Hi everyone,

We're based on the UK but we have a couple of jobs coming up in New York. These jobs will require filming interviews so we'll need some lights.
Instead of taking them from here, we were thinking of buying the lights there, use them on both jobs (march and then July) and keep them later on.

Impact Soft and Natural 4 Socket 3 Light Kit FFS4-3KI B&H Photo (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/945063-REG)

what are the potential problems with this? Will we be able to use them later on here in the UK? Are we going to have flickering issues? Any good solutions?
The final product is only going to be used on the web of that helps?

Please help!

Thanks

At a minimum you'll need a voltage converter since these lights will be 120v. The frequency difference shouldn't be a concern.

No - voltage converters on flu loads are big and very heavy, so you just buy country specific lamps - however, there is a snag. As they are supplied in the US, the chances are that the wiring will be below spec for UK use, remember, two pin plugs and poor or no grounds. Trying to do it with adaptors is a bad idea as the connectors are not rated for 230V, and adaptors are a pain - always making bad contact when you wiggle.

I'd simply hire proper kit out there. CFLs, in my view are horrible. I've actually got some, and did one outing. Glow worm brightness and a horrible colour rendition. What is the point of a light source that doesn;t make your irises contract, because they don't!

I'm with Paul. Rent a kit if you're in a major US city. Or you can roll with a full LED complement. They are much more durable. Depending on your interview style, you can often get away with a key and back light only, along with a pop-up reflector for fill. Bonus, many units can be powered by battery, so setup is cleaner and quicker. Just watch for the cheap low-CRI units. Invest in quality gear if you're doing lots of interviews and charging a reasonable amount.

I am based in NY and have a few light kits if you want to rent locally. These days the baggage fees can be so high that there is often reason to rent locally.