Here's an article I wrote a while back that I would share with you fine folks.

LOW BUDGET LIGHTING
By Scott Spears

In my many hours surfing movie making sites on the web, I’ve seen the question, “I’m poor and need to know how to light my movie” so many times I’ve lost count. Being a director of photography who’s shot a number of no/low/modest budgeted movies I thought it was about time I just wrote an article on how to light on the cheap.

So you’ve squandered almost all your money on a cool DV camera, decent microphone, tripod and some tasty food for your crew (don’t skimp on food because a crew travels on its’ stomach), but now your actors are standing around in the dark because you don’t have any lights. What do you do? First, you get in a time machine and go back a few days so you can start gathering your jiffy, on-a-tight-budget light kit.

I’m a big believer in get the right tools for the job, but sometimes you just can’t afford the right tools. Here’s where ingenuity comes into play. First, where do you find cheap, or if you prefer, inexpensive, lights. Hardware stores, auto parts, store, Salvation Army stores, Goodwill, garage sales. camera shops that carry used stuff, local production houses and rental houses. You have to keep your eyes peeled and be open to possibilities.

WORKLIGHTS

A good key light for cheap is a 500 watt tungsten work light which can be found at hardware and car parts stores. They come with their own stands, but I do find the stands a little short.

There’s some power here, but it’s hard to control, so I recommend that you don’t aim them directly at your actors. Bounce them off a wall or ceiling to create a nice soft light. If you want, you can put them outside windows and blast them through the openings. These lights can get hot, so be careful moving them around. I’ve found them as cheap as $10 and can run up to $30. (11/03 I saw an ad for Kragen Auto Parts in LA had them at $10.) They can be found with two heads that makes 1000 watts of lights.

HOW ABOUT A SHOWER CURTAIN AS DIFUSSION
One thing you can do is get a frosted shower curtain and hang it from a stand and then place the shower curtain in front of one of these babies to create a wall of soft light. Again, don’t get too close otherwise your melt a hole in your pretty shower curtain. (I have to give credit for Bruce L.)

CHINA LANTERNS

China Lanterns are great. I’ve seen them on the sets of movies costing many millions of dollars. They are paper material which can be expanded into a ball (and now different shapes like squares, rectangles and ovals). They come with a wire support for the bulb. You need to get a socket and cable and they are usually sold in the same place you find the lanterns. I put a regular 200 watt bulb inside and they make a great softlight for close-ups. If the lantern’s big enough, I’ll put two 200 watt bulbs in and I can light a small room with them. Be careful with them because they’re made of paper and can burst into flames. They run between $3 - $7 depending on size. You can find them at Target, Ikea and Pier One Imports, to name a few.

If you’re handy, you can pick up a socket and some zip cord, otherwise known as household extension cord, and make your own cord for the china lantern.

SEALED BEAM HALOGEN

Then you have small sealed beam halogen lamps which cost around $4-$10. You put these in a socket and then clamp them onto a stand, then aim away. It makes a great kicker/backlight and are great for light special items in the background. They come in different beam patterns, from narrow to wide. I tend to go for the medium and narrow. The wide is, well, too wide of a beam.

SCOOPS

The old reliable metal scoop light which comes with a handy clamp is a great option. Pop a 200 watt bulb or a photo flood in it to light your set. Supposedly this is what Robert Rodriguez used to light “El Mariachi”.

DEALS ON PRO LIGHTS

How about putting a light kit together of real, pro lights. That’s how I did it when I started out. I’d find a deal on a 1K (1000watt) open face light for $30 and snatch it up. Camera stores that carry used gear are great for deals. A while back, I picked up two 1K fresnels (these are lights with a glass lens that focus the light) and a 2K fresnel (with a roller stand) for $50 a piece. The stand alone was worth $50. Now they didn’t have barn doors (metal leaves that allow you to control the light which attaches to the light), so I had to scrounge some up. I found one set $10. So for $160 dollars I had 4000 watts of light.

Sources for used stuff are:
Local camera stores
Goodwill & Salvation Army – it’s rare, but sometimes there are deals to be had
Ebay – get on-line and start searching under movie equipment and video equipment
Local production companies – sometimes they clear out older gear. Talk to friend who works local production and see what’s up
Local Rental Houses - occasionally they sell off older gear
www.visualproducts.com – they sell used camera gear, but have lights
www.woodennickellighting.com – hollywood rental house that sells used gear

There are plenty of other sites. Get on Google and see what you can find.

SUPPORT

So you’ve found some lights, but how the heck do you support them. I recommend that all filmmakers get at least one decent light stand. You can clamp things to them, like the shower curtain mentioned previously, place lights on them or hang props off of them. Again these can be found used. I’d plan on spending $20-50 on a good one or even two.

If you have some extra money laying around (yeah, like indie filmmakers have any spare cash) get yourself a C-stand. This is the staple of any pro movie set. It’s a collapsible, three legged stand which comes with a attachable arm that can be used for an infinite number of tasks, like light stand and holding up any number of items. Used, they run as cheap as $75 and up. Brand new they’re $170.

Get yourself a mafer ($20-40)clamp. It’s a device which clamps to about anything and has spud for lights. You can use it clamps lights to set walls, doors, tables or attached to a light stand so you can have two lights on one stand. Lowel makes a light weight clamp called a tota clamp($15) which does much of the same things, but is smaller and cheaper.

GELS AND DIFFUSION

At some point you’ll want to add some color or soften your lights, so you’ll need something to put in front of the lights.

Things to remember, gels add color or correct color temperature and diffusion softens the light.

First, how do you attach these gels to your lights? C-47 media attachment clips, otherwise known as clothes pens. Get wooden C-47s, not plastic. The plastic ones will melt. The wooden C-47s can burn, but won’t catch on fire. Gels are fairly heat resistant, but you can melt them if you get them to close to the light, so use caution when attaching them to lights.

Gels come in all kinds of flavors. Number one are color correction gels. These are used to make your movie lights match daylight. You’d slap a blue (CTB, color temperature blue) on your light so it matches the daylight streaming in through a window. (Without going heavy duty into color temperatures, just remember that daylight is blue and tungsten light is orange.) If you have a small window, you may place an orange gel on the window to get daylight to match your movie lights.

For other colors, sometimes called theatrical or party gels, you can find about any color under the sun available. Horror film directors are always asking for red. James Cameron must go through a ton of blue gels. Green can be used to make everybody sick. It’s all a matter of taste. A single sheet (3x3) of gel can run around $6.

You may want to talk to local production houses and rental houses to see if they have scrap gel laying around they’d give you. I’ve snagged plenty of gels this way. In LA, when features wrap, they dump tons of gels.

If you can’t snag some for free, camera stores and theatrical supply stores carry them. A cool thing is to buy small packets of gels. Bogen has put together small packets with different groupings of gels. They offer color correction(lots of blue and orange), diffusion and multi-color packets. They run around $20 a piece, which seems a lot for some colored plastic, but if you’re careful, you can use these gels for a long time. I recommend the color correction pack and diffusion pack.

REFLECTORS

When you’re without power you can always use some reflectors to get light on your subject. On a pro set, a shiny board is the tool, but they cost many hundreds of dollars. He’s a cheap substitute, Tyvek. Tyvek you ask? It’s household insulating foam board, but the cool thing is it’s coated with a shiny foil outside which can reflect a ton of light. If you need to fill in some actor or pound some light through window onto your set, Tyvek or some other insulation will do the trick. A cool portable reflector is those fold up windshield covers that are coated in silver material. A pro flex fill runs $50 and the windshield covers can run under $10. Finally, if you’re in a pinch, just coat a hunk of foam core with aluminum foil, remember to crinkle it up some so it’s not too sharp with its’ reflected light, and you have a great fill light.

more in part 2

ODDS AND ENDS

Extension cords, or as they’re called in Hollywood, stingers, are a must have item. Get lots of them. I’d have at least one 50 foot and a couple 25 foot stingers handy. I like the ones with multi-plugs on the end. Some come with a LED in the end so you know it’s plugged in. Get black cords if possible because you can hide them easier in shots than the bright orange ones which seem to overrun hardware stores. I’ve had to run cords through shots and found if I run them along baseboards or natural lines in the set most of the time you can never seen them, if you’re careful. Plan on spending about $40 for the above allotment.

Power strips are a great little item. Make sure they can handle 15 or more amps. $4-$8

Cube taps. There are handy little boxes you plug into an outlet which triples the amount of plugs. $4

3 Prong adapter – in older houses you run into 2 prong outlets. (2 for $2)

Screw in socket to plug adapter – these are handy little things to have. They screw into a light socket and turn it into a 2 prong , so have a 3 prong adapter handy, into a plug. I shouldn’t admit to this, but a couple of time I’ve been shooting outside a building and had no place to plug in my lights. Well, the outside of the building had a light, so I unscrewed the light bulb and screwed in my adapter, thus making it into an outlet allowing me to “borrow” some power for my lights. ($3)

Spring clamps – get a couple decent sized ones. (2 for $10)

Gaf tape. Get some 2 inch black. It runs around $12-15 per roll, but is worth it. Duct tape is cheap, but leaves residue everywhere you stick and can pull paint off the walls. Gaf tape leave very little residue. I’ve built props out of gaf tape, like a bandanna for an actor and numbers for a door.

A cheapie circuit tester. Usually around $2. You can use these when you’re location scounting to test if plugs you thing you want to use are working or not. Nothing is more a pain in the butt than setting up all your lights and finding out that the outlets you’re using are non-functioning.

Hand dimmer: You can find these for household lamps and they will handle around 300 watts. You can run 500 watts, but not for long or you will burn it out. These are great for china lanterns. $10 You can build your own which will handle more wattage.

Gloves: Get a decent pair of leather gloves because these lights get very friggin’ hot. You’ll learn after frying you hands a couple of time that gloves are a must item. $6

Black Wrap/Cine Foil/just plain old aluminum foil – black wrap is heavy duty foil painted black and is great to attach to scoop lights and the 500 watt work lights which will allow to shape the light coming out. You can use regular aluminum foil, but the reflections off it can cause problems and it’s not as durable as black wrap.

Plastic tub for all these goodies. ($6)

WRAP UP

This doesn’t cover everything in lighting on the cheap by a long shot, but I hope it gives you some ideas that you can use on your sets. Just a little lighting can go a long way to making you movies look better. Get some lights and play around a little bit.

PRICE BREAKDOWN
500 watt work light $20
China Lantern(complete w/cord) $22
Halogen light (complete w/cord) $20
One light stand (used) $40
Gels (packet if no freebies) $20
Diffusion (packet if no freebies) $20
Stingers $40
Cube tap $4
Power strip $5
Gloves $6
Gaf tape $15
C-47 (bag) $6
Spring clamps (2) $12
Tota Clamp $12
Circuit tester $2
3 Prong adaptor (2) $2
Screw in plug adapter $3
Hand dimmer $10
Plastic tub for this stuff $6
TOTAL $265

(Wow, that added up to a big figure, but you can build it over time. Again, deals can be had. If you find a cheapie used stand for $20 and freebie gels, then you cut $60 off this total. Also, remember instead of asking for DVDs for Christmas or your birthday, ask for gift certificates at Lowes or Home Depot.)

Scott Spears is an Emmy Award winning Director of Photography with 14 features under his belt. He’s also written several feature screenplays, some of which have been made into movies. You can learn more about him at www.scottspears.net

I took the liberty of formatting your article a bit for readability.
Nice article! Thanks for writing it.

Hey Scott, some of the links on your website are broken - the www.imdb.com one doesn't work for sure.

Just thought I would tell you...and thanks for the info.

Murph

The links at the bottom of the article are not active links, you have to copy and paste them into the address window. When I posted the article I just cut and pasted it straight from a word doc without the html.


Thanks for reading the article.

Scott

Hi Scott,

You've written such a good piece for anyone wanting to do lighting on a tight budget, that I've "sticked" this thread so that it appears at the top of the forum. It'll get a bit more exposure this way. Many thanks for submitting a valuable article for those working on a low budget; it's greatly appreciated.

You're welcome and thanks for the sticky. I've got some other article in the works and will post them as they're finished.

Thanks,

Scott

Scott,

If you want to make the links clickable (as I did in your original
articles for you) put "[ url ]link[ /url ]" in the post (without the
double quotes and spaces). You can do this too in your signature
(button user cp up above)

Thanks for the tip.

Scott

Scott, not the article links. I mean the links on your personal website...they aren't working. Go check them..

Murph

Rob, thanks for the tip, I just did it and it works fine. I'm a DP, not a web guy and any tips or tricks are greatly appreciated.

Chris, I'll check the links on my site. They worked the last time I updated them. Hmmmm.

Scott

Chris,

The only problem link on my site is the IMDB link, and I'm gettin' on it. Thanks for the heads up.

Scott

Thanks for the article, I found very interesting.

David

Holy mackerel! A DeSisti 4K Softlight for $450! Great links, Scott. I think you're going to save me a lot of money over the next few months.

John,

Glad you found the article and links helpful. I did discover that the link for woodennickel should be:
www.woodennickellighting.com

The link listed takes you to some pub. Ooops.

Scott

Great article... a few quick adds if I may...

C-stands: if you're buying them new, try to get the "turtle base" stands; the center pole is removable from the legs; this is worth the couple-extra bucks for several reasons. One, they're easier to pack (especially if you're not using the mega $$ grip truck). Detatched & folded, the legs will fit in a case or extra-long dairy crate; the center post will go in your long stand-bag. (A pile of standard C-stands are a bitch to move IMHO).

Also, you can get a spud (a standard lighting stud with the matthews male attachment on top) which will pop right into the leg section; gives you a low-level stand with a light stud about 10" off the floow; kind of two-stands in one.

Also, check the big washer in the grip head; if your model has the fiber or rubber kind, get thee to a lighting dealer and get the aluminum discs NOW... they're CHEAP, they grip better, and they don't tear up... replace 'em in all your c's.

I prefer the Avenger stands to the Matthews, BTW... they seem a bit beefier and the grips are better.

When using a boom arm on a c-stand, ALWAYS position the lamp or weight so that (how do I express this??) gravity will TIGHTEN and not LOOSEN the grip. Next time you hook something up, check it out, you'll get it.

CHEAP "PRO" LIGHTS...
10 years ago, I bought some lights from L&E and they're still working great. At the time, their 6" slide-focus fresnels were about $65 new (minus lamp, switch and hook or stud). My dealer gave a killer discount over list. I also have their soft-light, which is about my most-used piece of gear. Sweet; their catalog is here:
http://www.le-us.com/

Michael,

Thanks for your input. You're right on about the turtle stands. Very handy.

Check out my Tech Tip on C-Stands to explain the gravity tightening trick for c-stands.

http://scottspears.net/filmmakpg3.html

A new inexpensive light company is www.rostronics.com

Scott

Hey, a video's worth a thousand words...

Enjoyed your site; I see you have some Bogen Superclamps on there. Those babies are the bomb; another item you just can't have enough of. I've hung some 8" fresnels from fire sprinkler pipes with 'em (but I do back 'em up with cable or chain... 15 lbs of hot stamped steel falling on a set could be a career-killer...)

Another cheapie: I had a steel distributor cut me several different lengths of 3/8 stainless pipe. You wouldn't want to hang lights from it, but for scrims, cards, or hanging gels in front of a hot light, they're way-cheap little booms, they don't rust, and will fit in more home-made rigs than conduit. If a shop specializes in stainless, chances are they'll have some scraps of pipe they'll let go of cheap.

Hi Michael:

> Also, check the big washer in the grip head; if your model has
> the fiber or rubber kind, get thee to a lighting dealer and get
> the aluminum discs NOW... they're CHEAP, they grip better, and
> they don't tear up... replace 'em in all your c's.

Thanks for the tips. Do you have a source for those washers? I've checked the usual suspects (filmtools, studio depot, B&H et al) and couldn't find them. Perhaps I'm not looking for the correct name/description of them.

Thanks!
Ben

I got several from a camera store (in Dallas) that went under a few years back.

The "washers" are the same diameter of a c-stand knuckle, with a very small hole (just the right size for the center bolt). They were made specifically as a replacement as I recall, not something someone found "that fit".

You might try Competitive Cameras... they're local but they do mail order; they're the major guys in this market. (I'm not affiliated, etc., though I should get a bronze plaque on their wall memorializing the cash I've dropped there!)

DFW Area (214) 744-5511
Toll Free (800) 688-0211
Fax (214) 744-5599
E-Mail cocameras@aol.com

I second what Michael said about Avenger C+ stands. I've got several, and they're great. The removable base is a huge advantage for loading/transporting when it's a small vehicle. I keep a few loaded in some rifle cases (sort of a budget "C-vival kit"), the bases, arms, heads, and shafts all fit nicely in one easily-carriable case that is very space-efficient.

Steve,

I just have to say thank for such a good article. I printed it out and took it with me to the Home Depot. I was able to find a dual 500 watt open faced halogen light w/ 6 foot stand for a total of 1000 watts for $29!! I picked up a few of the other smaller guys for like 8 bucks for back lights and such. Then I went and got some PVC piping and ordered some translucent white panels from Calument which I will use the PVC for frames!! The panels at calument were only like $28!!

So, thanks a ton. I had my shopping cart at B&H filled with over $500 worth of stuff that I was able to fill with less than $130. Granted I'll have to rig up some stuff, but still, what a savings.

Thanks again steve. Oh, and great tip videos by the way.

GREAT stuff Steve!

We used several of your ideas for low cost lighting of our green screen. Thanks!

It seems that gas generators wouldn't fit the "low budget" criteria, so, any recommendations on "Low Budget" alternative power solutions (car batteries, marine batteries, etc), for those situations where either the location has no power, or the individual home/location outlets don't provide adequate power?

Thanks in advance,

~Shawn

Awesome article! My lighting knowledge is very little so this is definitely a good start.

On the power issues, I keep a 12vdc power inverter in my trunk. Mine is a small one I actually bought to charge various bateries from. If you are not familiar with them, they normally plug into the cigar lighter and provide a few outlets for 120vac. Be VERY aware of the amperage of the gear you are going to plug into it.

You can find these things at most truckstops. Mine is a few hundred watts. I have a few shop lights that are multi lamp flourescent types that are about 5k temp. I can power one off the small inverter. Plenty of light for the interior shots of a car or truck at night.

You can find these up into the thousands of watts. I wouldn't plug too many into one vehicle. Get a few buddies and long extension cords. Have them each run one inverter and set of light off each vehicle (running) and you can get creative from there. Watch that amperage.

Sean McHenry

I was looking for some tips but this is great! You covered every question I had for the spit and glue stuff! Great Work!

Brad,

I'm glad you found the article helpful. Get some lights and start playing around. It's the best way to learn.

Scott

On the power issues, I keep a 12vdc power inverter in my trunk. Mine is a small one I actually bought to charge various bateries from. If you are not familiar with them, they normally plug into the cigar lighter and provide a few outlets for 120vac. Be VERY aware of the amperage of the gear you are going to plug into it.

You can find these things at most truckstops. Mine is a few hundred watts. I have a few shop lights that are multi lamp flourescent types that are about 5k temp. I can power one off the small inverter. Plenty of light for the interior shots of a car or truck at night.

You can find these up into the thousands of watts. I wouldn't plug too many into one vehicle. Get a few buddies and long extension cords. Have them each run one inverter and set of light off each vehicle (running) and you can get creative from there. Watch that amperage.

Sean McHenry


Man, it's been a long time since I originally posted that question and indeed I've found my way to inverters, haven't bought one yet but am thinking along the lines of these:


http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=10037432&whse=&topnav=&browse=

Maximum continuous power: 1500 watts
5 minutes continuous power: 1750 watts
Peak surge capacity: 3000 watts
for $199

or...

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=10037445&whse=&topnav=&browse=

or...

There's actually a lot of options for powering lights off your car: http://www.invertersrus.com/

Thank you for all of your help, scott!
I Wanted to know if you, or someone here can help me with something... I found a China lantern at target for only 5 dollars... The problem is, its yellow. Now is this still going to be usable or does it have to be white?

Please help me out, as soon as you can (Its on clearance)!
~Gabriel~

Yellow is going be tough because the color temperature problem. All your lights will have to match or come close to that yellow.

I apologize for my article mentioning Target, but at the time I wrote it they carried white china lanterns. I was disappointed when I found that they no longer carried them. You could try Pier One if there are any in your area. I found some in a gift/variety store.

You can find them on-line at places like www.filmtools.com and www.studiodepot.com
They're a little pricey, but it's an option.

Scott

world market carries them as well.

Ikea carries all sorts of China Lanterns in white, from ceiling hangers to floor standing. There is in Ikea next to the Potomac Mills mall in Northen VA.
Check their online catalog.

Thanks, guys! I keep looking for them.

Has anyone ever tried to make one of those Fisher| Leelium Balloon Lights? What I mean by that is, Has anyone ever made something that can float up in the air and produce a nice light. Like this, http://www.fisherlight.com/level2/balloon.html.

These "light" balloons are very popular on big shows like commericals and features. They aren't cheap and have certain limitations (wattage and high winds aren't good for them), but can come in handy when you need a soft top light and you can't use a crane. Some you can rent and use by yourself, but the bigger units require an operator.

As to building something like that myself, I'll leave that to the pros. I think I would end up with a molten mass of plactic dropping on the actors.

Scott

A quick note about the inverters -

There are essentially 2 kinds of inverters - square wave and true sine wave. There are many variations, modified sine-wave, etc... The important thing is to know which you're getting.

Square wave means that the electronics switch from +120v through 0v to -120v basically instantaneously. If you were to graph it, you would see it basically "jumps" from + to -. For a lot of applications, this is ok. Small, cheap lamps for example, are generally ok to use off square wave.

Sine wave is the way power is delivered as "line current" from the wall. Voltage goes from +120 and slopes off to 0, then slopes to -120. It's a continuous variation, a sine wave, that the voltage ramps down, then negative, then back up. Most 120v electronics are designed to use this type of current, because it doesn't "surge" 60 times per second.

A lot of inverters will say "not recommended for electronics." These are square wave systems. They also will say "for temporary use." Even simple circuits like lamps can burn out far quicker when using square wave power, as the application of power to the element is basically always flickering, as opposed to ramping up and down. Sine wave systems are then much better for expensive lamps and especially sensitive electronics.

The downside? It takes a LOT more trickery to approximate sine-wave delivery...and is therefore a LOT more expensive. You can get cheap 1000w inverters for less than $80, where a similar sine-wave system would easily in the 1,000's of dollars. you basically get what you pay for. BUT if your goal is to home-build a lot of china balls or the like, and you're using 25c bulbs, save the cash and get the cheapo system. It'll probably cut the lifespan of the bulb by about 5-10 times, but in those pinch situations, it's worth it.

I make my living producing training videos. I recently had to film some food preparation scenes in a commercial kitchen in Minneapolis (I live in Texas). For some reason, my lighting materials didn't arrive in time for the shoot.

A trip to a local Home Depot, and 200 bucks solved my problem. I won't bother listing everything I bought, it's been covered elesewhere, but I'll just say that halogen lighting used to light construction sites works great when pushed through beige bedsheets that you can get for "throw away" prices at the local Wal-Mart or Target.

Kitchens have lots of shiny things all around, and these can be a problem. I can't believe how well the halogen/beige sheet thing worked. In the future, I might experiment with different colored sheets to see what effects I can produce.

Hope this tip helps.

Hey John, welcome to dvinfo.net!

Thats some great advice John, thanks for the tip!

What did you use for holding the sheet up in-front of the halogens'?

~Gabriel

Hi Gabriel,

Kitchens are full of racks to store things. I moved two of them in a position with the lights in-between, and strung a rope from one to the other. I hung the sheets over the rope with clothespins. Really simple stuff.

Actually, I wound up using two sheets (two-plys) to get the effect I was looking for. These were cheap sheets though, so really good ones would probably behave differently. Halogen lights (two lights 500 watts each) are pretty intense and generate lots of heat, so I had 3 feet of distance between the lamps and the sheets. I did have some (light) leakage to the celing and sides of the whole contraption, but was able to isolate it by moving some things around. Fortunately, Halogen lights are very directional in nature.

Try it sometime when you're experimenting with lighting. I've done a lot of makeshift stuff that came up pretty good on film. On the other hand, some of it was lousy.

Training videos are usually low-budget affairs, so I don't invest a ton of cash in lighting. I usually rely on camera adjustments, and software to make up the diference. But let's face it, when you're filming some guy rebuilding a motor, or installing a hydralic pump in a plant somewhere, how good does the "mood" have to be?

John

I know this thread hasn't been touched in a long time, but it's still a sticky, and I get the impression that it's a "first stop" for people looking for cheap lighting gear.

Today I read a reply to a thread about low-budget lighting that was probably among the most thoughtful and best-written responses I've ever read. I quoted it here in it's entirety, because if no one did, it'd be lost into the ether by tomorrow.

Enjoy...

I'm always frustrated by posts like this because I'd like to help, but most of the stuff i could say comes across as either unrealistic or smug.

I'm not sure whether this will sound smug or unrealistic... possibly both, but here goes:

If you have somebody calling themselves a DP, then they are exactly the person that should be telling you what fixtures they want. Chances are your "DP" is probably more of a cameraman, which is cool... but you really want somebody thats spends their time thinking about lighting and framing and the big picture visually... somebody like... a DP.

Soft lights have their place, but its really easy to make them look lifeless and flat and you usually need a box of gear just to control their spill. You can always soften a hard source, but not the other way around. The cheapy redheads are a good idea so you have some hard light sources, but what you buy should be dictated by what you are shooting and where and what the DP want to happen visually. A "complete kit" is a myth. Even the guys with major lighting trucks have wish lists. Your lighting kit on this film should be based on the needs your storyboards and locations as interpreted by your DP.

You are shooting horror... It depends on the genre of horror and location, but I'd definitely be wanting some hard lights.

Imagine this scenario:

"I'm going in to the studio next month to record an LP. I have a cymbal and a few bass strings, and my guitarist has an amp. I guess we need a guitar so i'm buying a cheap chinese fender knockoff. Aside from the guitar, what kind of instruments do you think I should buy to make the album sound awesome?"

I don't want to be one of those guys that discourages you. I think everybody should make indie no-budget features. Heck, thats exactly why i have a production truck filled with lights, dolly, crane and sound gear... I want to help people with great ideas make no-budget features too.

But the very first question you should ask the music recording scenario guy is "um. what kind of music do you play?"... along those same lines, here are the beginning of questions you should be answering:

What kind of horror film are you shooting?
---This determines the style of lighting which in turn determines what kind of lights you'll want. Old school zombie? Blood spurting slasher? Intellectual thriller?

Indoors, outdoors or both?
--- If your film is all outdoors, then thats a whole different set of gear than if its all indoors. If you are shooting outside during the day low-budget you want diffusers and reflectors. Big pieces of foam core and rigs to hold up sheets/diffusers whatever to cut the contrast off of faces. If its all indoors, then...

Day, night or both?
--- If its night then you need to provide all the light. You can then control everything, however, if its day...

Using sunlight or not?
--- If you use sunlight coming in windows, then you'll need your other lights to compliment that. You'll either need a crapload of interior lighting, or possibly a way to cut back on the brightness of windows. It can be as simple as mosquito netting, or a sheet... but if you want to look like a feature, chances are that blown out windows and unbalanced lighting isnt the look you are after.

is your shoot fully scouted and "light-scheduled and light-located"?
--- On the smart no-budget features, scenes are carefully scheduled to take advantage of the existing light. You avoid shooting exteriors from 11-1 (or really, from 10-2), if you are shooting lots of scenes over many days supposed to take place in a short period of time, you schedule those scenes to take place during the same time of day each day so you dont have shadows jumping from long to short and relative intensity shifting madly. Exterior romantic scenes are shot during the golden hour... etc.

Sometimes it makes more sense to just split a shoot up and use the same time of day over several days. Other times it makes more sense to black out the windows and rent big HMI to blast in the windows so you have a constant and steady source of light that doesnt change as you shoot. Other times it makes more sense just to say "maybe this scene takes place indoors at night" and go for it.

Are you shooting sound or replacing it later?
--- This can make a major different in fixtures. I did a 4 day shoot that took place in a tiny apartment at night... shot during hot summer days with tungsten fixtures and sound sync. This means a tiny apartment with all the windows blacked out, the A/C turned off and 2 redheads and 2 blondes blasting away. I was absolutely drenched in sweat after 20 minutes and dehydrated and delirious at the end of each day. At the end of that week i placed my order for the cool-light HMIs. I will never allow myself to be baked alive again. (i had sunburns from the blonde right behind my head. ahhh)

I've seen some experienced DPs make magic with what seems like useless and impossible thrift store fixtures. I've also seen people use a $10,000/day lighting truck to create completely mediocre scenes. Just like a music cd, it really is the talent of who is using the gear, which is why everyone should want to find a talented DP, then turn all the gear decisions over to them.

Ignoring the previous paragraph (which, to me is rather important), in my opinion your shopping list you should be looking at should start with this:

buy light stands. They are cheap and even the crappy ones can last awhile if you treat them well. Have at least one really tall one.

Buy at least one super clamp and at least one grip head. Its still a talent thing to know when/how to use them, but when you need them, nothing else will work as well. A piece of galvanized pipe in a grip head can turn a light stand into a back light or overhead... I've bought a few of the cheapy ones from b&h and found them to be quite serviceable for the price.

Borrow a ladder. You'll find a use for it.

buy plenty of extension cords.

buy way more snacks, drinks, bottled waters and food than you think you'll ever need. Seriously, this is the absolutely most essential and most often neglected part of shooting a no-budge feature. The people on set are worth FAR more than the gear. If you starve people they get grumpy and make poor decisions... and are less likely to come back. If you feed them well (not fancy, just "well") then they are far more likely to take a bullet for you and say "lets go for it." I'm not talking about a single bag of chips and a 6 pack of budget "dr. cola". You need to make the snack table look like the snack table at a really bitchen party. If you do that, people will loosen up like its a party and everything will flow smoother. You deny caffeine and delay a meal for some bogus reason you run the risk of a mutiny. Seriously. I've seen MANY productions die a quick and painful death due to lack of craft services and I'm sure other people will back me up on this. For a one day shoot, you can get away with it. A Feature??? Thats a huge favor to ask of people. You can get away with a lot of abuse but skimp on food and they will abandon you. If you ignore everything else in this post, heed this. Zero budget films are MADE by the snacks and food served to the crew. It can be peanut butter and jelly on white bread if it has to be, but if you have some form of food ready at all times to hand to the crew the second they get peckish, you will have a 10,000X higher probability of actually finishing your film. It sounds lame, but no matter how old you are, ask your mom. She has the greatest power to help you make a great no-budget film and chances are will love to help out in this way.

If you are shooting with the sun streaming in, buy some scoop lights, some high wattage (200w) bulbs, some low wattage (20w?) and some daylight spiral fluoros. Scoops are what, $10 and worth it if you dont have nicer fixtures to give you a bit of control over where to point some light. The bright and dim bulbs are fantastic for practicals. If you are shooting a darkish scene, put lamps around the room and populate them with dim bulbs. This way you get lots of varied light without overpowering the scene, and not looking all red like you dimmed them. The super brights are if you are shooting a shot with lots of ambient spill and you want the lamp to compete with/compliment some moderate window-light.

You are shooting a 35 adapter on a not-terribly-low-light-friendly camera. Go back and buy even more practicals and scoop lights. It depends on genre and where your film is set, but in most "dark horror" you want many little light sources around the scene. Its not about actual blackness, just lots of contrast. Plus, once you iris up to 1.4 to try to avoid the camera noise you'll realize that all but a tiny sliver of the screen is out of focus and thats when having lots of points of light in the background of a scene will keep it interesting. Heck, drag some old christmas lights out of the attic and find any reason at all to drape them in the background of scenes. lots of blurry lights is cooler than "blackness" and chances are you'll need all the light you can get.

If the window light is extreme, you may need to cut it back. I've had great luck just hanging lace curtains outside the house. Cuts the light back in a nice, but believable manner... I'd troll the thrift stores for lacey curtains, old "misty" shower curtains... really thin sheets. It can all work great in the right situation. If you come up with a way to rig them, they can be overheads if you are shooting in harsh sun, window diffusers/cutters/blackouts, big reflectors and even direct diffusers if you want a really big soft light source for a shot.

Buy a big sheet of white foam core. its a reflector, its a flag. Chop it up and its a cookie. Its both magical and cheap.

Buy a china ball. You can get amazing results just slapping a china ball over the existing ceiling fixture. Its handy to have in lots of different indoor situations. Definitely worth a try for the price.

Its not like all these are the absolute necessities, but they are all so cheap and can be so useful that i think its worth having them around just-in-case. Once you evolve past needing them you can still find uses for 'em and you didnt spend too much money along the way.

So THATS the direction I think you should go in. I'm no lighting expert, so take what i say with appropriate salt. On the other hand, I've done most of the typical and notorious "trial and error" purchases working my way up from a scoop lights to britek to cool lights/arri/kino, (and also from mop-handle boomed atr-55 to oktava to schoeps.) I learned the hard way what works and what doesn't and probably spent $30k to get what amounts to $25k in gear due to my stubbornness/mistakes. I reckon that plus the fact that me and my evolving gear have helped out on lots of no-budget shoots gives me particularly useful insight into the zero-budget gear acquiring process.

If you wanna be a rock band, you need to find a guitarist. If you want to shoot a feature that looks nice? Find somebody to DP that has a strong, cool vision and is willing to cross you to make their vision happen. When everything hits the fan, you want a DP that is willing to fight for the image... and a boom operator willing to fight for mic placement.

Thems my 2c. hope it helps!

-Andrew

Good thoughts on lighting.

I did a shoot a couple days ago in a hospital where we had no access to any decent amount of electrical current. We had a patient room with a big window...and no power for any HMIs to speak of.

As mentioned, we had some spiral (normal screw in light bulb) fluorescent daylight bulbs and I used foam core from an office supply store cut and bent to a right-angle to create a sort of "cove" to aim the light (on the salad tongs clamp from the hardware store) into to create a soft light, but not throw across a nearly unlimited area. It make a very good interview key and we had daylight so we simply ran with the window in view. It looked quite natural actually.

So...I would just echo the idea that having some full spectrum spiral screw in fluorescent bulbs (23w draw for a 100w incandescent light output the package says...), which not only come in the curly-queue configurations, but now also floods...

The one thing I do have with me even when I don't have my normal pro gear, is lots of pro stands...there just isn't a good substitute that I've found... I also carry lots of hardware store "A clamps" or sometimes called "Pony" (a brand) clamps. Very handy for getting various things attached to your stands. If you get the little clamps with a magnet on one handle, you can now mount a lightweight piece of foamcore on a drop ceiling metal grid to block an overhead fluorescent quite nicely. I also have some lowel spuds on a bracket...two posts at a right angle with a bracket and set screw...they slide right on an everyday hardware store sliding jaw clamp rail and now you've mounted a light on the top of a door or other area where you need to have light but don't want a stand.

The one thing you can't get at a hardware or office supply store is the DP...you still need someone who knows what the picture should look like...

Just thought I would add a tip I found on another site about using those Tyvek mailing envelopes to hold sand, dirt or rocks inside your sandbags to prevent leakage, instead of Ziploc bags. Very durable, waterproof, and free from FedEx- https://www.fedex.com/kh/supplies/

Heck you could even put some duct tape handles on those bags and make your own saddlebags.