Cool Lights 'interview kit' recommendations?

Greg Kiger · December 22nd, 2009, 10:10 PM

Would just like to echo Ryan's post. I also just got a 600led spot with the thought that it gives a long throw bare and a wider creamy soft look in the soft box. Plenty of punch for interviews with daylight / windows in the background.

I also agree that its all well made and easy to use. It is also almost infinitely adjustable with switches and a dimmer. Nice stuff, just part of an all daylight Coollights interview kit we are building along with a 455 flo unit and a CDM 150 fresnel spot on order.

Hot lights are so last century :)

Ryan Mitchell · December 22nd, 2009, 10:40 PM

My "dream light kit" still has another 455 flo and one more LED600, if not two for ultimate flexibility, given how slim they are. I bet you could get one of Richard's bigger light cases and just stack all your LED lights into one of those - that would be impressive. :)

Greg - you're picking up the CDM 150 - I haven't really looked at those much - would you use something like that as a BG light or something like that? Throw a cookie in front of it since you can't really do that with the LED's?

Garrett Low · December 23rd, 2009, 02:44 AM

Hi Ryan,

My light kit currently consist of only hard lights. I shoot a combination of movies, documentaries and some interviews. I've got 4 CDM 150's and one CDM 70, two soft boxes for the 150's, assorted scrims and cutters. I'm probably going to eventually get an LED light but for now I definitely need the ability to control the light a little more and when I need them, the soft boxes do a great job.

Here are a couple of screen grabs from two different applications with basically the same lights. The first one was with two CDM150's both with soft boxes and one CDM70 as a back light. The second pic is on location in a house with a lot of dark wood that just sucked up the light. We used 4 CDM150's and assorted reflectors. The practicals were almost impossible to control but we needed them on for effect.

A friend of mine also has two flos and we've used those before to shoot a round table discussion. They worked great to just fill the room with light.

Garrett

Bob Basile · December 23rd, 2009, 04:51 AM

I feel whatever fits in the room and fits in your budget makes up the ideal light kit. I shot this interview in a 12x14 room with a total of 2 lights - one 250 softbox with a 40 degree egg crate (key) and one 250 spot (backlight) with barn doors. I used a 32 inch reflector as a fill and one practical was used to light the background. It took less than an hour and a half to set up, shoot the interview and tear down. The cost of the lighting kit was minimal and I only had to make on trip to the car. I think being able to control the light you do have is the key issue.

Ryan Mitchell · December 23rd, 2009, 10:24 AM

Garrett - thanks for the pictures. I have a couple of Richard's 650 fresnels that I like quite a bit but except for BG with cookies or color, I might not be using them quite as much with my cooler light components... I'm assuming that the CDM 150s' power isn't equivalent to a 650 or something like that - but like a flo you can't entirely use the wattage as an indicator of the power of the light output - any thoughts as to how you'd rate the light compared to something like a 650W tungsten?

I used my 455 flo the other day to add some additional light indoors in an office setting that worked out great - and I added it on the key side which was lighted from the giant windows facing outdoors to the cloud-covered day. The sunlight was indirect and flooded the room, but I wanted a more drastic ratio between that and the unlit side of the subjects' face. It worked great from about 5-6 feet away to add more punch. Love that light. :) Now I'll see what kind of damage I can do with the LED600 and the two LED256's indoors - I'm looking forward to it.

Bob - I totally agree with you. I'm not a lighting expert per se, but I'm learning that each has its place, and that guys that really know how to do it can do with one or two lights what would take me 3-4 or more. With the kit I have now I think I can shoot most one-up interviews and might be able to get away with a two-up if I had the time. I need to get to the point you are with speed, though - 1.5 hours is impressive. :)

Garrett Low · December 23rd, 2009, 12:04 PM

Hi Ryan,

The CDM 150 is actually much like an HMI except you cannot hot restrike. Need to wait 5 minutes. It is equivalent to a 650w tungsten but without the heat and is daylight balanced. The CDM70 is equivalent to a 300w. They're not as cool as a Flo or LED but they definitely are a lot cooler than tungsten lights (I use to have Lowel lights).

As I said I may be investing in some of Richards LED256's in the near future. I really like being able to throw them up quickly have and them run on Sony batteries.

Garrett

Ryan Mitchell · December 23rd, 2009, 09:10 PM

That's great - so they'd be perfect for a cooler BG/cookie or accent light. Thanks for the info.

Greg Kiger · December 24th, 2009, 10:14 AM

Hey Ryan, we were slammed there for a few days...

Yeah, I am looking at using the CDM 150 as a background lite when it comes in to high light a small area or shoot thru a cookie. The led600, even as a spot which I have, seems far too wide for background use.

Anyway, good luck :)

December 22nd, 2009, 10:10 PM	#16
Greg Kiger Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: St. Louis, MO Posts: 134	Would just like to echo Ryan's post. I also just got a 600led spot with the thought that it gives a long throw bare and a wider creamy soft look in the soft box. Plenty of punch for interviews with daylight / windows in the background. I also agree that its all well made and easy to use. It is also almost infinitely adjustable with switches and a dimmer. Nice stuff, just part of an all daylight Coollights interview kit we are building along with a 455 flo unit and a CDM 150 fresnel spot on order. Hot lights are so last century :) __________________ Greg Kiger St Louis Mo www.GreenBridgeFilms.com Sony EX1 / Canon 5Dm2 / Cool Lights / DP1x / Marshall / Oktava / Sanken / Kessler

December 23rd, 2009, 02:44 AM	#18
Garrett Low Trustee Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Novato, CA Posts: 1,774	Hi Ryan, My light kit currently consist of only hard lights. I shoot a combination of movies, documentaries and some interviews. I've got 4 CDM 150's and one CDM 70, two soft boxes for the 150's, assorted scrims and cutters. I'm probably going to eventually get an LED light but for now I definitely need the ability to control the light a little more and when I need them, the soft boxes do a great job. Here are a couple of screen grabs from two different applications with basically the same lights. The first one was with two CDM150's both with soft boxes and one CDM70 as a back light. The second pic is on location in a house with a lot of dark wood that just sucked up the light. We used 4 CDM150's and assorted reflectors. The practicals were almost impossible to control but we needed them on for effect. A friend of mine also has two flos and we've used those before to shoot a round table discussion. They worked great to just fill the room with light. Garrett Attached Thumbnails

December 23rd, 2009, 04:51 AM	#19
Bob Basile New Boot Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Pemberton, New Jersey Posts: 7	I feel whatever fits in the room and fits in your budget makes up the ideal light kit. I shot this interview in a 12x14 room with a total of 2 lights - one 250 softbox with a 40 degree egg crate (key) and one 250 spot (backlight) with barn doors. I used a 32 inch reflector as a fill and one practical was used to light the background. It took less than an hour and a half to set up, shoot the interview and tear down. The cost of the lighting kit was minimal and I only had to make on trip to the car. I think being able to control the light you do have is the key issue. Attached Thumbnails

December 23rd, 2009, 12:04 PM	#21
Garrett Low Trustee Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Novato, CA Posts: 1,774	Hi Ryan, The CDM 150 is actually much like an HMI except you cannot hot restrike. Need to wait 5 minutes. It is equivalent to a 650w tungsten but without the heat and is daylight balanced. The CDM70 is equivalent to a 300w. They're not as cool as a Flo or LED but they definitely are a lot cooler than tungsten lights (I use to have Lowel lights). As I said I may be investing in some of Richards LED256's in the near future. I really like being able to throw them up quickly have and them run on Sony batteries. Garrett Last edited by Garrett Low; December 23rd, 2009 at 04:26 PM.

December 24th, 2009, 10:14 AM	#23
Greg Kiger Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: St. Louis, MO Posts: 134	Hey Ryan, we were slammed there for a few days... Yeah, I am looking at using the CDM 150 as a background lite when it comes in to high light a small area or shoot thru a cookie. The led600, even as a spot which I have, seems far too wide for background use. Anyway, good luck :) __________________ Greg Kiger St Louis Mo www.GreenBridgeFilms.com Sony EX1 / Canon 5Dm2 / Cool Lights / DP1x / Marshall / Oktava / Sanken / Kessler

December 22nd, 2009, 10:40 PM	#17
Ryan Mitchell Regular Crew Join Date: May 2008 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 120	My "dream light kit" still has another 455 flo and one more LED600, if not two for ultimate flexibility, given how slim they are. I bet you could get one of Richard's bigger light cases and just stack all your LED lights into one of those - that would be impressive. :) Greg - you're picking up the CDM 150 - I haven't really looked at those much - would you use something like that as a BG light or something like that? Throw a cookie in front of it since you can't really do that with the LED's?

December 23rd, 2009, 10:24 AM	#20
Ryan Mitchell Regular Crew Join Date: May 2008 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 120	Garrett - thanks for the pictures. I have a couple of Richard's 650 fresnels that I like quite a bit but except for BG with cookies or color, I might not be using them quite as much with my cooler light components... I'm assuming that the CDM 150s' power isn't equivalent to a 650 or something like that - but like a flo you can't entirely use the wattage as an indicator of the power of the light output - any thoughts as to how you'd rate the light compared to something like a 650W tungsten? I used my 455 flo the other day to add some additional light indoors in an office setting that worked out great - and I added it on the key side which was lighted from the giant windows facing outdoors to the cloud-covered day. The sunlight was indirect and flooded the room, but I wanted a more drastic ratio between that and the unlit side of the subjects' face. It worked great from about 5-6 feet away to add more punch. Love that light. :) Now I'll see what kind of damage I can do with the LED600 and the two LED256's indoors - I'm looking forward to it. Bob - I totally agree with you. I'm not a lighting expert per se, but I'm learning that each has its place, and that guys that really know how to do it can do with one or two lights what would take me 3-4 or more. With the kit I have now I think I can shoot most one-up interviews and might be able to get away with a two-up if I had the time. I need to get to the point you are with speed, though - 1.5 hours is impressive. :)

December 23rd, 2009, 09:10 PM	#22
Ryan Mitchell Regular Crew Join Date: May 2008 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 120	That's great - so they'd be perfect for a cooler BG/cookie or accent light. Thanks for the info.