It sounds to me like you are really wanting to experiment at all cost possible.
First of all it's your job to decide how the lighting is done so you must take control of it. When working with people regardless of their experience you will "always" have to defend your choices, this applies to most creative fields even more so when it's a collaborative effort. At times it will be an uphill battle sometimes it will be smooth but do not expect to be doing things without going at lengths as to the why and the how.
Second of all, students don't care about what profs say most of the time because they don't see it's usefulness in the real world. I have gone through this so many times when I was in school where I would say something and people would either ignore me, deny my advice, or reply "you sound just like a teacher". Too often have teachers later repeated almost word for word what I had said.
back to the first point, you may have to prove your point by doing and showing.
Third, sometimes less is more and vice versa. Try not to suffer from gear lust which we all can at times. If you want to try out the most gear out there just to get the feel of it will take time, and you may often have to experiment by yourself before you are able to grasp the full scope of the intricate possibilities moods and feels that a piece of kit can procure.
