Tobi Freeman

Thanks, this definitely gave me some direction. Turns out you dont need to give a leg and kidney to light up a scene well!

Hi Matthew, Very valuable advice there, however, there is currently nobody in Perth that has HMI lighting up for hire. Normally, I would have rented and tested them out to see which combination suits most of my work. I have used LEDs, tungsten frensels, some Fluoro lighting as well as normal halogen lamps (used by construction workers) and from the kind of illumination I am after, from the BTS of most videos I prefer/like, it appears HMI lights played a significant role.

Hello All, I am just starting out as a director/producer (mainly music videos, but also some event coverage) and looking to invest in some good ligting. Basically, i am limited by the available power from the mains supply (for australia ~ 240 V, @50Hz, rated to ~15 A, thats around a total of 3.6 kW available, as i do not intend on renting a generator. I have done a bit of reasearch and found that: - HMI lighting, though expensive, gives the highest lux per unit power and allow greater flexibility in terms of light control (spot to flood, through a window, bouncing off reflectors etc) - LEDs are versatile, with variable temperature and ability to power with DC, ideal for close up shots on location but not that flexible with distance. with a budget of about $12,000, My question is therefore do I buy one (1) Arri M18 (baby max)kit which could use a 1.2 or 1.8 kW bulb / a set (2 - 4 panels) of LEDs / one Babymax and 2 LEDs (around $15,000 :( ) (as you can probably tell, I am more inclined to getting just the babymax) any other suggestions in terms of lighting are also welcome Thanks for your input