Light Kits

There's one more piece of lighting gear I have that I like a lot which is
the Chameleon reflector system. The main part is a white scrim. It comes
with a four sided cover that zips around it and gives you the option of
gold, silver, white, or black (good as a background for book covers etc).
It's much more versatile than a regular reflector. Check E-bay. There's a
guy who sells them pretty cheap there.

-Brian

: Maybe this is all too much for a harried local ENG shooter..., and in
: that case I would go along with another poster who recommended
: Pro-lights; a couple of those and a Tota w/umbrella would seem to be
: the most efficient for the lion's share of one's daily needs. PLUS
: that reflector system...!

I would go with a Chimera instead of an umbrella, although I do use an
umbrella from time to time doing run 'n gun ENG. They're faster, and some
times all that spilled light is a good thing. I use a Pro light with an
umbrella for those quick "wham bam thank you mam" interviews. I've also
used umbrealls when I needed to hit a larger area with soft light, like a
three person interview. Chimeras are much more directional though and thus
give you more control, especially with the egg crates.

Today's digital cameras are so sensitive, you don't even really need the
Tota for interviews (I'd rather use an omni). A Pro with an XS Chimera can
be just as good. My ideal interview kit would be 2 Pro lights, a Rifa 55,
a Chameleon with an extra stand, and maybe an Altman or Dedo pattern
light.

Just stinkin...

-Brian

I second Brian's suggestion of the multisided reflector system. Used
to only be one product, the Chameleon, and I used it so often that
when I lost it I was desperate to replace it. In my search, however, I
found that Photoflex now makes one (a copy no doubt) which
incorporates gold/silver checkerboard as one of the sides. Costs more
than the Chameleon, but I've found it to be more sturdy in terms of
stitching.

FWIW, my  normal one-man band ENG light kit includes (shooting w/DSR
500 WSP or D30/35P cameras):

1 x Sachtler 300w, with dichroic and diffusion filters
2 x Dedos, 50w and 100w, inline dimmers and small pattern projector
1 x Tota
1 x Omni fitted with Chimera speedring, and XS chimera (yeah, it does
the job even tho not the one specified...just keep the flaps open to
avoid heat)
Photoflex mini lightboxes for Dedos
Photoflex multiside reflector, and holder
the usual clamps, adaptors, gels and diffusion, bulbs, stands, blah
blah

All goes in a Pelican 1610 case (honest!), a wheeled one which makes
life easier. Zero problems from hard travelling worldwide; all heads
are kept in Domke wraps.

As we all know, what you need depends on what you are shooting (and
what you are shooting WITH). The old network requirement of  "light it
for F4" is long gone in this age of super-sensitive HAD chips, and the
only time I find a need for big heat is when lighting big rooms or
factories (and then, it's a trip to the local rental house, anyway).
With a kit like this, it's still enough for a basic presser with the
Omni and Tota, which otherwise stay in the box unless I need a bounce
for interviews.

Maybe this is all too much for a harried local ENG shooter, and in
that case I would go along with another poster who recommended
Pro-lights; a couple of those and a Tota w/umbrella would seem to be
the most efficient for the lion's share of one's daily needs. PLUS
that reflector system...!

One other little comment: whatever system you use, don't just look for
the cheapest or "homemade". The reason Arris cost what they do is
because they LAST! A set of 2 x 650 open faces and 1 x 300 fresnel has
lasted me 20 YEARS, with no sign of letting me down anytime soon. They
ain't pretty,  could use a paint job perhaps, but never had to repair
them even once. Am fairly certain that would be hard to say for the
Smith-Victors or similar.

Cheers,
Eric Seldin
www.thaicam.net

B>E.C. Group makes great boxes for wireless receivers.  They also make a nice
bracket for mounting these to the smaller camcorders such as the PD-150, the
DVX100 and the DV300.  It's a plate that attaches to the tripod screw hole
(they provide another one) and then angles up past the handgrip side of the
camera.  Works great ans allows for the use of proper pro accessories.

Mitch

: Thanks for your tips Brian! No, I am still researching Audio gear as
: well! However, I might go with Lectrosonics since I use them at work.
: I just need to find a company (if they don't) that makes a wireless
: system for minidv cameras. Then I need to get a bracket mounted onto
: the camera somewhere so I mount the receiver to the camera.

There is nothing better than Lectrosonics unless you really want a
headache. Check out the 100 series. They're made smaller for little
cameras. You'll probably want a Sennheiser ME-66 for your shotgun (unless
you can afford a MKH-60). I found a guy in New Jersey who has a small
business refurbishing Sony lav' mics and headphones in his basement. I
bought two ECM-77s and a set of MDR-7506s from them, used them a lot on
shoots for CNN with no problems. Total cost was under $400. I'd check out
E-bay or rec.arts.movies.production.sou­nd for used mics.

Maybe when I get sick of my job I'll go work in a professional camera
shop.  :)

-Brian

: "brian a. henderson" <b @nautilus.shore.net> wrote in message < >...
:> : Thanks Brian for your reply. I work in Local news as well and use a
:> : variety of lights and reflectors for what I do on daily run and gun
:> : basis.
:>
:> What do you use at work that you like?
:>
:> For 1Ks and HMIs I'd probably rent. It might not hurt to have one 1K for
:> speeches and such.
:>
:> I like my Colortran lights because they're so sturdy, but they are slow to
:> work with because they stay hot so long. Maybe you'd like some Fresnels...
:>
:> Altman makes a nice mini ellipsoidal that is good for a background pattern
:> light. A lot of people like the Dedos too.
:>
:> I would get a Rifa 55 for the key, and use Pro lights for fill and hair.
:> That's what I want at work. Actually I like to use reflectors for fill.
:> Bogen makes a cool light stand with a boom arm that's great for hair
:> lights.
:>
:> I'm babbling...
:>
:> I would cruise E-bay and rec.video.marketplace and see what you can
:> find. That's where I found most of my personal gear.
:>
:> Do you have your audio gear together yet?
:>
:> -Brian

Crappy tin can lights.

Mitch

One newscast! Man your lucky! Then again most Fox stations are one
Newscast. I am at the ABC station in Philly.

"brian a. henderson" <b @nautilus.shore.net> wrote in message < >...

Thanks for your tips Brian! No, I am still researching Audio gear as
well! However, I might go with Lectrosonics since I use them at work.
I just need to find a company (if they don't) that makes a wireless
system for minidv cameras. Then I need to get a bracket mounted onto
the camera somewhere so I mount the reciever to the camera.

"brian a. henderson" <b @nautilus.shore.net> wrote in message < >...

: The Big Lowel Rifa for your soft key, no question, best deal. Omni pros
: for the rest.

A big light would be handy for lighting big things. For example if you're
going to shoot some one's whole body instead of just their head, or a
group of people, etc. The bigger the light source the softer the light of
course. We use the XS Chimeras because of their size, but a small or a
medium would probably look better.

I haven't used the Rifa 44s yet, but I'm guessing they might be a little
under powered for my purposes, so I'm ogling the 55. Any thing bigger
would be too cumbersome.

What station are you working at? I'm in Hartford. WTIC Fox 61. We do just
one 10:PM news cast (sweet).

-Brian

I saw some Smith Vikor lights this weekend. They looked ok, but the barn
doors were pretty flimsy.

-Brian

: Thanks Brian for your reply. I work in Local news as well and use a
: variety of lights and reflectors for what I do on daily run and gun
: basis.

What do you use at work that you like?

For 1Ks and HMIs I'd probably rent. It might not hurt to have one 1K for
speeches and such.

I like my Colortran lights because they're so sturdy, but they are slow to
work with because they stay hot so long. Maybe you'd like some Fresnels...

Altman makes a nice mini ellipsoidal that is good for a background pattern
light. A lot of people like the Dedos too.

I would get a Rifa 55 for the key, and use Pro lights for fill and hair.
That's what I want at work. Actually I like to use reflectors for fill.
Bogen makes a cool light stand with a boom arm that's great for hair
lights.

I'm babbling...

I would cruise E-bay and rec.video.marketplace and see what you can
find. That's where I found most of my personal gear.

Do you have your audio gear together yet?

-Brian

The Big Lowel Rifa for your soft key, no question, best deal. Omni pros for the
rest.

Chuck,


Haven't used one in a while, but I think HMIs are daylight balanced.
They do cost a bit though!

As for your other lights, I have a couple older 650W Colortrans that I
supplement with rental gear depending on the job. I'm shooting DV too
& find I don't need as much light output as I used to with betacam,
but you still need to have enough instruments to do the job. On
another list fellow named Wayne Orr reviewed a light kit from JTL Corp
www.jtlcorp.com called the Everlight Kit. It think has 3 - 500W heads
& includes softboxes & accessories at a very good price, under $500
from Adorama if I remember correctly. They aren't as heavy-duty as,
say, ARRIs, but they might fit the needs as a starter kit for some.
They also don't live up to all their hype (like being able to handle
higher Wattage bulbs) but do look like a lotta bang for the buck.

Good luck,

Frank Wiewandt

: ...Lowell Rifa 66 lights are a good deal at current pricing. You might
: also want to look at Smith Vistor SV840 or SV950 mini lights as they
: can run AC and/or DC and are tiny strong and inexpensive.

You'll find here that everyone has their favorites. For me size, weight,
and speed are major considerations. One place I worked had nothing smaller
than a medium Chimera which is actually pretty big. However it hardly ever
left the studio. In my current job, we have nothing bigger than an extra
small.

The Lowel lights feel flimsy, but are the workhorses of the industry. I
have a set of 3 Colortran Mini Pro lights that I also like, though they
tend to stay hot for a long time (which affects how fast you can move on
to the next shoot). Arris and Mole & Richardson lights are very sturdy,
but pricey. LTM makes some nice stuff...

Really the best thing you could do is first check out some books,
web sites, videos, workshops, etc to learn about lighting. Then go to a
store that has these things in stock and play with them. You may find that
some thing that looked great in a catalog is a polished piece of junk when
it arrives on your doorstep.

-Brian

By their nature (an arc light), the HMI's are naturally balanced for outdoor
use.  The dichroic filters are for use with incandescents.

The other advantage of the lights other than their extreme small size is the
battery life one gets for a certain amount of light as compared to a Halogen
lamp.

I agree with Mr. Henderson, that Lowell Rifa 66 lights are a good deal at
current pricing. You might also want to look at Smith Vistor SV840 or SV950
minilights as they can run AC and/or DC and are tiny strong and inexpensive.

RON CHARLES

Thanks Brian for your reply. I work in Local news as well and use a
variety of lights and reflectors for what I do on daily run and gun
basis. However, my need for a light kit would be for projects I do on
the side and can take my time setting up lights. I will be using a
MiniDV camera as the source. The new Panasonic camera to be exact. I
am just looking for a basic set up for now (key with softbox,
backlight, and fill). I use the Lowell Pro's for work and I have had
no problems with them. I can always add or rent more lights if needed
later on for when I shoot that high profile interview!! (just kidding)

As far as what I will be lighting and how much lights I will need will
depend on the shoot. I intend to shoot a variety of projects from
doc's to music videos. If I shoot a Music Video I will most likey hire
a lighting Tech to do my lights but I want to have my own arsenal of
lights for other projects though.

Yea I might look into a HMI with a "Dich" filter for outdoor use, but
like you said those bad boys are pricey! But they look sooo good!

"brian a. henderson" <b @nautilus.shore.net> wrote in message < >...

: I have the big B&H source book on lights and accessories but it is a bit
: overwhelming. Can any suggest a good kit to use for documentary style
: interviews and special projects. I already am looking at getting a
: Photoflex "Soft Box" and maybe some Arri's with a 1k. Any suggestions?

Arri's are nice, but pricey.

How much lighting do you intend to do? Will you have a lot of time and
help, or are you doing one man band run and gun?

I shoot local news. For me a Rifa light, a couple of Pro lights, and a
reflector would take care of 99% of my needs. If you're shooting for 60
Minutes or Frontline, you'll need a bit more.

Are you lighting an entire room? An event? A building? A penny?...

I've heard the Chimeras are sturdier than the Photoflex boxes so I spent
a little more on the Chimera.

What kind of camera are you working with? A 1K may be overkill unless
you're lighting some thing large or far away. Do you need Fresnels, or
would open faced instruments suffice?

Are you shooting out doors? An HMI might be nice. Reflectors are much
cheaper.

If you give us some more info, and maybe a budget, we can help you better.

-Brian