Huntress

No doubt about it- if I had the cash, we wouldn't even be having this conversation. I'd much prefer to work with a lighting kit designed for filmmaking too, but that isn't in the cards. I once lit a dark shot in a (very) short film with a flashlight, a Bic lighter, a piece of cardboard covered with tinfoil and a scrap of white linen from an old sheet, and it looked good. I was just wondering if I could shoot a whole feature in a similarly rough-and-ready fashion and have it look OK.

What I meant by a "polished" look is "reasonably professional"... it doesn't look like something shot by an amateur in someone's backyard. It sounds like I can, though. I have a lot more time and creativity than I do money, and hey, challenges bring out the best in us, right? ;-) So thanks, guys.

When shooting on DV, do you need to use "movie lights" to achieve a polished-looking lighting scheme, or can you make do with consumer lights such as you might find in a hardware store (spotlights, floodlights, Chinese lanterns, et al) outfitted with practical bulbs? I'm not going for a highkey look, if that makes a difference.