Three light kit too noisy at DVinfo.net

Steven Davis · March 9th, 2015, 09:08 AM

Hey all. So I'm starting to do some studio green screen interviewing and using my three 1000w Savage softbox kit, I have way to much fan noise off of them and need to replace them with something that will do a nice green screen. Not that I wanted to buy another kit, but this one was suggested to me, Lowel Tota-light Trans-kit T1-923Z B&H Photo Video

I'm completely open to suggestions. I'm not in a position at this point to go LED, so I'm looking for a mid range kit.

Thanks in advance.

Oren Arieli · March 9th, 2015, 11:09 AM

Okay, so it's not a cheap solution, but I've heard that this is a single-light solution perfect for the greenscreen: CycLight - LED - FloLight LLC

Of course, you'll still need your key and fill lights, but I can recommend Aputure's Amaran 672 (available in wide, spot and bi-color) as inexpensive key and fill light. Make sure you get the newest ones rated at 95+ CRI. They are AC/DC powered, lightweight, portable, and pack a punch (at least the single-color units).

Seth Bloombaum · March 9th, 2015, 04:42 PM

Don't know what you can successfully use noisy lights for - still photography I guess, or MOS.

One important question - what kind of shots are you needing to get? Greenscreen lighting gets way more complicated when you need head-to-toe shots. For knee, waist, or head & shoulders shots things are a lot easier.

Why? Because short distances between subject and screen are the number one reason that cutting the key can be very difficult. If green light is bouncing off your subject (green spill) it doesn't matter so much if you have a $15k 4:2:2 camera or a $1500 prosumer 4:2:0 camcorder.

Get at least 7' between your subject and background, and light them independently. And look around, because this has been discussed many times on this forum.

The 3 tota kit definitely has the watts, and 2 of the totas with umbrellas can do left and right of the screen for a waist shot or head & shoulders, no problem.

I like totas and I use them, but they're bad boys because they're essentially a bare-bulb fixture. You may as well buy two dual-500w worklights at your local lowes or home depot for $40 each and add some tough spun diffusion hanging off cheap mic stands - total outlay less than $150, and put the rest of your budget into whatever subject lighting you want.

It doesn't take a lot to light a green screen, but you do need watts, and you do need them even (diffusion), and you do need to do it independently of your lighting for the foreground subject.

Steven Davis · March 10th, 2015, 08:13 AM

Hey Seth and Oren,

Yes, I misstepped a bit when I bought the Savage Kit. It wasn't until I really delved into interviews that the noise became such a challenge. The Tota's are nice, but there not dimimable by switch and may roast my talent. The one positive aspect of the Savage kit is they are dimmable.

Thanks for the feed back. My studio is 24x26 feet so I can pull off full body green screen, I'm just trying to reconfigure my lighting system. I just bought a pair of strobes for my photography side, so now to address my video lighting. It might be that I can't do it with three lights, not all my projects, but that might be a live and learn experience. All I know is, as you said, there's not much you can do with noisy lights.

Steven Davis · March 29th, 2015, 12:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Seth Bloombaum

Don't know what you can successfully use noisy lights for - still photography I guess, or MOS.

One important question - what kind of shots are you needing to get? Greenscreen lighting gets way more complicated when you need head-to-toe shots. For knee, waist, or head & shoulders shots things are a lot easier.

Why? Because short distances between subject and screen are the number one reason that cutting the key can be very difficult. If green light is bouncing off your subject (green spill) it doesn't matter so much if you have a $15k 4:2:2 camera or a $1500 prosumer 4:2:0 camcorder.

Get at least 7' between your subject and background, and light them independently. And look around, because this has been discussed many times on this forum.

The 3 tota kit definitely has the watts, and 2 of the totas with umbrellas can do left and right of the screen for a waist shot or head & shoulders, no problem.

I like totas and I use them, but they're bad boys because they're essentially a bare-bulb fixture. You may as well buy two dual-500w worklights at your local lowes or home depot for $40 each and add some tough spun diffusion hanging off cheap mic stands - total outlay less than $150, and put the rest of your budget into whatever subject lighting you want.

It doesn't take a lot to light a green screen, but you do need watts, and you do need them even (diffusion), and you do need to do it independently of your lighting for the foreground subject.

Hey Seth, I'm assuming the totas don't make a noise?

Greg Boston · March 29th, 2015, 10:55 PM

When you purchase lighting that is meant for video work, they will never have fans in them. Because mics will pick up that noise, no matter how silent you think they are.

Seth Bloombaum · March 29th, 2015, 11:36 PM

What Greg said - totas are silent. And, they do put out lots of lumens for their size and price. I recently lit a couple people using two totas behind a 5x7' diffuser, with a reflector to fill the shadows. They were over a white background, which was lit separately.

They are a very hard light, but good diffusion will tame any source.

Brian Drysdale · March 30th, 2015, 01:19 AM

Other thing about dimming is that lowers the colour temperature, which can cause problems if you're trying to match into modern practical lighting, which often has a higher CT than tungsten lighting.

Steven Davis · March 5th, 2016, 01:33 PM

Well, I ended up getting THE INTERVIEW KIT - Dracast So far so good. I already use gold mount batteries and the Sony batteries already, so that's a plus. The kit is solid, came with gels, soft cases that fit into the hard case.

I've not used it in a shoot yet, but based on my tests in-studio, I think it'll work well. I do like the ease of gel replacement, barn doors and battery/ac power.

Ken Hull · March 7th, 2016, 12:03 AM

Steven,

The Tota kit might be a good idea, but I wonder if bouncing the light off an umbrella gives sufficiently even light for a green screen. If it does, great!

However, my suggestion would be to get 3 Apurture 672c lights. They're affordable, they have a wide flood coverage, and the color temp is adjustable. I would put a unit on each side of the green screen, set for daylight color temp. I would use the 3rd unit for the subject key light, set to tungsten balance (or half-way between if you need more punch). Adjust the camera's white balance for whatever your set the key to. You would probably want diffusion on the key. Then use a collapsible reflector to provide some fill for your subject.

If you would prefer true tungsten light for your subject, substitute a Rifa 44 for the 3rd light.

Doug Jensen · March 9th, 2016, 10:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Greg Boston

When you purchase lighting that is meant for video work, they will never have fans in them. Because mics will pick up that noise, no matter how silent you think they are.

Hey Greg, never say never! I own several Litepanels LED fresnel lights that are obviously designed for video/film and they all have fans in them. But you'd have to put your ear up against them to hear it running. Even my Sony cameras have fans in them, so it's not that unusual anymore. Are you going to be at NAB next month?

How to Set up and Shoot Awesome Interviews with LED Lights

March 9th, 2015, 09:08 AM	#1
Steven Davis Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Richmond, VA Posts: 3,065	Three light kit too noisy Hey all. So I'm starting to do some studio green screen interviewing and using my three 1000w Savage softbox kit, I have way to much fan noise off of them and need to replace them with something that will do a nice green screen. Not that I wanted to buy another kit, but this one was suggested to me, Lowel Tota-light Trans-kit T1-923Z B&H Photo Video I'm completely open to suggestions. I'm not in a position at this point to go LED, so I'm looking for a mid range kit. Thanks in advance. __________________ What happens if I push the 'Red' button?

March 9th, 2015, 11:09 AM	#2
Oren Arieli Major Player Join Date: May 2007 Location: San Jose, California Posts: 919	Re: Three light kit too noisy Okay, so it's not a cheap solution, but I've heard that this is a single-light solution perfect for the greenscreen: CycLight - LED - FloLight LLC Of course, you'll still need your key and fill lights, but I can recommend Aputure's Amaran 672 (available in wide, spot and bi-color) as inexpensive key and fill light. Make sure you get the newest ones rated at 95+ CRI. They are AC/DC powered, lightweight, portable, and pack a punch (at least the single-color units).

March 9th, 2015, 04:42 PM	#3
Seth Bloombaum Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Portland, Oregon Posts: 3,420	Re: Three light kit too noisy Don't know what you can successfully use noisy lights for - still photography I guess, or MOS. One important question - what kind of shots are you needing to get? Greenscreen lighting gets way more complicated when you need head-to-toe shots. For knee, waist, or head & shoulders shots things are a lot easier. Why? Because short distances between subject and screen are the number one reason that cutting the key can be very difficult. If green light is bouncing off your subject (green spill) it doesn't matter so much if you have a $15k 4:2:2 camera or a $1500 prosumer 4:2:0 camcorder. Get at least 7' between your subject and background, and light them independently. And look around, because this has been discussed many times on this forum. The 3 tota kit definitely has the watts, and 2 of the totas with umbrellas can do left and right of the screen for a waist shot or head & shoulders, no problem. I like totas and I use them, but they're bad boys because they're essentially a bare-bulb fixture. You may as well buy two dual-500w worklights at your local lowes or home depot for $40 each and add some tough spun diffusion hanging off cheap mic stands - total outlay less than $150, and put the rest of your budget into whatever subject lighting you want. It doesn't take a lot to light a green screen, but you do need watts, and you do need them even (diffusion), and you do need to do it independently of your lighting for the foreground subject. __________________ 30 years of pro media production. Vegas user since 1.0. Webcaster since 1997. Freelancer since 2000. College instructor since 2001.

March 10th, 2015, 08:13 AM	#4
Steven Davis Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Richmond, VA Posts: 3,065	Re: Three light kit too noisy Hey Seth and Oren, Yes, I misstepped a bit when I bought the Savage Kit. It wasn't until I really delved into interviews that the noise became such a challenge. The Tota's are nice, but there not dimimable by switch and may roast my talent. The one positive aspect of the Savage kit is they are dimmable. Thanks for the feed back. My studio is 24x26 feet so I can pull off full body green screen, I'm just trying to reconfigure my lighting system. I just bought a pair of strobes for my photography side, so now to address my video lighting. It might be that I can't do it with three lights, not all my projects, but that might be a live and learn experience. All I know is, as you said, there's not much you can do with noisy lights. __________________ What happens if I push the 'Red' button?

March 29th, 2015, 10:55 PM	#6
Greg Boston Wrangler Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: DFW area, TX Posts: 6,117 Images: 1	Re: Three light kit too noisy When you purchase lighting that is meant for video work, they will never have fans in them. Because mics will pick up that noise, no matter how silent you think they are.

March 29th, 2015, 11:36 PM	#7
Seth Bloombaum Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Portland, Oregon Posts: 3,420	Re: Three light kit too noisy What Greg said - totas are silent. And, they do put out lots of lumens for their size and price. I recently lit a couple people using two totas behind a 5x7' diffuser, with a reflector to fill the shadows. They were over a white background, which was lit separately. They are a very hard light, but good diffusion will tame any source. __________________ 30 years of pro media production. Vegas user since 1.0. Webcaster since 1997. Freelancer since 2000. College instructor since 2001.

March 30th, 2015, 01:19 AM	#8
Brian Drysdale Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Belfast, UK Posts: 6,152	Re: Three light kit too noisy Other thing about dimming is that lowers the colour temperature, which can cause problems if you're trying to match into modern practical lighting, which often has a higher CT than tungsten lighting.

March 5th, 2016, 01:33 PM	#9
Steven Davis Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Richmond, VA Posts: 3,065	Re: Three light kit too noisy Well, I ended up getting THE INTERVIEW KIT - Dracast So far so good. I already use gold mount batteries and the Sony batteries already, so that's a plus. The kit is solid, came with gels, soft cases that fit into the hard case. I've not used it in a shoot yet, but based on my tests in-studio, I think it'll work well. I do like the ease of gel replacement, barn doors and battery/ac power. __________________ What happens if I push the 'Red' button?

March 7th, 2016, 12:03 AM	#10
Ken Hull Major Player Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 240	Re: Three light kit too noisy Steven, The Tota kit might be a good idea, but I wonder if bouncing the light off an umbrella gives sufficiently even light for a green screen. If it does, great! However, my suggestion would be to get 3 Apurture 672c lights. They're affordable, they have a wide flood coverage, and the color temp is adjustable. I would put a unit on each side of the green screen, set for daylight color temp. I would use the 3rd unit for the subject key light, set to tungsten balance (or half-way between if you need more punch). Adjust the camera's white balance for whatever your set the key to. You would probably want diffusion on the key. Then use a collapsible reflector to provide some fill for your subject. If you would prefer true tungsten light for your subject, substitute a Rifa 44 for the 3rd light.