Guy Holt

It takes more skill to make an indie film than a big budget studio picture. Where a Hollywood production can throw money at a problem, an indie production must work smart. I have started this thread as a place where we can share indie tricks-of-the-trade for realizing big budget production values on a modest budget. Or, as Phil Rhodes so eloquently put it in a recent thread “by the application of hard-won and exquisitely-realized skill.” Posts to this thread should not herald DIY lights, nor lighting a set with practicals alone. The emphasis should be on FILM CRAFT using a basic tool kit that can be carried in a 18’ rental box (say a 3-5 Ton Grip & Electric Pkg.) and powered off the wall or off of putt-putts (no diesel tow plants.) With the newest camera systems that are capable of a fourteen stop exposure range and ASA sensitivities of 1600 without grain you shouldn’t need anything more to get decent production values if you know what you are doing and willing to work hard. I will start it off by re-posting here my post from the thread “Night Lighting - Balloon VS Dino/Wendy's” (http://www.cinematography.com/index.php?showtopic=70842.) This thread is for those productions for which $1500 for a balloon light or a generator to power a Wendy light is simply not in the budget and they have to figure out how to accomplish the same look for a lot less. For example, I would say the smart indie alternative would be shoot his wide establishing shots dusk-for-night and only his close coverage night-for-night. Dusk-for-night, is an important technique for indie filmmakers to learn because it is a means of obtaining expensive looking production values for very little money. Dusk-for-night uses the fading daylight as an ambient fill to gain a base line exposure in wide establishing shots without using a big source like a balloon light. Typically it is intercut with closer framing shot night-for-night to create a realistic night scene. The advantage to shooting dusk-for-night over day-for-night (the other low budget alternative to expensive night-for-night cinematography on a large scale) is that if you are shooting a house or city street you can incorporate set practicals like window or porch light, car headlights, or even streetlights or raking moonlight in a wide establishing shot. But in order to get the balance right between your lamp light and the fading daylight requires the right location and careful planning. For example, the key to success in shooting the house pictured below dusk-for-night is choosing the right location. To get the subtle separation of the night sky and trees from a dark horizon, you don’t want to shoot into the after glow of the setting sun. Instead you want to find a location where you will be shooting into the darker eastern sky. With dusk-for-night, you have maybe a thirty-minute window of opportunity after the sun has set to shoot the wide master before the natural ambient light fades completely so you have to have everything planned out, rehearsed, and ready to go. In order to get the balance right between the practicals and the ambient dusk light in the limited time you have to shoot the establishing shot, you have to start with larger fixtures and be prepared to reduce their intensity quickly. For instance if you want the glow of an interior practical light raking the lace curtains in a window, start with a PH213 in the practical and 2k Fresnel raking the lace curtain. Wait until the ambient dusk level outside has fallen to the point where the balance between the natural light and your lamp light looks realistic and then roll. To get a second take, open the camera aperture a half stop and drop a single in the 2k head, dim down the PH213, and wait again until the ambient dusk level outside has again fallen to the point where it looks realistic and then roll. If you continue in this fashion with nets after you have exhausted your scrims, and a PH212 when the dimmed PH213 starts to look too warm, you will be able to get multiple takes out of the diminishing dusk light. Likewise with a streetlight or moonlight raking across the front of the house. To create a moon dapple on the front of a house against a night sky, you will need a good sized HMI set on a high oblique angle so that it will rake across the front of the house. Break it up with a branch-a-loris and wait. When the ambient level of the dusk sky has fallen to the point where it looks realistic against the moonlit house and the practical lit interior - roll. You can even add a car pulling up to the house, but you have to be prepared and have enough manpower standing by to dim the practicals, net the lights, and scrim the car’s head lights very quickly. The final touch is to use a graduated ND filter on the lens to darken the sky and balance the camera between daylight and tungsten so that the ambient dusk light filling the shadows is cool and the practicals and tungsten lights motivated by them remain warm but not too warm. Once dusk is past, you shoot the close coverage night-for-night when a package consisting of what you can run on a portable generator will suffice. If you parallel two of the Honda EU7000is generators for 120A output, you will be able to use a 6k HMI for your moonlight at dusk on top of a sizeable tungsten package to light the interior of a house to a high level to match the daylight. For example, the scene below takes place in the middle of a near vacant parking lot of an all night convenience store. The establishing shot of the brightly lit convenience store situated in a wide-open expanse of a empty parking lot at night was shot dusk-for-night because the production didn’t have the resources to light up the parking lot and building to separate it from the night sky. Close coverage was then shot night-for-night with nothing more than a single modified 7500W Honda EU6500is and a small tungsten package of 1ks and 650w Fresnels. Left: Close coverage shot night-for-night. Center: Transformer/Distro provides 60A/120V circuit from Honda EU6500 and compensates for voltage drop over long cable run to set. Right: Operating the Honda EU6500 from behind the grip truck at a distance was all the blimping required to record clean audio tracks. With no building or other sound barrier within a reasonable distance to block the sound of the generator, Gaffer Aaron MacLaughlin put it behind their grip truck as far from set as possible. This was only possible because he used a transformer to step down the 240V output of the generator, and in the process compensate for the voltage drop they experienced over the 500’ cable run to set. Operating the Honda EU6500 from behind the grip truck at a distance was all the blimping required to record clean audio tracks. Guy Holt, Gaffer, Screenlight and Grip, Lighting rental and sales in Boston.

Amanda, Yes, that is Peter Prostowich from Available Light NYC on the left of the center picture above. They have come up to Boston twice (the last time about three years ago) to train IASTE Local 481 members. Guy Holt, Gaffer ScreenLight & Grip Lightng Rental & Sales in Boston

Well put Phil. It takes more skill to make an indie film than a big budget studio picture. Where a Hollywood production can throw money at a problem, an Indy production must work smart. Take Simon Rowling’s original post. The smart indie approach would be shoot his wide establishing shots dusk-for-night and only his close coverage night-for-night. Dusk-for-night, is an important technique for indie filmmakers to learn because it is a means of obtaining expensive looking production values for very little money. Dusk-for-night uses the fading daylight as an ambient fill to gain a base line exposure in wide establishing shots without using a big source like a balloon light. Typically it is intercut with closer framing shot night-for-night to create a realistic night scene. The advantage to shooting dusk-for-night over day-for-night (the other low budget alternative to expensive night-for-night cinematography on a large scale) is that if you are shooting a house or city street you can incorporate set practicals like window or porch light, car headlights, or even streetlights or raking moonlight in a wide establishing shot. But in order to get the balance right between your lamp light and the fading daylight requires the right location and careful planning. For example, the key to success in shooting the house pictured below dusk-for-night is choosing the right location. To get the subtle separation of the night sky and trees from a dark horizon, you don’t want to shoot into the after glow of the setting sun. Instead you want to find a location where you will be shooting into the darker eastern sky. With dusk-for-night, you have maybe a thirty-minute window of opportunity after the sun has set to shoot the wide master before the natural ambient light fades completely so you have to have everything planned out, rehearsed, and ready to go. In order to get the balance right between the practicals and the ambient dusk light in the limited time you have to shoot the establishing shot, you have to start with larger fixtures and be prepared to reduce their intensity quickly. For instance if you want the glow of an interior practical light raking the lace curtains in a window, start with a PH213 in the practical and 2k Fresnel raking the lace curtain. Wait until the ambient dusk level outside has fallen to the point where the balance between the natural light and your lamp light looks realistic and then roll. To get a second take, open the camera aperture a half stop and drop a single in the 2k head, dim down the PH213, and wait again until the ambient dusk level outside has again fallen to the point where it looks realistic and then roll. If you continue in this fashion with nets after you have exhausted your scrims, and a PH212 when the dimmed PH213 starts to look too warm, you will be able to get multiple takes out of the diminishing dusk light. Likewise with a streetlight or moonlight raking across the front of the house. To create a moon dapple on the front of a house against a night sky, you will need a good sized HMI set on a high oblique angle so that it will rake across the front of the house. Break it up with a branch-a-loris and wait. When the ambient level of the dusk sky has fallen to the point where it looks realistic against the moonlit house and the practical lit interior - roll. You can even add a car pulling up to the house, but you have to be prepared and have enough manpower standing by to dim the practicals, net the lights, and scrim the car’s head lights very quickly. The final touch is to use a graduated ND filter on the lens to darken the sky and balance the camera between daylight and tungsten so that the ambient dusk light filling the shadows is cool and the practicals and tungsten lights motivated by them remain warm but not too warm. Once dusk is past, you shoot the close coverage night-for-night when a package consisting of what you can run on a portable generator will suffice. If you parallel two of the Honda EU7000is generators for 120A output, you will be able to use a 6k HMI for your moonlight at dusk on top of a sizeable tungsten package to light the interior of a house to a high level to match the daylight. For example, the scene below takes place in the middle of a near vacant parking lot of an all night convenience store. The establishing shot of the brightly lit convenience store situated in a wide-open expanse of a empty parking lot at night was shot dusk-for-night because the production didn’t have the resources to light up the parking lot and building to separate it from the night sky. Close coverage was then shot night-for-night with nothing more than a single modified 7500W Honda EU6500is and a small tungsten package of 1ks and 650w Fresnels. Left: Close coverage shot night-for-night. Center: Transformer/Distro provides 60A/120V circuit from Honda EU6500 and compensates for voltage drop over long cable run to set. Right: Operating the Honda EU6500 from behind the grip truck at a distance was all the blimping required to record clean audio tracks. With no building or other sound barrier within a reasonable distance to block the sound of the generator, Gaffer Aaron MacLaughlin put it behind their grip truck as far from set as possible. This was only possible because he used a transformer to step down the 240V output of the generator, and in the process compensate for the voltage drop they experienced over the 500’ cable run to set. Operating the Honda EU6500 from behind the grip truck at a distance was all the blimping required to record clean audio tracks. There is reason to be optimistic Phil. The cost of feature production values is coming down. Mole Richardson is introducing this month at NAB a LED Tener that draws only 1400W. Just, think of what can be accomplished with that and the newest camera systems that are capable of a fourteen stop exposure range and ASA sensitivities of 1600 without grain – you won’t need anything more than can be operated on the enhanced 7500W output of a modified Honda EU6500 and EU7000 to get good production values in most production situations. Pretty soon the only barrier to success in this industry will be talent and drive. Guy Holt, Gaffer, Screenlight and Grip, Lighting rental and sales in Boston.

It may be insane, but that is what they cost on the east coast. I went back through recent quotes I have received for balloons and the most recent one from August 2015 was for an 8k HMI for two weeks at a daily rate of $1’237.50 at a three day week ($3’712.50/wk.) Helium was $190/tank with a estimated cost of $1’520.00. Local balloon techs get $500/10hrs. And, that is not even taking into account the hidden costs to independent productions. The hidden costs start with the fact that you typically need a generator to power them. To the cost of a tow plant you have to add the cost of delivery and pick-up of the generator (usually $125 each way) since Ryder and Penske box trucks (the preferred mode of transportation for low budget productions) are not equipped to tow. Since many film productions change locations frequently, sometimes within the same day, delivery and pick-up of diesel generators gets expensive very quickly. Adding to the cost of a diesel tow plant is the fact that in most municipalities the use of a generator over 10kw requires an electrical permit, which can only be pulled by a licensed electrician. Because the electrician must be bonded and is putting their license on the line, they are not cheap. In the Boston market there are only a handful of licensed electricians that will pull a permit for a production and they charge from $600-$1000 for the service. Even if you make it affordable for a low budget production to rent a balloon light, the cost of helium (which can’t be shipped) and powering it can make it prohibitively expensive. Our modified 7500W Honda EU6500is generator and 60A Full Power Transformer/Distro powering 4kw HMI and 8kw Tungsten AirStar Balloons at the IATSE Local 481 Balloon Seminar. What’s made it possible for us to use balloons in the past is operating them on 7500W modified Honda EU6500s. The advantage to Hondas is that they are easily transported in rental box trucks so there are no delivery and pick up charges. And, no permits are required since they are under 10kW. As pictured in the IATSE Local 481 Balloon Technician training seminar above, a 7500W modified Honda EU6500s with 60A Transformer/Distro can power a 4k HMI balloon or 7 out of the 8 1k globes of an 8K tungsten balloon. To power larger balloons you can parallel two Honda EU6500s or EU7000s. Guy Holt, Gaffer & IATSE Local 481 Certified Balloon Technician, ScreenLight & Grip, Lighting Rental & Sales in Boston.

That may be the case in major markets like LA and NYC, but in secondary markets like Boston it is another story. Rental houses here don’t rent balloons because they are a highly specialized piece of equipment that requires a qualified operator. What most productions in the Northeast do is to contract with either Available Light or SourceMaker in NYC for balloons. The cost of lighting balloons gets very expensive by the time you add up everything. A 4k HMI Balloon alone costs about $900/day. To that you have to add the Helium which costs about $150/tank and usually four are needed. Balloon Technicians usually cost $500/10Hrs and their time is based on “door-to-door” or the time they leave their shop to the time they return and doesn’t include travel expenses or accommodations if a multi-day production. Guy Holt, Gaffer, ScreenLight & Grip, Lighting Rental & Sales in Boston.

If you are referring to the opening scene after the title sequence when Jango is freed, that was lit by Bob Richardson in his usual highly stylized fashion. To successfully light a night scene on a tight budget requires that you first have a clear concept for the shot. From there you can figure out an innovative approach to accomplish that look. What tools who need and how you deploy them will follow. A good example is a very similar scene I lit on a “low budget” feature called "Black Irish." It was a pivotal scene where the youngest son of an Irish American patriarch crashes his derelict older brother's car setting off an unfortunate series of events. For the scene we had to light 1000 ft of Marginal Street in Chelsea for driving shots on a process trailer and the scene of the accident. Our biggest challenge was to create through the lighting the feel of a car hurdling down the road at high speed. The problem was that even after lighting the equivalent of three football fields, the process trailer couldn't obtain a speed of more than 30 mph before it was out of the light. The traditional approach of under-cranking the camera to increase the speed was not an option because the scene was a pivotal one with extensive dialogue inside the car. So, we had to create the effect of speed through the lighting. I came up with a concept that was as beautiful in its practical simplicity as in its psychological complexity. To heighten the sense of speed of the process trailer shots we rigged 500w practical fixtures along a four hundred foot wall on one side of the road. We spaced the practical wall lights twice as close together as they would be normally. This way, as the car passed by, areas of light and dark would pass rapidly by in the background and exaggerate the speed at which the car was traveling. When it came time to shoot the static wide establishing shot of the car racing down the road, we dismantled every other wall practical in order to reinforce the effect. On an unconscious level the viewer's mind registers in the establishing shot the wider spacing of the wall lamps. So when in the close up process shots the pools of light in the background are racing past at twice the rate because there are, in fact, twice as many lights, the viewer's mind registers the car is traveling at twice the speed it is, in fact, traveling. In addition to the wall practicals, I simulated car dash board light on the actor's faces with a 12v 9" Kino Car kit. The play of the passing wall lights on the actor's faces were created by a revolving 650W Fresnel with diffusion on its doors rigged on the process trailer. To light the long stretch of road, I simulated the pools of light that would be created by street lights by rigging 6kw space lights under the baskets of 60' condors that were spaced about 200' apart over the road. In addition to the Space Light, each condor basket also carried a 4k HMI Par that filled the stretches of road between the pools of tungsten light with a cool moonlight. To continue the moonlight down the road there was yet another 4k HMI Par on a Mambo Combo Stand. Because this 4K was further down the road than was practical to run cable, it was powered by a Honda 5500W portable generator. A 12kw HMI Fresnel with 1/2 CTO through a 12x frame of Soft Frost served to pick up the deep background from the front on one end of Marginal Street while a 6kw HMI Par lit the other end. To supply power on both sides of the road for a 1000' stretch was no small task. I used three generator plants strategically placed so that our cable would never cross the road in a shot. In addition to the Honda 5500W portable generator that powered the 4kw HMI Par light for the deep background, I used a 800A plant to power the 4kw HMI Pars and 6kw Space Lights in the condors, the 12kw Fresnel, and the base camp trailers and work lights. The 6kw Par, 12 - 500W practicals, and an assortment of smaller HMI's used to light the post crash scene were powered by a 450A plant on the far end of the roadway. This example, demonstrates that once you have a concept you can come up with an innovative approach to accomplish it. The tools and how to deploy them follow. This example also demonstrates that the right tools, used in an innovative way, can create startling results on a low budget. Since “low budget” is a relative term it would be helpful to know what the budget is for your movie and have more details about the sequence and location. Guy Holt, Gaffer, ScreenLight & Grip, Lighting Rental & Sales in Boston

Would you consider one with an onboard Crawford 1400A generator? Guy Holt ScreenLight & Grip Lighting Rental & Sales in Boston

We live on a planet with one moon. The position of the light in your condor establishes the direction of the moonlight in your establishing shots. For the close up coverage you can cheat the direction of "moonlight" to keep that cool back edge on your talent with a smaller HMI on a menace arm, but I would keep the direction of the moonlight in the background consistent with your establishing shots. Nothing looks worse then looking down a street and seeing the sheen of the moon on the pavement and the deep shadows raking forward and then turning around to shoot the opposite direction down the street and seeing the same thing. You can get away with it with street lights but not the moon. Guy Holt, Gaffer ScreenLight & Grip Lighting Rental & Sales in Boston

If your shooting a low budget feature and trying to create moonlight to contrast with firelight, then you are going down the wrong path by using Dinos or Tungsten Halogen Balloons. Since HMI is a much more efficient light source (more FC/Watt) than Tungsten Halogen and closer to the color temperature you want to read as moonlight in contrast to firelight, you would be better served by using an HMI balloon or an HMI head in a condor. Since moonlight is a hard source (creates hard shadows) I would not use a soft source like a HMI Balloon. Also, balloon lights are not cheap to rent because most renters of balloon lights require that you hire one of their technicians to operate it (that sausage light you picture probably costs a couple of thousand a day with an operator.) The way this used to be done was to put a 18k HMI Fresnel in a condor. It was expensive because in addition to the light you had to rent a diesel tow plant to power it, a grip truck to tow it, a CDL driver to drive the truck, and a licensed electrician to pull the permit for the generator. Now-a-days you can put a 9kw ARRIMAX M90 in the condor (it has nearly the output of a 18K Fresnel and similar quality of light) and power it off a couple of paralleled Honda EU6500s or EU7000s (see picture below.) Given the speed of cameras these days, what else you need can be plugged into the wall. You no longer need the big lights to get good production values Paralleled Honda EU6500s power an ARRIMAX M90 in a condor (note 240V Shock Block used for ground fault protection since the streets were wetted down to increase the contrast of the shot.) For example, a milestone of sorts was set on the north shore of Boston recently. The feature film “The Last Poker Game” starring Martin Landau (Mission Impossible) and Paul Sorvino (Good Fellas) shot its’ principle photography with nothing more than a Honda EU6500is. Martin Landau and Paul Sorvino in a scene from “The Last Poker Game” It is a milestone because “The Last Poker Game” is no low budget indie. It was produced by Peter Pastorelli, Marshall Johnson and Eddie Rubin. Peter Pastorelli’s credits include the Netflix film Beasts Of No Nation, which he produced alongside Johnson, and The Disappearance Of Eleanor Rigby, which stared James McAvoy and Jessica Chastain. Johnson’s other credits include Blue Valentine and The Place Beyond The Pines with Ryan Gosling; Rubin’s credits include Love And Honor. Left: Honda EU6500is modified for 60A output. Center: 300ft cable run through the assisted living complex. Right: ARRIMAX M40 head creating sunny look on a rainy day. “Last Poker Game” follows Dr. Abe Mandelbaum (Landau), who has just moved into a luxuriant assisted living facility with his ailing wife. After forming an unlikely friendship with a womanizing gambler (Sorvino), their relationship is tested when they each try to convince a mysterious nurse, played by Maria Dizzia (Orange Is The New Black), that he is her long-lost father. 60A HD Plug-n-Play Transformer/Distro powering ARRIMAX M40 and M18 on the set of the “Last Poker Game” The principle location for the movie was a sprawling new assisted living facility in Newburyport Ma. At only 60% occupancy, the production was able to secure a whole wing of the facility, which was ideal except that the loading dock, where they could operate a generator, was on the other side of the complex. Paul Sorvino in a scene from the “Last Poker Game” Given the light sensitivity of the Red that they were shooting on, the production was able to get away with nothing more than one of our modified Honda EU6500is generators. To compensate for the drop in voltage over the long cable run, the production used one of our proprietary HD Plug-n-Play Transformer/Distros that enable you to step up voltage in 5% increments. This feature enabled them to maintain full line level even after running out 300’ of cable between the generator and set. From the Transformer/Distro on set the crew then ran out 60A Bates extensions through out the wing, breaking out to 20A pockets wherever they needed. Martin Landau and Paul Sorvino in a bar scene from the “Last Poker Game” This way they could run up to three 1.8kw Arri M80s, or a 4kw M40 when they needed a bigger source, without having to worry about tripping breakers. With ARRIMAX reflectors, these heads were plenty big enough to light scenes in the day room, dinning area, and lounge of the residence wing, everything else they could plug into the wall. ARRIMAX M40 powered by modified Honda EU6500 and 60A HD Plug-n-Play Transformer/Distro lights bar scene from the “Last Poker Game” Using a small portable generator also enabled the production to save money by building out rental box trucks to serve as their electric and grip trucks since the trucks didn’t have to tow a diesel tow plant. This proved to be advantageous when the production went out on location in the streets of Newburyport. An old port city on the north shore of Boston, Newburyport is a warren of narrow streets through which it would have been difficult to tow a diesel generator. “The Last Poker Game” is, as far as we know, the first major film to take advantage of the combination of improved camera imaging, more efficient light sources, and Honda generators customized for motion picture production. Guy Holt, Gaffer ScreenLight & Grip Lighting Rental & Sales in Boston

Given what you had to work with, I agree that you made the right choice to use frontal light-the frontal lighting suites the feel and energy of the piece. My one criticism would be the density of the shadows when they first come out of the store and the shadows of their arms on the white tee shirt. Reducing the overall contrast of the scene would have helped. The problem with talent that moves that much is that you can’t put them under a silk which means that you need a big source to light them. Movies that I have worked on use a 12k Par on a western dolly leading the actors. A 4x frame with heavy diffusion is used to soften the 12k so that it looks natural. Without an overhead net or silk nothing less than a 12k par pushed through diffusion would give you that light quality. Lighting with reflectors boards is much harsher and will cause the talent to squint. Where you probably can’t afford a big HMI and the big generator to operate it, your next best option would be a 4k ARRIMAX through a light diffusion. You can run a 4k on a modified 7500W Honda EU6500is generator. To record dialogue without picking up the sound of the generator, run the generator out of the back of a van or truck at some distance or from around the corner of a building. To avoid line loss over the long cable run to the generator use a Transformer/Distro on set to boost the voltage to compensate for the drop of voltage you will get over the long cable run. Rig the 4k on a doorway dolly and lead the actors by about 15’ and it will look good in a medium two shot. If you have any questions about using transformers with generators, I would suggest you read an article I wrote on the use of portable generators in motion picture production. Harry Box, author of “The Set Lighting Technician’s Handbook” has cited my article in the Fourth Edition of the handbook. Of the article Harry Box states: "Great work!... this is the kind of thing I think very few technician's ever get to see, and as a result many people have absolutely no idea why things stop working." "Following the prescriptions contained in this article enables the operation of bigger lights, or more smaller lights, on portable generators than has ever been possible before." Use this link for my news letter article on the use of portable gas generators in motion picture production. Guy Holt, Gaffer SceenLight & Grip Lighting Rental & Sales in Boston

Placement of the globe arc in the reflector is critical to optimizing the performance of each light and the ideal placement is different for each type of reflector. The casting of the AS18/M18 has mounts for each reflector to optimize performance, the Arrisun 12 has mounts only for a par reflector. If I remember correctly the ARRIMAX reflector of the M18 mounts forward of the par reflector, which would mean that the casting of the Arrisun 12 does not extend forward enough to fit the ARRIMAX reflector. The AS18/M18 offer other benefits such as power factor correction in the ballast that make it worth while for you to sell the Arrisun 12 and buy an AS18 and the conversion kit ( use this link for more details.) Guy Holt, Gaffer ScreenLight & Grip Lighting Rental & Sales in Boston

I agree with Mark except for the part about “ALWAYS getting your wide coverage first.” Sometimes what you are presented with at first is not ideal and it is better to wait to shoot the master until the light is right. A good example of waiting for the opportune time to shoot the master shot is a scene I once lit for an indie feature that took place around a campsite surrounded by woods. The problem with shooting in the clearings of woods is that the sun moves across them much faster than one would think – making it hard to maintain continuity in a dialogue scene. What we did was net the talent area with a 20x20 double and throw dried leaves on top of the net to create foliage break-up. We did this even though the talent area was in full sun because we knew the scene was going to take a while to shoot and our charting of the sun’s path showed the area would be in shade within the hour. So in order to maintain continuity we created shade from the outset. We also figured out where the sun was going to be throughout the day and where it would look best for our establishing wide shot, and lit our close coverage to match. Where the scene consisted mostly of two shots, mostly over the shoulder of one character talking to the second character who was standing with his back to the breakfast campfire with the woods behind him, we decided the scene would look best when the sun had moved into a near back light position for him. Since we were shooting under the double net with leaves we didn’t need lights any bigger than a 4k Par. The 4k was heavily diffused and positioned so that it gave the talent facing the camera the most attractive modeling. We also positioned a 1.2kw Par without diffusion where the sun would be when we would shoot the wide so that there would be a consistent edge throughout the scene. When the time came to shoot the establishing shot, the shadow of the overhead frame and stands were thrown forward and did not interfere with the wider framing. Since we were still shooting under the net, we were wider open on the iris and so our exposure dug into the dark woods and brought out more detail. As an added bonus the smoke from the campfire drifted into the woods, creating shafts of light where the sun broke through the tree canopy. What could easily have been a disjointed scene without continuity, turned into a beautifully lit scene, and was accomplished without a lot of amps. The whole scene was lit with nothing more than a 4k and 1.2k Par and powered by nothing more than a 60A/120 circuit from a modified 7500W Honda EU6500is. To record dialogue without picking up the sound of the generator, we ran several hundred feet of 30A/250V twist-lock cable from the generator to set and used a step-down transformer/distro to boost the voltage to compensate for line loss over the long cable run. The Honda EU6500is is so quiet that running it at that distance was all the attenuation needed. Guy Holt, Gaffer, ScreenLight & Grip, Lighting Rental & Sales in Boston

Can you post a frame that shows the fire in the shot as well. Guy Holt, Gaffer ScreenLight & Grip Lighting Rental & Sales in Boston

But pars won't give you clean crisp shadows unless they are far far away. I have only had the opportunity to test the smaller 150W Mole LED Fresnel, but if it is any indicator the 900W is probably power factor corrected. As you can see by the power quality meter readings below, the Mole 150W LED has a power factor of unity and draws virtually no harmonic currents. (The 150W Mole LED has a pf of unity and Total Harmonic Distortion of 4.6%) This is in stark contrast to Litepanel’s Sola4 LED Fresnel (below) that has a power factor of .60 and total harmonic distortion of 77.7%. In conducting tests of LED lights, I am discovering that a lot of LED AC power supplies are not power factor corrected (pfc) making them much less efficient than tungsten lights that have unity power. With power factors as low as .45, LEDs can draw twice the current than a tungsten light of the same wattage. If you don’t take into account the extra current they will draw and the harmonic currents they will generate, you may find breakers tripping and portable generators running erratically. (The Litepanel Sola 4 has a pf of .60 and Total Harmonic Distortion of 77.7%) The manufacturers of LED Light fixtures generally do not give power factor specifications for their products. One would think that the less expensive LED lights would not be pfc, while the more expensive ones would, but that proved not to be the case in recent testing I did of fixtures. Over half of the fixtures that I tested at random (from the inventories of Boston area rental and lighting sales companies) were not pfc. With power factors ranging from .45 to .63, these fixtures generated considerable harmonic distortion (THD ranged from 75-85%.) (The pf of the Litepanel Astra drops to .54 when dimmed to 50%) Even those that were pfc generated harmonic currents when dimmed. For instance, the pfc of the new Litepanel Astra 1x1 above dropped from .99 to .54 when dimmed 50% (THD increased to 83.2%.) To see which LED lights are power factor corrected or not, use this link - http://www.screenlightandgrip.com/html/emailnewsletter_generators.html#anchorHigh Output AC LEDs - to see some of the results of my tests. Guy Holt, Gaffer ScreenLight & Grip Lighting Rental & Sales in Boston

Given that the OP is already complaining about insufficient output, I don’t think this is a solution. It seems like what he wants is a Fresnel light. Unfortunately that is hard to accomplish with LEDs because Fresnel lenses require a point source of light and to date there is no single emitter LED capable of replicating a tungsten filament or short arc HMI in that regard. Though probably the oldest type of light, Fresnels are by far the most versatile. What makes them so versatile is their incredible optics. A Fresnel lens can be regarded as an array of prisms arranged in a circular fashion, with steeper prisms on the edges and a nearly flat convex lens at the center. The prisms near the center of the light source act as "dioptric" lenses that magnify and concentrate the output of the lamp filament. At the same time, the multiple prisms mounted around the periphery of the lens (above, below, on one side and the other of the filament), act as "catadioptric" lenses that collect and intensify the light and redirect it in the same plane as the dioptric lenses towards the center. In this fashion, a Fresnel lens bends the light of a source into a column of nearly parallel rays as shown in the illustration below. A common misunderstanding is that the reflector collimates the light of a Fresnel head. In fact, the purpose of the reflector is to double the intensity of its' output. When the light-emitting filament of the bulb is placed near the center of curvature of a spherical, concave polished mirror reflector, the reflecting surface creates an image of the filament. That image is located in the same plane, but slightly displaced from the filament itself. This has the effect of doubling the amount of light forward projected from the locale of the lamp filament In other words, without the reflector, "this reflector light" (the dashed lines in the illustration above) would have been lost in the back of the lamp housing. With a reflector, these rays of light are collected and sent back to their point of origin where they emanate forward, parallel with the direct rays of light from the filament (the solid line in the illustration above), towards the back of the Fresnel lens where they are together collimated by the lens (for this reason the filaments of the bulbs used in Fresnel heads are designed with an open geometry to minimize blocking of the retro-reflected light - making them not quite an ideal point source.) Now that all the light that emanated forward and back, emanates forward from a single point within the fixture (the filament and its mirror image), the light projected forward is doubled. The efficiency of this lamp/reflector design, the collimated quality of it's light output, and the ability of the Fresnel lens to focus the rays of light quickly and easily to obtain a desired intensity or beam width, is what makes the Fresnel head one of the most versatile fixtures to work with. Without the doubling effect of a mirrored reflector, more output is required from a single emitter LED to generate a light output comparable to a tungsten or HMI Fresnel. The Quantum Dot technology being developed by Mole Richardson holds some promise but still is not capable of the output of a tungsten filament. There is a lot more to not like about LEDs: the color rendering capability of most LED lights is pretty poor and their power supplies can draw harmonic currents making them a poor choice to operate on portable generators. Use this link for more details about the drawbacks of LEDs and a very informative video demonstrating that the color rendering problems are not easily remedied in post. Guy Holt, Gaffer, ScreenLight & Grip, Lighting Sales and Rentals in Boston

I realize where Phil is posting from and I envy his situation. There are major benefits to working with 230-240V European power. Not only are your cables smaller, but since Universal HMI ballasts have an operating range from 195-260V, you don’t really need to be concerned about voltage drop. Here in 120V land, voltage drop is a real issue. Between voltage drop on a small portable generator under load, and line loss on long cable runs, voltage can drop to the point where HMI ballasts won’t strike. This is particularly true when using open frame generators like the being discussed here. A feature film production powered by a Honda EB10000 Open frame generators of that size typically put out about 72dbs at 23'. At that noise level the generator has to be moved far off set where it won’t be picked up on the audio tracks, which results in significant line loss from the long cable run back to set. To the problem of line loss, you have the added problem that as you add load, the voltage drops on portable generators (it is not uncommon for a generator to drop 5-10 volts under full load.) Campfire scene on the beach powered by a Honda EB10000 The combination of voltage drop on the generator and line loss on a long cable run can cause voltage to drop to the point where HMI and Kino ballasts cut out unexpectedly or won't strike at all. Low voltage can also cause problems such as reduced efficiency and excessive heat in equipment, unnecessary additional load on the generator, and a dramatic shift in the color temperature and in the output of lights (use this link for a details.) For these reasons, portable gas generators are typically operated too close to set where they are picked up on audio tracks. The trick to recording clean audio with open frame generators is to use a boost transformer that enables you to operate the generator at a distance without suffering from voltage drop. Left: Honda EB10000 operating out of grip truck (note set at distance (bright spot on right side.)) Center: 84A Full Power Transformer/Distro compensates for Voltage Drop over 400ft cable run. Right: Beach Set with 120v full line level 500ft from power source. For example, on the production of “Gasp” the crew ran our modified 10kw Honda EB10000 out of their grip truck 500 ft. from their beach set. To assure full line level on set, the production used the boost capacity of our 84A Transformer/Distro to compensate for the appreciable line loss over the long cable run. Left: Beach Set lit by Arri M18 and 6kw Par. Center: Secondary side power distributed with standard 100 Bates Gang Boxes. Right: Set viewed from generator (note: distance and extent of set power distribution.) From the Transformer/Distro they then ran 4/3 Bates Extension to set where they broke out to 20A Edison receptacles using 100A gang boxes in order to power an assortment of smaller tungsten fixtures to simulate the firelight and an ARRI M18 to simulate moonlight on the actors around the fire. To light the deep background the crew put a 240V Siamese in-line before the transformer/distro to power a 6kw HMI Par. Even with a sizable load, they experienced no appreciable voltage drop on set even after a 500' cable run because the Transformer/Distro compensated for both the line loss of the cable and voltage drop of the generator under near full load. With nothing more than a Honda EB10000 and house power the crew of "Gasp" was able to maintain the look and feel of a sunny summer day even when filming in the midst of a hurricane in October. The principle location for "Gasp" was an idyllic beach house right on the ocean. To light interiors of the beach house, the crew of "Gasp" used the Honda EB10000 to power two 4k Pars coming in from the outside, and house power to power an assortment of smaller HMI and Kino fixtures. Left: Ready for rain on the set of "Gasp." Center: Two 4kw Pars operate on a 10kw Honda EB10000 Generator through our 84A Full Power Transformer/Distro. Right: 100A Shock Block GFCI downstream of Full Power Transformer/Distro offers Ground Fault Protection for entire 100A distro system. The indie film"Gasp" is a good example of how the voltage boost capacity of a Transformer/Distro makes it possible to record clean audio tracks with even open frame generators under the worst of conditions. Guy Holt, Gaffer ScreenLight & Grip Lighting Rental & Sales in Boston

The worst part is that because of the revisions to NEC 445.20: Ground-Fault Circuit Interrupter Protection for Receptacles on 15kW or Smaller Portable Generators, manufacturers of portable generators are putting hardware store type GFCIs on their single-phase generators. For example the 20A receptacles on the new Honda EU7000is are equipped with GFCIs with 5mA trip thresholds that are prone to tripping with HMIs and Kinos because of the high frequency residual currents that these non-linear loads generate. To add insult to injury, it doesn't have to be this way. In 2003 UL published a new standard (UL 943) designed to avoid GFCIs from nuisance tripping as a result of residual currents. The new standard allows GFCIs to incorporate high frequency filters and trip on an "Inverse Time Curve." Attenuated by a filter, residual currents don't sensitize GFCIs and so pose less of a problem. An inverse time trip curve permits transient conditions that are sufficiently short in duration so as not to pose a hazard while keeping current through the body to safe levels. Relationship of typical GFCI trip curve to the UL943 Curve Even though the UL 943 inverse-time curve was meant to enable GFCIs to operate more reliably in real world conditions, manufacturers of lower-priced Class A GFCIs, like those found on Honda generators and in hardware stores, do not implement the curve because it requires sophisticated micro-processors, which makes the design more complicated and the GFCI more expensive. Instead they use a more aggressive response (like that illustrated above) that is lower and faster than that required by UL 943 (typically 250 ms at 6 mA where UL 943 permits 5.59 seconds.) The more aggressive response of hardware store type GFCIs is permissible because the UL standard is the absolute highest current vs. time response accepted but it is not mandatory. That is, a device will fail UL testing if it responds slower than the standard requires, but will pass as long as the response time is less than the curve time even if it is a lot less. This more aggressive trip curve does not generally pose a problem in the one-tool per circuit applications for which they are designed. After all, power tools are by their nature linear loads that do not generate high frequency harmonic currents. However, the more aggressive trip curve of hardware store style GFCIs has proven to be a problem in applications involving more extensive distribution to multiple non-linear loads, namely the type of distribution that characterizes motion picture production. 100A Shock Stop GFCI Which means the only way to safely use generators like the EU7000 with most HMIs and Kinos is to use film style GFCIs, like the Shock Stops, Shock Blocks, or Bender LifeGuards, that are specifically designed to not nuisance trip under non-linear lighting loads. Since the power from a portable generator can kill you just as assuredly as power from a diesel tow plant, it is critical that you understand how these generators differ from diesel tow plants and what it takes for GFCI devices to operate reliably on them (use this link for details). Guy Holt, Gaffer ScreenLight & Grip Lighting Rental & Sales in Boston

There are a couple of problems with this suggestion from a code standpoint. First, code requires over current protection within 10ft of a change in wire size, which means the pigtail suggested can only be used with a load that has an integral breaker, like an HMI ballast, that is within 10ft of the generator. If you run out 150' of 12/3 extension cable from this adapter you are in violation of code. Second, revisions to the NEC in 2014 require that all 15-, 20-, & 30A receptacles on portable generators smaller than 15kVA be protected by GFCIs when the 240V twist-lock receptacle is in use. The reason NEC 445.20 requires that there be GFCI protection is that a double fault condition, like that illustrated below, can expose an individual touching faulty equipment to 240 volt potential and a possibly lethal shock. In response to this code change Honda is equipping the new EU7000is with GFCI protected 20A/120V duplex outlets. Two Faults can create 240V exposure These code revisions are problematic for users of portable generators for event staging and motion picture production because not only are the hardware store type GFCIs typically used with portable generators designed for home standby power unreliable in these applications, but they can be outright dangerous in that they create the illusion of protection against ground faults when in fact they offer very little (use this link for details). This is not the best way to use this generator. Generators like this are designed for home standby power applications and do not bond ground and neutral. Their neutrals are floating. Without a bonded ground, fault currents will not go to the equipment grounding conductor, but will instead find other means of returning to their source which might be through you. Breaking out from a 14-50 receptacle on a floating neutral generator opens up the possibility of lethal double fault situations like that described above. A better approach is to use a 240V-to-120V step-down transformer at the end of a 240V cable run. Ground and neutral are bonded in transformers, which means fault currents will go to the equipment grounding conductor, thereby minimizing the potential for electrical shock. There are numerous other benefits to using a step-down transformer with portable generators: 1) They create a single large 120V circuit capable of powering larger lights, or more smaller lights, than the generator could otherwise. 2) They automatically balance the load on the two legs of the generator – greatly simplifying electrical distribution 3) They cushion the Impact of Large HMI & Tungsten Heads 4) They enable you to use standard distribution equipment 5) They can boost voltage to compensate for line loss. 6) They enable the reliable operation of the Arri 1800W Baby Max. 7) They brings the Honda EU6500/EU7000 into compliance w/ OSHA Regs 8) They mitigates the effects of harmonics on generators. But the biggest benefit to using a step-down transformer with portable generators is that they enable the use of film style GFCI, like the Shock Stops, that won’t nuisance trip under non-linear lighting loads. In fact, since the 2014 revisions to the NEC have resulted in generator manufacturers incorporating hardware store type GFCIs on portable generators, a Full Power Transformer/Distro offers the only means of providing reliable ground fault protection in wet hazardous locations. Since the power from a portable generator can kill you just as assuredly as power from a diesel tow plant, it is critical that you understand how these generators differ from diesel tow plants and what it takes for GFCI devices to operate reliably on them (use this link for details). Guy Holt, Gaffer ScreenLight & Grip Lighting Rental & Sales in Boston

Here is a third reason to buy a real power factor corrected Arri ballast: the Chinese Arri knock-off ballasts generate considerable electrical noise that will trip hardware store type GFCIs like those found in residences, office buildings, and now on portable generators (just about everywhere these days) since revisions to the 2014 NEC mandate them on all portable generators under 15kVA. Phil may not have experienced this because the European version of GFCIs (RCDs) have a higher trip threshold of 20mA. But, here in the states, where a GFCI has a trip threshold of only 5 mA (+/- 1 mA), the noise generated by these ballasts, if capacitively coupled to ground, will trip a GFCI everytime. This makes the ballast effectively useless when filming outdoors where GFCIs are now mandated by code. The only option is to use a film style GFCI, like Shock Stops, that are specifically designed to operate reliably with even noisy lighting loads (use this link for details.) Guy Holt, Gaffer ScreenLight & Grip Lighting Rental & Sales in Boston

A generator like this has limited applications in filmmaking. You can use it if you are using only incandescent lights (not the most efficient source), you are not recording sound, and you are not using the generator as your primary supply for tech equipment like monitors, lap tops, hard drives, and battery chargers. If you want to use other light sources like HMIs, Fluorescents, & CLF lamp banks, it matters not only what type of generator you use but also what type of HMI & fluorescent ballasts you use. The harmonic noise that non-Power Factor Corrected electronic ballasts (both HMI & Kino) draw can have a severe adverse effect on the power waveform of conventional AVR generators like this one. The harmonic noise these light sources generate will not nearly have as bad an effect on the power supplied by an inverter generator like the Honda EU6500is or EU7000is. For more details on what type of generator to use with HMIs and fluorescent lights use this link for an article I wrote on the use of portable generators in motion picture production. Harry Box, author of “The Set Lighting Technician’s Handbook” has cited my article in the Fourth Edition of the handbook. Here is what he has to say about the article: "Great work!... this is the kind of thing I think very few technician's ever get to see, and as a result many people have absolutely no idea why things stop working." "Following the prescriptions contained in this article enables the operation of bigger lights, or more smaller lights, on portable generators than has ever been possible before. Guy Holt, Gaffer ScreenLight & Grip, Lighting Rental & Sales in Boston

Even if you only plan to use house power, you may want to consider getting a power factor corrected ballast. Without power factor correction the 1200W Chinese Arri knock-off will surely trip a 15A circuit and maybe even trip a 20A circuit. The reason for this is that non-PFC HMI ballasts draw current in high amplitude pulses that include harmonic currents. I won’t go into detail here on the adverse effects that the harmonics generated by non-PFC electronic HMI ballasts can have, but anyone operating HMIs, Kinos, and even LEDs should make themselves acquainted with harmonics (use this link for more details.) Since Ohm's law (W=VxA) doesn't apply to HMI ballasts, the only way to know how much current a HMI ballast will draw is to read the manufacturer’s nameplate. Let’s take a look at one of these nameplates, since deciphering them can be as difficult as deciphering Egyptian Hieroglyphs if you don’t know how to read them. Manufacturer’s nameplate from an Arri 575/1200 Electronic Ballast specifying its’ electrical characteristics (learn how to read it.) Above is the nameplate from an Arri non-PFC 575/1200 Electronic Ballast. The first thing to look for is the ballast’s Volt-Amperes (VA), which is called “Pmax” here. Calculated as the RMS voltage times the current measured at the input to the device, Volt-Amperes is the measurement of "Apparent Power" delivered to a load, which is different than Wattage. Wattage is the True Power dissipation of the lamp calculated by integrating the product of current through the lamp and voltage over time. These may sound like they would be the same (they are in the case of incandescent lamps), however one characteristics of HMI, Flourescent, and LED power supplies is that some of the current flowing into them is not used in the generation of light. The relationship between True and Apparent Power is called the Power Factor (PF.) Since, the Wattage will always be lower than or equal to the Volt-Amperes, PF varies from 0.0 to 1.0. As indicated on its’ nameplate, this ballast has an Apparent Power of 2290VA - which means it draws nearly twice the load of its’ 1200W output. Next to the Pmax, it also indicates that the Power Factor is .6 (cos@=.6) meaning the ballast has to draw 40 percent more power than it uses to generate lumens. The greater Apparent Power drawn by the ballast consists not only of high amplitude short pulses of current, but also harmonic currents that the ballast also draws. The next thing to look for is the relationship between Voltage (U) and Current (I). As this nameplate indicates this ballast will operate with line voltages ranging from 90 to 125 volts (US), and 180 to 250 volts (European.) You will also notice that the current (I) the ballast draws varies with the supply voltage. That is because this ballast is a “Constant Power” ballast. With constant power ballasts, if voltage drops the ballast will draw more current to maintain a constant Apparent Power - 2290VA in this case. For example, according to the nameplate it will draw 18A of current (I) at 125 Volts (U) (2290VA/125V = 18.32A.) If the voltage drops to 90V, it will draw over 25 Amps (2290VA/90V = 25.44A.) This is an important characteristic of non-pfc HMI ballasts that should be taken into account when used outside the studio on location. With an Apparent Power of 2290VA, this non-PFC constant power HMI ballast will operate very close to the threshold of a 20A circuit – too close to operate reliably unless precautions are taken. For example, according to its’ nameplate, it takes 19 Amps at 120 Volts to generate 1200 Watts of light (2290W/120V = 19A). If there is any line loss from a long cable run, the ballast will possibly draw over 20 Amps in order to compensate for the voltage drop. For instance, at 110V it will draw 20.8 Amps. To the problem of line loss, usually there is also increased resistance from an overheated plug end, which makes the voltage drop even further. Since most stinger plug-ends are only rated for 15 Amps they tend to overheat with 1200W non-PFC electronic ballasts. The increased resistance that results from the heat causes the voltage to the ballast to drop even further and so it will draw more power to maintain the 2290VA load. If the light is operating on a small generator, there will also be voltage drop on the generator because of the greater load. The voltage output of generators can drop 5-10 volts under load. At 105V, the ballst that drew 19A at 120V, will now draw 21.8 Amps and cause circuit breakers to overheat and potentially trip. Guy Holt, Gaffer, SceenLight & Grip, Lighting Rental & Sales in Boston

I haven’t had personal experience with the Chinese Arri knock-offs, but a HMI service tech told be recently that part of the reason that they are so inexpensive is that they are not power factor corrected, which would account for why Mark had difficulty operating them on portable generators but not on wall power. The harmonic currents drawn by non-pfc ballasts interact with the high impedance of portable generators to create voltage waveform distortion that can cause the HMIs to not strike. Put simply, when you plug a non-pfc ballast into a wall outlet you need not be concerned about harmonic currents. 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 non-pfc HMI ballast will not affect the voltage at the distribution bus. Left: Grid Power w/ 1.2Kw Arri non-PFC Elec. Ballast. Right: Conventional AVR Power w/ 1.2Kw Arri non-PFC Elec. Ballast. It is, however, an all together different situation when plugging non-pfc HMI fixtures into conventional portable generators. As a comparison of the oscilloscope shots above indicate, the harmonic currents drawn by non-pfc 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. The adverse effects of the severe harmonic noise exhibited above 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. Harmonic noise of this magnitude can also damage HD digital cinema production equipment, create ground loops, and possibly create radio frequency (RF) interference. In other words, saving a few bucks by buying Chinese knock-offs can cost you a considerable amount of money in lost time or damaged equipment. For a detailed explanation for why this is, use this link for my article on the use of portable generators in motion picture production. This article is cited in the 4th Edition of Harry Box's "Set Lighting Technician's Handbook." Of the article Harry Box exclaims: “Great work!... this is the kind of thing I think very few technician's ever get to see, and as a result many people have absolutely no idea why things stop working." "Following the prescriptions contained in this article enables the operation of bigger lights, or more smaller lights, on portable generators than has ever been possible before." The article is available online at http://www.screenlightandgrip.com/html/emailnewsletter_generators.html - Guy Holt, Gaffer, ScreenLight & Grip, Lighting Rental and Sales in Boston

At this point in time I wouldn’t buy a used 4’-4 Bank. The Tegra 400s offer a number of benefits over the old 4’-4 Bank fixtures. The biggest difference is that the Tegra’s ballasts are Power Factor Corrected (PFC.) Like PFC HMI ballasts, the new Tegra ballast uses power more efficiently, minimizes return current, and generates virtually no line noise – making it possible to operate more of them on a portable generator (use this link for more details.) In fact, the 1.8 Amps that you save by using a Tegra 400 (2.8A) over a traditional 4’ – 4 Bank (4.6A) is almost enough to power two more Parabeam fixtures on a portable generator. Voltage and Current Waveforms generated by Fluorescent ballasts without power factor correction (left) and with power factor correction (right) Another advantage to the Tegras is that Kino Flo makes available for them accessories to control or modify their light output that are not available for the 4’-4 Bank fixtures. For example, full and half f-stop diffusion Floziers are available to soften the light even more. A Flozier is grid cloth material that slips over the front of the fixture and provides a large area of white diffusion. The resulting larger area of diffusion further softens the light. Interchangeable 60 and 90 degree honeycomb louvers, similar to those available for the Parabeam fixtures, are available to focus their output much like an HMI par lens does. And the “Bat Wing” Louvers that give direction to the light of the 4’-4 Bank fixtures with minimal light loss are also available for the Tegra 400s. Without consuming much power, the Tegra 400 offers abundant shadow-less soft light that can be easily controlled. Guy Holt, Gaffer ScreenLight & Grip Lighting Rental & Sales in Boston

The Last Poker Game just wrapped production and checked in their gear. For those who might be interested, here are some production stills from the production. Martin Landau and Paul Sorvino in a scene from The Last Poker Game Left: Honda EU6500is modified for 60A output, Center: 300ft cable run through the assisted living complex, Right: ARRIMAX M40 head creating sunny look on a rainy day. 60A HD Plug-n-Play Transformer/Distro powering ARRIMAX M40 and M18 on the set of The Last Poker Game Paul Sorvino in a scene from The Last Poker Game Martin Landau and Paul Sorvino in a bar scene from The Last Poker Game ARRIMAX M40 powered by modified Honda EU6500 and 60A HD Plug-n-Play Transformer/Distro lights bar scene from The Last Poker Game Guy Holt, Gaffer ScreenLight & Grip Lighting Rental & Sales in Boston

With a boost transformer there is no question whether you can move the generator far enough away so that it won’t be picked up on your audio tracks. This was proven by the independent feature “Gasp” when it used a Honda EB10000 to film an important beach scene at night. A feature film production powered by a Honda EB10000 Generating 72dbs at 23', the Honda EB10000 is more than twice as loud as the EU6500. A common problem with open-frame industrial generators like the EB10000 is that by the time you move them far enough off set that you don't hear them you have significant "Line Loss" (often referred to as "Voltage Drop") from the long cable run back to set (if you use regular cable.) To the problem of line loss, you have the added problem that as you add load, the voltage drops on portable generators (it is not uncommon for a generator to drop 5-10 volts under full load.) Campfire scene on the beach powered by a Honda EB10000 The combination of voltage drop on the generator and line loss on a long cable run can cause voltage to drop to the point where HMI and Kino ballasts cut out unexpectedly or won't strike at all. Low voltage can also cause problems such as reduced efficiency and excessive heat in equipment, unnecessary additional load on the generator, and a dramatic shift in the color temperature and in the output of lights (use this link for a details.) For these reasons, portable gas generators are typically operated too close to set where they are picked up on audio tracks. The trick to recording clean audio with the EB10000 is to use the generator with a boost transformer, like our 84A Full Power Transformer/Distros, that enables you to operate the generator at a distance without suffering from voltage drop. Left: Honda EB10000 operating out of grip truck (note set at distance (bright spot on right side.)) Center: 84A Full Power Transformer/Distro compensates for Voltage Drop over 400ft cable run. Right: Beach Set with 120v full line level 500ft from power source. To record sync sound without picking up the noise of the generator, the crew of “Gasp” ran our modified 10kw Honda EB10000 out of their grip truck 500 ft from their beach set. To assure full line level on set, the production used the boost capacity of our 84A Transformer/Distro to compensate for the appreciable line loss over the long cable run. Left: Beach Set lit by Arri M18 and 6kw Par. Center: Secondary side power distributed with standard 100 Bates Gang Boxes. Right: Set viewed from generator (note: distance and extent of set power distribution.) From the Transformer/Distro they then ran 4/3 Bates Extension to set where they broke out to 20A Edison receptacles using 100A gang boxes in order to power an assortment of smaller tungsten fixtures to simulate the firelight and an ARRI M18 to simulate moonlight on the actors around the fire. To light the deep background the crew put a 240V Siamese in-line before the transformer/distro to power a 6kw HMI Par. Even with a sizable load, they experienced no appreciable voltage drop on set even after a 500' cable run because the Transformer/Distro compensated for both the line loss of the cable and voltage drop of the generator under near full load. With nothing more than a Honda EB10000 and house power the crew of "Gasp" was able to maintain the look and feel of a sunny summer day even when filming in the midst of a hurricane in October. The principle location for "Gasp" was an idyllic beach house right on the ocean. To light interiors of the beach house, the crew of "Gasp" used the Honda EB10000 to power two 4k Pars coming in from the outside, and house power to power an assortment of smaller HMI and Kino fixtures. Left: Ready for rain on the set of "Gasp." Center: Two 4kw Pars operate on a 10kw Honda EB10000 Generator through our 84A Full Power Transformer/Distro. Right: 100A Shock Block GFCI downstream of Full Power Transformer/Distro offers Ground Fault Protection for entire 100A distro system. The indie film "Gasp" is a good example of how the voltage boost capacity of a Transformer/Distro makes it possible to record clean audio tracks with even generators as loud as the EB10000 even under the worst of conditions. Guy Holt, Gaffer ScreenLight & Grip Lighting Rental & Sales in Boston