Need quick set-up lighting solution for one-person crew

[Andrew Smith]

I'd really like to see a separate thread on how to start fires and melt things with lighting. Looking forward to hearing the stories. Doug?

Andrew

[Doug Jensen]

Originally Posted by Andrew Smith

I'd really like to see a separate thread on how to start fires and melt things with lighting. Looking forward to hearing the stories. Doug?

One time we went to the home of a mental patient to shoot a profile for a pharmaceutical company. We were prohibited from using any lights at all because a previous crew had bounced a light off the ceiling and completely melted a model airplane nearby that had been an important part of the patient's therapy. I guess the wings had completely drooped down like wet noodles.

Another time I was shooting behind the scenes inside the TV truck at a NBA game. An assistant bounced a light off the ceiling of the truck so not to disturb the crew. Well, after a while I noticed it smelled like someone had pissed themsevles. I looked up and saw that the plastic cover of a recessed fluorescent light in the ceiling had melted and drooped down about 6 inches in the middle. I moved the light and carefully tried to push the plastic back into shape as it cooled, but of course it would never look right.

Another time (while I was still in college so it was one of my first commercial shoots) we were shooting in a school that had just had new carpet laid the week before. Someone tripped over a light and it crashed to the ground causing the bulb to pop out. I was quick thinking and decided to kick the bulb around so it didn't sit in one place and burn a hole in the carpet. Well, as you can imagine, it scorched the carpet in about a dozen places instead.

And then there was the time we needed to dim some task lights underneath the cabinets in a kitchen. There was no way to add a dimmer so I said to my future wife, who was doing audio on the shoot, "watch and learn." I proceeded to put gaffer tape over a few of the lights to bring the intensity down. Not too long later we noticed smoke coming from under the cabinets and I got the tape off just in time before they burst into flames. My wife still throws the "watch and learn" line out at me to this day.

Speaking of gaffer tape, I recommend you never demonstrate to a nervous client, that "hell no, this expensive gaffer tape we are using on a poster we hung won't pull off your wallpaper when we rip it off the wall" while you demonstrate it right in front of them.

Oh, the fun times of the past 35 years. It's no wonder I only use LEDs now.

[Steven Digges]

Andrew,

This is not exactly video lighting but it is. I shoot a lot of corporate AV gigs. To up light the black drape they use behind the stage the old industry standard was Par-can 64s. I can't tell you how many times the smell of smoke came into the ballroom. Fortunately, most of the time it was during set up or rehearsal because it does not take much time for the drape to go up in flames when some idiot does not set the lights properly.

I respect all of that heat coming off of those lamps!

Steve

[Chris Hurd]

Just a quick step-in here while I put on my Admin hat...

1. If any discussion on DVi begins to turn sour, *please* use the Report Post button (the little "!" icon to the left of any post) to let me know about it.

2. Some recent replies in this thread were meta-discursive and therefore have been removed from public view.

3. Some earlier replies were "self-deleted" out of spite... those have been magically restored to their original form.

I'm not sure which aspect disappoints me the most: the fact that we had certain posts which were significantly less than helpful (now gone), or the fact that someone wanted to strip out content because they didn't like the feedback (now restored).

Please keep in mind that for some folks it's not easy to post here. They see the well-seasoned, experienced regulars and all that they know, but feel a bit out of place asking questions because they're nowhere near the same skill level. That's exactly what I don't want. I have always intended this forum to be welcome, inviting and not at all intimidating to people who are new to the business.

Some of the bigger names here -- like Doug Jensen in particular -- are really very good at this, for which I am most thankful. But there are other regulars on this board who could benefit greatly by taking care to be quite a bit less condescending and more tolerant, patient and congenial.

Meanwhile, I sure would like to see some thicker skins on certain others. Learn how to graciously accept constructive criticism. Don't be too quick to take things personally. If you feel the need to get defensive, then it's probably a good idea to hit the Report Post button and let me handle it, because I'm the most motivated as the site owner to do what's best for the forum -- and that is to cull out whatever doesn't contribute directly to the discussion and put it back on track where it belongs.

Finally, the original subject title for this discussion was far too ambiguous. I have changed it to "Need quick set-up lighting solution for one-person crew."


Thanks.

[Don Bloom]

Steven,
Yep gotta love the back drapes catching fire in the middle of the CEOs speech with 4 or 5 hundred people sitting there (or more) all the while someone forgot to tape down the ONE audio cable from the podium mic to the board and it's exactly at that moment that someone going to the bathroom thru the side door decides that his size 12 should hit the exact spot where the XLR connection is and kill off the mic. No problem because the fire department is there to put out the flames that are now roaring BEHIND the stage so the last thing we have to worry about is the mic.
Luckily I was running the #1 camera (center rear main shot) and I could see what was happening on stage. I was thinking to myself this is gonna be great footage (no one was in real danger, the speaker had run off the stage) and the V2 who was running the decks shut them down and also ran out.
Ah good times

[Steven Digges]

Don,

You crack me up. I was the guy on camera two, but you never saw me, I smelled the smoke first, my spider pod was empty!!!

Steve

[Don Bloom]

I was next to the main doors center rear so I was about 3 steps from being out. Of course all these other people (attendees) were rushing the door and blocking me from escaping plus I was a good long distance from the fire so I took my time, waited for a break in the line and ran out like a burglar. Stayed out long enough to have a couple of cigarettes, a cup or 10 of coffee, went in shut down the camera grabbed my ditty bag and beat feet. Ah the good old days! :-)

[Mike Watson]

Originally Posted by Andrew Smith

I'd really like to see a separate thread on how to start fires and melt things with lighting. Looking forward to hearing the stories. Doug?

Andrew

Sheriff's office had just built a new HQ in Albuquerque. Guy I know went to interview the Sheriff about the crime of the week. Stand-up interview. Tota-brella on a stand. Set off some kind of heat-sensor, sprinklers went off, drenched the office. As I recall, station's insurance paid some sort of claim. The ABQ paper had a piece on it, but of course it's long gone now.

Also, I could write a book "10 ways to take the microwave dish off a live truck" (luckily none from first-hand experience), but that's for a different forum.