Is this idea stupid?

[ralck]

So I've been thinking about artificial lighting. A lot of people on forums and DIY articles say buying 500W Halogen work lights from hardware/DIY stores are a great inexpensive way to get lighting when you need it.

I was thinking of something like getting 2 500W halogens on stands, a double 500W halogens (2 halogens on 1 stand), and a 150W on a stand. Maybe add a 300W (I think that's the other common Halogen wattage?) later?

Does this sound stupid? If I white balance (as I should be for ever shot) to these lights, won't it be okay, and better than having grain from too low light (as well as a darkly lit scene when I want a bright scene kind of thing)

There was also a worklight/flashlight I saw that claimed '2.2 million candle effective' halogen 'spotlight'. What do you guys think of getting that as a simple spotlight when I want to flood an actor's face with light/etc?

One thing I'm still confused about, is what would I do about barn doors? Most of these people talking about these lighting kits don't elaborate about barn doors, so has anyone here built their own lights and if so, what did you do for barn doors? I've been told a white umbrella is a good diffuser for work lights; what do you guys think of that?

Anything I might be missing?

One last question... these would be mainly used for inside lighting, but what would be the best way to power these if I needed to use them outside (short of buying/renting a generator)? Would a car inverter box be able to handle even 1 of these lights?

Thanks for your input!

 

[ralck]

Anyone have any thoughts on this?

I've been reading more and it seems like a lot of people either really like the idea of homemade lighting and say it works well, and a lot of others say that only pro lighting will work. What do you guys think?

Also, one other option, which is a little more expensive, but might work better is Blue Max Lighting?

 

[BenB]

When I first started out, the second time (I got into film, left, then came back), I had no money to speak of so Guerrilla Video became a way of life for me. There's lots you can do without buying pro equipment.

I got four of those aluminum shop lights, the ones that clamp to anything with the squeeze clamp on the base, with the big silver bell. But it was tricky finding ones that could handle the 250W flood light bulbs that I had gotten. Be very careful, not all lamps will handle that much wattage. They worked really well, and I still keep them around. They still come in pretty handy on occasion.

Another trick I used was collecting different types of bubble wrap. I attached some rods to the shop lamps, and hung bubble wrap in front of them (not too close, the high wattage lamps get frekin' hot) to diffuse the light. I found different patterns and sizes of bubbles gave different lighting effects. As long as you keep an eye on them so they don't over heat and burst into flames! LOL! I never had that happen, but you have to be extra careful.

I know someone who also got a dimmer that you can plug any lamp into, and controlled them that way, also.

These lights I noticed do tend to cast much more harsh shadows than many pro light kits, so watch the shadows.

It works, I'd shoot for 250W bulbs rather than 500W. Trust me, 250 is a ton of light coming out of these puppies! But they work just fine! Always be sure to hold a white card up to white balance you camera before you shoot, and you'll be fine.

You could also get a set of 250 AND 500 watt flood light bulbs, too. I had 150 and 250 and found it to be plenty.

Barn Doors are just that, flaps that attach to the light, that contain either two or four flaps, or doors. They swing in and out like the doors on a barn. You can control how wide and how harsh your light beam is with them. Don't know about attaching any to shop lights, as I don't know any that would fit them. Be creative, you'll figure something out.

 

[Filmosity]

There's absolutely nothing wrong with those halogen worklights. The setup you described should work fine. BenB is right though...they will throw harsh shadows. Bubble wrap's an idea, but white bedsheets and wax paper will act more like traditional diffusers. Just keep them at least a foot away from the lights, as they're not meant for diffusing light and could burn. But it's a good setup. I even keep a double 500W set for emergencies.

 

[ralck]

Thanks a lot for your help guys!

I've heard of the bedsheet trick (as well as some other cool ones: foamboard, posterboard, black screen, window blinds), but I haven't heard of wax paper or buble wrap. I'll have to experiment with those then!
It's interesting you say the 250's are plenty. I'll have to pick up one of those and play with it and see if it's enough light for me too.

Thanks again!