting the use of HMIs on portable generators has been their inefficient use of power and the harmonic noise they throw back into the power stream. The adverse effects of the harmonic distortion generated by HMI ballasts (see power waveform below left), can take the form of overheating and failing production equipment, circuit breaker trips, overheating of the neutral wire, and instability of the generator voltage and frequency. Severe harmonic noise can also damage HD digital cinema production equipment, create ground loops, and create radio frequency (RF) interference. If one knows how, it is possible to take advantage of recent technological advances in HMI ballast design and power generation, to create clean stable set power (like that in the power waveform above right) that is capable of reliably operating larger lights (HMIs up to 6kw or Quartz lights up to 5kw), or more smaller lights, off of portable gas generators than has ever been possible before. For example, on a recent independent short shot on the Red, I used a modified Honda EU6500is Generator to power a lighting package that consisted of a 2.5kw, 1200, & 800 HMI Pars, a couple of Kino Flo ParaBeam 400s, a couple of ParaBeam 200s, and a Flat Head 80. Given the light sensitivity of the Red Camera, this was all the light we needed to light a large night exterior. But, given the wide variety of generators manufactured, it is important to understand the benefits and drawbacks to each when it comes to their use in motion picture production. Especially, given that the increasing use of personal computers and microprocessor-controlled recording equipment in HD production has created an unprecedented demand for clean, reliable power on set at a time when the trend in lighting is toward light sources that can generate dirty power. For this reason, I have compiled a comprehensive survey of the prevalent lighting and portable power generation equipment. Tested how well they work together and I am making the results available in our on line newsletter. Where Harry Box, the author of the Set Lighting Technician’s Handbook is interested in incorporating this material in the 4th edition of the handbook I am making it available for peer review first. I feel the need to make this material available prior to publication in the handbook because specific details of the inner workings of the latest portable power generation equipment is in short supply and harmonic noise has only recently become an issue. Why is harmonic distortion suddenly an issue in motion picture production? Because, the power generation and electrical distribution systems developed for motion picture production were never designed to deal with the abundance of non-linear loads like the electronic HMI and Fluorescent lighting ballasts so prevalent in production today. It’s a problem that has only recently begun because of the increasing use of these types of non-linear lighting loads. The problem is being further compounded by the increasing prevalence on set of sophisticated electronic production equipment like computers, hard drives and HD monitors which are themselves sources of harmonic distortion. In the past, attention was given to generator features such as automatic voltage regulation and speed regulation. But, given the rise in production problems associated with harmonic noise, an increasingly more important feature today is the quality of the generated power waveform and how well it interacts with today's light sources. For that reason, I did a series of tests that have resulted in oscilloscope shots of the power waveforms of different light sources on different portable generators. I have attempted to interpret the artifacts of harmonic distortion exhibited in these power waveforms, but where this is a relatively new issue, I welcome the input of other film/video production professionals so that the material can be as complete as possible for the handbook. To see the results of my tests, use the link below to our website where I have posted my analysis of the compatibility of the latest lighting and portable power generation technology www.screenlightandgrip.com/html/emailnewsletter_generators.html I welcome any and all feed back. - Guy Holt, Gaffer, ScreenLight & Grip, Boston

I run a rental house in Boston by the name of ScreenLight and Grip and we rent and sell small portable generators for film production. It is no longer necessary to blimp or crystal modify generators. A lot of the conventional wisdom regarding portable generators went out the window with the recent development of inverter generators and power factor correction (PFC) in smaller (575-1200W) HMI ballasts. It is now possible to get 7500W of clean stable power in a single 120V circuit from a portable generator. And, when you add up the incremental savings in power to be gained by using PFC HMI ballasts, add to it the energy efficiency of light sources like LEDs and Kino Flos, and combine it with the increased light sensitivity of film stocks and digital imaging systems, you have what, I would argue, amounts to a paradigm shift in lighting with portable generators. In the past, it was not possible to reliably operate more than a couple of 1200w HMIs on a portable generator even with crystal govenors. The primary factors limiting the use of HMIs on portable generators has been their inefficient use of power and the harmonic noise they throw back into the power stream. The adverse effects of the harmonic distortion generated by HMI ballasts (see power waveform below left), can take the form of overheating and failing production equipment, circuit breaker trips, overheating of the neutral wire, and instability of the generator voltage and frequency. Severe harmonic noise can also damage HD digital cinema production equipment, create ground loops, and create radio frequency (RF) interference. If one knows how, it is possible to take advantage of recent technological advances in HMI ballast design and power generation, to create clean stable set power (like that in the power waveform above right) that is capable of reliably operating larger lights (HMIs up to 6kw or Quartz lights up to 5kw), or more smaller lights, off of portable gas generators than has ever been possible before. For example, on a recent independent short shot on the Red, I used a modified Honda EU6500is Generator to power a lighting package that consisted of a 2.5kw, 1200, & 800 HMI Pars, a couple of Kino Flo ParaBeam 400s, a couple of ParaBeam 200s, and a Flat Head 80. Given the light sensitivity of the Red Camera, this was all the light we needed to light a large night exterior. But, given the wide variety of generators manufactured, it is important to understand the benefits and drawbacks to each when it comes to their use in motion picture production. Especially, given that the increasing use of personal computers and microprocessor-controlled recording equipment in HD production has created an unprecedented demand for clean, reliable power on set at a time when the trend in lighting is toward light sources that can generate dirty power. For this reason, I have tried to compile a comprehensive survey of the prevalent lighting and portable power generation equipment. Test how well they work together and make the results available to the production community. Where Harry Box, the author of the Set Lighting Technician’s Handbook is interested in incorporating this material in the 4th edition of the handbook I am making it available for peer review first. I feel the need to make this material available prior to publication in the handbook because specific details of the inner workings of the latest portable power generation equipment is in short supply and harmonic noise has only recently become an issue. Why is harmonic distortion suddenly an issue in motion picture production? Because, the power generation and electrical distribution systems developed for motion picture production were never designed to deal with the abundance of non-linear loads like the electronic HMI and Fluorescent lighting ballasts so prevalent in production today. It’s a problem that has only recently begun because of the increasing use of these types of non-linear lighting loads. The problem is being further compounded by the increasing prevalence on set of sophisticated electronic production equipment like computers, hard drives and HD monitors which are themselves sources of harmonic distortion. In the past, attention was given to generator features such as automatic voltage regulation and speed regulation. But, given the rise in production problems associated with harmonic noise, an increasingly more important feature today is the quality of the generated power waveform and how well it interacts with today's light sources. For that reason, I did a series of tests that have resulted in oscilloscope shots of the power waveforms of different light sources on different portable generators. I have attempted to interpreted the artifacts of harmonic distortion exhibited in these power waveforms, but where this is a relatively new issue, I welcome the input of other film/video production professionals so that the material can be as complete as possible for the handbook. To see the results of my tests, use the link below to our website where I have posted my analysis of the compatibility of the latest lighting and portable power generation technology www.screenlightandgrip.com/html/emailnewsletter_generators.html I welcome any and all feed back. - Guy Holt, Gaffer, ScreenLight & Grip, Boston

If you do mostly short film and narrative work you should consider the new Parabeam 400. The ParaBeam 400 fixtures, have computer aided designed (CAD) parabolic reflectors that focus the light output at about 16 feet (5 meters). If you compare the photometric tables of the Parabeam 400 and the Diva 400, you will notice that at 16’ the Parabeam 400 puts out almost three times the light level (28FC) than the Diva 400 (10FC). Where it focuses the light output of the lamps where it is needed most for lighting dramatic scenes - at a medium distance – the Parabeam makes for a better key source for HD Digital Cinema than theDiva 400. The flip side, is that the Parabeam 400 will be harder and less flattering to your talent as a key source in an interview set up. The Diva 400 makes for a more flattering key source in interview set ups than the Parabeam 400. But, where the Diva 400 puts out a very broad soft light that tends to drop off rapidly they generally do not have the “throw” to serve as a key source in dramatic sets ups. In dramatic setups in close quarters the Diva 400 makes for only good fill source. Another advantage to the Parabeam 400 is that you can put diffusion on it to make it softer, where you can not make a Diva 400 harder or make it throw further. Another, advantage to the Parabeam 400 is that it draws half the power (2 Amps) as the Diva 400 (4 Amps). This can be a big benefit when your power is coming from a portable generator because you can use two Parabeam 400s for the same power as a Diva 400. This is why we include the Parabeam 400 in our HD Plug & Play Pkg. rather than the Diva 400. Use this link for more detailed information on the advantages to using the new Parabeam 400s for digital cinema productions: www.screenlightandgrip.com/html/hd_plug-n-play_pkg.html Regardless of which light you choose, I would welcome the opportunity to give you a competitive bid. Guy Holt, Gaffer, ScreenLight & Grip, Kino Flo Dealer

The smaller HMIs (125-200W) will run on DC with a special DC ballast designed to run them off battery belts. All larger HMIs run on AC but can be powered by DC sources with an inverter. Larger HMIs (400-1200W) can be run on what are called “Battverters”. A “BattVerter” is a Battery/Inverter system designed to provide AC power from DC Batteries - usually for traveling car shots. I quite often use “Battverters” to power 1200HMIs for a little Daylite fill for street interviews. Your area rental house might have the Kino Flo system. We offer a variety of BattVerters - from a compact turnkey 750W BattVerter to the 1800W battery/inverter rig we custom built to power four 4’ – 4 Bank Kino Flo Fixtures on an Airport Shuttle for the feature film “Shuttle” (use the link below for more details). You can get everything you need to build a battverter at your local marine supply store. You need a DC power source (deep cycle Marine Cells work best), a DC-to–AC True Sine Wave Power Inverter, and a Battery Charger (to top off the charge on the batteries between takes). Wire these components into an equipment case and you can put it on the floor of the back seats or in the trunk of the car. If you plan to power larger HMIs (400-1200W) I would suggest making up a lightweight "jumper cable" that you can securely attach to the leads of a car's battery. That way you can run the engine and the alternator will charge the batteries as they are being discharged by the lights. A Battverter will enable you to use a car as a generator. Use the engine to run the lights through the Battverter as described above during set up and rehearsals. When it comes time to shoot a take, simply shut off the engine and continue to run the lights on the BattVerter alone. Running the vehicle engine between takes charges the batteries so that they will run lights all day or night. To see how to build a Battverter, use the link below for a more elaborate Battverter system that we built to run four 4' 4 bank Kinos to light a shuttle bus for the upcoming feature "Shuttle" that was shot here in Boston on the Viper. The production stills show you pretty much how we wired it into the shuttle bus. http://www.screenlightandgrip.com/html/hdfilmstrip4lg.html Word of caution: charging batteries generate Hydrogen gas. Do not use a Battverter in charging mode inside a tightly sealed car. Put the Battverter in the trunk, or rig it to the front bumper (as pictured in the “Shuttle” production stills), if you are going to use the engine to charge it while shooting. Guy Holt, ScreenLight & Grip, Rigging Gaffer on “Shuttle”

There are no “xstals” in electronic ballasts to set their frequency independent of line frequency. Electronic ballasts are “flicker free” at all camera rate/shutter speeds, not just “a little more” because they use capacitors to square off the power sine wave which causes an increase in the duration of the HMI arc so that the light is on more than it is off. Also called “square wave” ballasts or “constant power” ballasts, a light powered by an electronic HMI ballasts will put out 10% more light than the same light powered by a magnetic ballast, as well as be flicker free at all frame rates for this reason (the exception being extreme High Speed Cinematography). Electronic ballasts are also smaller and lighter than a magnetic ballast of the same wattage. The down side is that because of their sophisticated electronics electronic ballasts are more expensive and more fragile than magnetic ballasts. As long as you shoot at one of the many safe frame rates, magnetic ballasts are also “flicker free” (where the topic of safe frame rates for magnetic ballasts is discussed extensively elsewhere in this forum I won’t get into it here.) Besides the extra bulk and weight of magnetic ballasts, the smaller magnetic ballasts (575-2500W) offer the distinct advantage of being less expensive and drawing less power (once they have come up to speed) than the commonly available electronic equivalents. If you want to plug an 1.2kw HMI into a wall outlet, I would recommend you use a 1200w magnetic ballast. Operating at 120V, a 1.2kw HMI with non-power factor corrected electronic ballast will draw 18-19 amps verses the 13.5 amps of a magnetic ballast. Where the common household wall circuit is only rated for 15 amps, a 1.2kw Par with electronic ballasts will always trip the circuit breaker. Even if you can find a 20 Amp circuit breaker at your location, it will quite often trip it if there is something else, like a computer or light, on the same circuit. Where you can't always know, when you plug into a wall outlet, if it is a 20 or 15 Amp circuit and what else is on the same circuit, you are taking your chances when plugging a 1.2kw HMI with electronic ballasts into a wall outlet. 1200w electronic ballasts are only meant to be used on bigger budget film productions that distribute power from a generator and hence every circuit is 20 Amps and electricians can guard against overloading a circuit because they are distributing the power themselves. A downside to magnetic ballasts when used with portable Honda generators is that you can’t load the generator to full capacity because you must leave “head room” for their higher front end striking load. When choosing HMIs to run off portable generators, bear in mind that a magnetic ballasts draws more current during the striking phase and then they “settle down” and require less power to maintain the HMI Arc. By contrast, an electronic ballasts “ramps up.” That is, its’ current draw gradually builds until it “tops off” - but it “tops off” with a considerably greater draw than a magnetic ballast “settles down” to. Insufficient head room can be a problem when striking a 1200 Watt HMI on a Honda EU2000is, or on one of the 20A circuits of a EU3000is or EU6500is, when other thing are already plugged into the generator as well. Without an additional load on its 20A circuit, any one of the Honda EU series generators will power either an electronic or magnetic ballast. A magnetic ballast offers the slight advantage that you can power another tungsten or fluorescent light on the generator once the HMI has already struck. While older HMIs with magnetic ballasts are less expensive to purchase or rent, there have been some very recent advances in HMI electronic ballast technology that make the newest ballasts worth the extra money when it comes to lighting with portable generators. For example the HMI ballast manufacturer Power to Light has introduced Power Factor Correction (PFC) into 1200 & 800 Watt ballasts. Previously only found in larger HMI ballasts, this advanced electronics reduces current spikes and harmonics in the power line and contributes to a more economical use of power than conventional electronic ballasts. For example, the Power to Light PFC 1200W electronic ballast draws only 11 Amps verses the 18 Amps required by standard electronic ballasts and the 13.5 Amps required by magnetic ballasts after they have struck. And, like conventional electronic ballasts the Power to Light PFC 1200W electronic ballast “ramps up”, but it “tops off” with a considerably less draw than a magnetic ballast. Where a Kino Flo Parabeam 400 draws only 2 amps, that 8 Amp difference between using the new Power to Light PFC 1200W electronic ballast and a standard 1200W electronic ballast, can mean the difference of running four Parabeam 400s on a portable generator or not. I think you would have to agree that being able to run four Parabeam 400s on top of a 1200W HMI is a major boost in production capability. In the interest of full disclosure, I should say that in addition to being a gaffer, I also own and operate a lighting company that rents and sells Power to Light ballasts. If it sounds like I’m hyping the P2L line it is not because we rent and sell them. We are also dealers for new and used Mole, Power Gems, and ARRI HMIs. As a professional Gaffer of a lot of tight budgeted historical documentaries for PBS’ American Experience and The History Channel (see my “credit-entials” on Imbd), I think these ballasts are a major development worth noting. For more detailed information on the advantages of using PFC ballasts (regardless of manufacturer) visit our website at : www.screenlightandgrip.com/html/hd_plug-n-play_pkg.html. - Guy Holt, Gaffer, Owner/Operator of ScreenLight & Grip – a lighting and grip equipment rental, sales, and production service company in Boston.

David is right that it would be better to use 5500K light sources since the Red’s native color balance is 5000K. But this requires a different approach to lighting the scene than is traditional. In the past, it was customary to use 3200K light sources for night shooting because most high speed films and video imaging systems were balanced for 3200K. With this traditional approach HMIs were used to create blue moonlight and tungsten lights were used to create white or slightly warm lamp-light. In this approach CTO gels are used to either make the HMIs less blue or the tungsten warmer. Using tungsten light sources for a night scene when the Red’s native color balance is 5000K doesn’t make a lot of sense. Balancing tungsten to 5000K is not very efficient because full CTB cuts the output of the light by 70% in converting it to 5000K. A 1000W 3200K light becomes a 300W 5000K light when you put Full CTB on it. A 400 W HMI will give you considerably more lumens/watt than a color corrected Tungsten 1k, and use up a lot less power available from your generator. It makes more sense to use HMIs to light for the Red’s native color balance of 5000K because they provide more lumen/watt and require less filtration with gels. In this approach raw HMI light would provide white light, Half CTB gel would provide moonlight, and Qtr. CTO gel would provide warm lamp light. I personally believe you should always combine color temperatures in a frame. You can shift your overall color balance to the cool side in the camera or in post to create moonlight, but without a white light or warm light reference in the frame, your audience will subconsciously adjust and filter out your moonlight effect. Putting white light in the frame gives your audience a reference point and they will not filter out a color effect like moonlight. One of the downsides to lighting for the Red’s native color balance of 5000K is that it requires an all 5000k balanced lighting package and HMIs are considerably more expensive to buy or rent. A cost effective alternative to HMIs are Kino Flo florescent light fixtures because they can use either 3200K or 5500K tubes. When using 5500K tubes to light for the Red’s 5000K native color balance, you can warm the lights without losing output to CTO gels by simply mixing in 3200K tubes with the 5500k tubes. The drawback to using florescent light fixtures to light night scenes is that they generally have a very broad soft light output that drops off rapidly which means the units need to be positioned close to the subject they are lighting. This characteristic makes them better suited to lighting documentary interviews than dramatic night scenes. The one exception to that rule are the Kino Flo ParaBeam fixtures. The Kino Flo ParaBeam fixtures use computer aided designed (CAD) parabolic reflectors that focus the light output at about 16 feet (5 meters). This feature makes the Kino Flo ParaBeams well suited for HD Digital Cinema, because it doubles the light output of the lamps where it is needed most for lighting dramatic scenes - at a medium distance. Compared to the Kino Flo Diva-Lite, which uses the same four 55 Watt compact lamps and the same ballast, the ParaBeam 400 is twice as bright at 12' – making them a suitable key source for lighting dramatic scenes. Kino Flo also makes available for the ParaBeam fixtures a number of innovative accessories that enhance their production capabilities for HD Digital Cinema. Accessories include barndoors, a gel frame, a diffusion panel, and Honeycomb Louvers. Honeycomb Louvers are available in 90, 60 and 45 degrees and provides beam control similar to that of swapping lenses on an HMI Par. So that you can power more lights off your generator, I would recommend a lighting package that consists of HMI Pars to light your deep background, Kino Flo Parabeams to key your talent, and a traditional Kino Flo 4’ bank to fill. Though it will be harder to find in smaller heads at your local rental house, I would also recommend using HMI electronic ballasts with Power Factor Correction (PFC.) Formerly only available in the higher wattages, this advanced electronics reduces current spikes and harmonics in the power line and contributes to a more economical use of power. 800 & 1200 Watt ballasts with PFC use considerably less power than conventional electronic ballasts. A brand name to ask for is Power to Light (P2L). because P2L is the only manufacturer I know of that is incorporating Power Factor Correction (PFC) into 800w, 1200w, and 2.5kw/4kw ballasts as a standard feature. Where PFC Electronic ballasts require less power to operate HMI lights, they enable you to operate not only more smaller HMI lights off of location power outlets, but also larger HMIs lights off of location power outlets than was possible before. For example, PFC enables P2L’s 4/2.5kw LVI ballast to run 4kw HMI lights off of standard wall outlets with the appropriate adapter. In the interest of full disclosure, I should say that in addition to being a gaffer, I also own and operate a rental house that rents and sells a lot of the equipment recommended above. If it sounds like I’m hyping the P2L line it is not because we rent and sell them. We are also dealers and rental agents for Mole, Power Gems, and ARRI. As a professional Gaffer of a lot of tight budgeted historical documentaries for PBS’ American Experience and The History Channel (see my “credit-entials” on Imbd), I think these ballasts are a major development worth noting. While not a tremendous advantage when plugging into house power, the power efficiency of PFC ballasts can make a huge difference when powering a lighting package off of portable generators. For example, where a Kino Flo Parabeam 400 draws only 2 amps, the 8 Amp difference between using a P2L PFC 1200W electronic ballast and standard non-PFC 1200W electronic ballasts, can mean the difference between running four additional Parabeam 400s on your portable generator or not – I think you would have to agree that is a major boost in production capability. And when you start to add up the incremental savings in power over multiple HMI ballasts in a lighting package, add to it the energy efficiency of light sources like LEDs and Kino Flos, and combine it with new distribution technology we have developed that provides 7500W of power in a single 120V circuit from a modified Honda EU6500is portable generator, you have what, I would argue, amounts to a paradigm shift in how to approach lighting night scenes. For example, on a recent independent short I used our modified Honda EU6500is Generator to power a lighting package that consisted of a 2.5kw, 1200, & 800 HMI Pars (with PFC ballasts), a couple of Kino Flo Parabeam 400s, a couple of Parabeam 200s, and a Flat Head 80. Given the light sensitivity of the Red Camera, this was all the light we needed to light a large night exterior. The scene takes place behind a mall, rather than the woods, but the principles are the same: we used the 2.5 HMI par to light the deep background, the 1200 HMI par to light the near background, and the 800 Joker was mounted on a Source 4 Leko with a bug-a-beam adapter to create a window pattern on the ground from a building that doesn’t exist but you don’t see that in the movie. We used two Parabeam 400s to key the talent and a Kino Flo Flathead 80 to fill the entire scene. We pitched the color temperature of the lights to the Red’s native 5000K color balance as follows: the 2.5 & 1200 Pars were gelled with ½ CTB for moonlight. We put half CTO on the Joker 800 to create warm window light. We mixed 3200K tubes into the Parabeam 400 on the “window” side to create a warm key source motivated by the window. The Parabeam on the other side was gelled with ¼ CTB to create a cool key source motivated by the moonlight. Finally, we lamped the Flathead 80 with only 5500K tubes to create a slightly cool fill. To see the final results, use this link - www.screenlightandgrip.com/html/hdfilmstrip4lg.html - to our website where we have posted more detailed information on the lighting package we used along with production stills from the movie. Guy Holt, Gaffer, ScreenLight & Grip