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Practicing/Setups

I

iceblueorbitz

Hello everyone. I recently moved to LA to pursue my filmmaking career with two friends. Both of them gave up in this hard economy and moved home taking most of the equipment from our production company with since they had purchased it (some lights, the camera, etc). I do a little bit of everything from directing, cinematography, audio production/post, editing, etc, but I have one problem. My main interest at this point is DoP/lighting/cinematography work since I've always been into film and photography. Now that I'm out of a camera and some lights, all I have left is a single 1K Mickey-Mole open-face lamp. I'm just DYING to continue to practice lighting and reading and looking at pictures all day just isn't cutting it.

I can't afford an HVX, or another good camera, or lights that run at $300-$300 apiece. I DO have a little $140 Canon and a 35mm still cam. Anyone have any ideas so I can start practicing and playing with lights in a somewhat affordable way? Basically where in LA can I find old used/broken but fixable professional equipment??

I need help! I'm going crazy without any tools to practice, and no money to get the necessary tools. ANY IDEAS!?

Thanks!
 
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Not familiar with the LA scene, but are there non-union shoots where you could get PA gigs, even working for free? If there are, take them and express a lot of interest in how things are lit, why certain lights are chosen, etc... If you aren't annoying about it, the DP will probably share some knowledge with you.
 
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Volunteer on student films at all the local colleges
and trade schools. You'll be surprised that every
student there wants to be the director and very
few want to practice and play with the lighting.

Not surprising is there are a LOT of non union,
indie shoots going on in Los Angeles all the time.
None of them have enough crew and none of
them pay anything. But a lot of them are like you
and your friends were - small prodCo's with
equipment - or they have the budget to rent.

Why haven't you thought of working at one of the
many rental houses in town? They won't let you
play with the lights, but what a great place to meet
gaffers, firsts, UPM's and even PA's picking up the
equipment. And once you are there for a while you
can imagine the perks of working at a rental house...
 
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One of the greatest pieces of advice I got from my dad: Walk around town with that still camera and make yourself a portfolio. Do the trippiest things you come across. Sure, it's not moving pictures, but just the act of going 'oh shit, this is an amazing shot,' settin up for the best angle, all that just hones your talent. Make an entertainment piece, just using the stills. It's important for light guys to understand how to tell a story with the lights; as ridiculous as it sounds, just shooting a 'my trip home' still-based story will totally explain it better than I can.
 
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These are all some good ideas. I have have been getting back into still 35mm, and practicing a lot with that letely, its just a lot of $$. But directorik, if I could get a job in a rental house, I would haha. I put out well over 150 applications to all sorts of rental houses, prod. companies, even restaurants, clothing stores, everything the first two months I was out here. Now I put out 10-20 a week still, and hardly get return calls... I mean every company is getting HUNDREDS of applicants a day, so its very much luck driven. Getting a job in LA right now is either rediculously difficult, or myself and all my friends are just doing something wrong. I did eventually get a job, but I don't get paid enough to do anything but worry about how I'll get enough money for next month's rent haha. It's hard to practice this stuff when $$ is such an issue...
 
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