timHealy

I have a friend who is a Shake compositor who has removed acne and other blemishes of celebrities. all the best lighting in the world can't help some. Best Tim

well you could use a switch to turn it on and off. Or build some sort of relay that turns it on and off. that would be important if you needed it to be rythmic and repeatable. best Tim

using a variac may not be enough to get a 120 volt bulb to pop. It could work but a variac would get it up to 140v. A household bulb may be able to take it. wiring it to 220 volt would certainly do the trick though. best Tim

Low budget lighting=plan your shoot on the sun's position and use bounces, large nets, and silks if needed. best Tim

I wouldn't bother. best Tim

Sun Seeker is really terrific using the iPhones camera to show sun paths. Best Tim

FRK is a 650w 120 volt tweenie replacement bulb. Typical Space Light bulbs are 1000 w FCM's. In the US anyway. They also come with a variety of plugs. They way mentioned, but not often. The Most common connections are Soco multicable for individual bulb control or two 60 amp 120 volt plugs for control of two groups of three bulbs. There is a 2k Space light that is great for small location work. That has two 20 amp edison's on it for individual bulb control.

where are you and what kind of electricity are u juic'in this baby with?

Panavision, Camera Service, Xeno, Broadway, Eastern, Goblin, Shadowstone. They all have their strengths and weaknesses.

If I remember correctly. First time works. Then turn on second time. Didn't work. Check voltage, didn't work. Change header, didn't work. Change head, didn't work, Change ballast, didn't work. Change bulb, didn't work. Something like that. I'm glad I haven't seen one in years.

I agree with Ziegfeld. great theatre, but most theaters in NY u must get there at least a half hour early to make sure you get a seat you like. Don't go late and sit in the back or front row. Radio City Music Hall is good too if there is a special Screening of something.

One example I always looked at for keep the lines between multiple actors straight was the scene in Aliens where everyone is seated and eating breakfast. Multiple actors talking to each other and they never crossed the line. But more recently there have been plenty of examples of crossing the line, sometimes for an effect, or as David said as long as it is not confusing. best Tim

I can confirm from experience that Lightmaker ballasts were the absolute worst. The grief they caused were not worth it. If I had a job with them I tried to get magnetic backups for all. Today electronic ballasts are extremely reliable save a few minor quirks. It is not necessary to get magnetic backups unless you are doing something special or maybe you are shooting a few states away from the support of your rental house.

well that's the real trick isn't it? You have to try and see what works for you, your story and your set. Technically you need enough light for an exposure. Dark doesn't mean no lights. It just means you have to choose where you put light and where you don't. You can try large soft and diffuse overheads for a base exposure and use other lights for enhancing. You can add color for mood, say some sort of bluish look, cutters and cookies to take light away from certain areas while leaving it in key places. In your deep background you can put household bulbs on grip stands so they are points of light out of focus. You can use rim lights on your actors and no or little fill light. and I would suggest you watch a movie or two like The Third Man. Plenty of dark dank tunnel work. And it's a classic to boot.

If the guy is a set still photographer, he'll have no input about what kind of ballast are being used. Having said that, I can't remember the last time time I saw a magnetic ballast on a set.

I'd be careful about buying used HMI's. They are complicated devices and may be for sale for a good reason.

Sounds like a bunch of malarky. Vendors love pointing the finger at everyone but themselves. Had a job with a generator issue that acted up when it rained. The vendor blamed the guy who did the oil change. Then the next time it rained I found a leak where water was dripping on the electronics that caused the issue. For most major film issues, blame the guy who changed the oil on the genny.

Kodak charges different prices around the world. Different costs of business and exchange rates etc etc. He may be accurate depending on where he is. I priced some film in Greece once and it was way more expensive than what I could get at Kodak in NYC. Best Tim

I think I have seen them for sale on ebay once in a while. best Tim

Building on what David said: Are there street lights on that block to make it look like night? and can you shoot towards the west where there will be light on the horizon after sunset, but a gradation of dark sky down to a lit horizon? Or doing the same thing looking towards the east before sunrise? Best Tim

Hey JD, In your situation you probably did the right thing and long as the electricians weren't working in pools of water. But I don't think grounding to a hydrant is a risky thing. Hydrants are attached to the NYC water supply and I see firemen walking around neighborhoods all the time cracking them to make sure they are in working order. As long as you are not in the ass end of Brooklyn or the Bronx where everything is dilapidated. Lose the vendor if you can.

Any of you guys try and pound a piece of rebar into the ground or dig a ten foot trench in Manhattan lately?

Looks like a nice location. I would tent out the windows so that you could use lights from outside for your moonlight effect. But depends how many shots you have. If there is a lot of coverage and you are seeing all around the room, I would tent the windows. If you have a few shots maybe you could black out the windows, but I think you are limiting your choices. Even if the windows are in the background it may be nice to have a moonlight effect on them broken up with a branch or cookie. I wouldn't use fluoros at the widow. It'll look like soft daylight. But it all depends on what you have in mind.

Looks like a nice location. I would tent out the windows so that you could use lights from outside for your moonlight effect. But depends how many shots you have. If there is a lot of coverage and you are seeing all around the room, I would tent the windows. If you have a few shots maybe you could black out the windows, but I think you are limiting your choices. Even if the windows are in the background it may be nice to have a moonlight effect on them broken up with a branch or cookie. I wouldn't use fluoros at the widow. It'll look like soft daylight. But it all depends on what you have in mind.

I second Robert's idea. Especially good if you can't rig something above. Either too high or sensitive location. best Tim