• Wondering which camera, gear, computer, or software to buy? Ask in our Gear Guide.

Home-depot lighting, is it viable?

thefilmgeek

thefilmgeek

Given the amount of equipment I'm having to purchase this coming summer, I don't actually have the 1000+ dollars to shell out for a professional light kit, like the Lowell lights you can pick up.

I was curious if just picking up the self-standing flood work-lights from home depot could accomplish the same thing? Digital doesn't require the lighting that actual film does, so theoretically this looks like it would accomplish the same thing as thousand dollar professional lights.

Has anyone shot any semi-professional work with just store bought lights, like this? I'd be anxious to see your results, or any feedback you had on it.
 
Sort by date Sort by votes
You mean like those yellow flood lights, eh? They work, if you want your subject lit as if he's standing in front of a very large light, lol. There's not a lot of control, but if you play around with angles, gels, bouncing and such they can usually work out ok.

It might be a better option to look at rentals, but if you're in a pinch for cash, the work-lights will work- you just have to play around with them a lot to get specific results... like, ALOT.


We used to use them as on-screen lightsource/props more than actual lighting, cause they looked cool.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
What sort of control issues are you talking about? The type of control I'd get with barn-doors, and diffusion control issues?

I actually found a few tutorials online on how to make home-made barn-doors on home depot style lights, as well as home-made diffusion materials, like wax paper.

Do you think that'll help out a significant amount for control?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
You are incorrect. Digital does require the lighting actual film does. In many cases digital
requires MORE attention to lighting. Many movie makers like yourself are misinformed
because all the automatic aspects of a video camera will expose an image. That doesn't
make it lit well. And that is one of the main reasons why so many new movie makers
end up with that "home movie" look.

With a lot of work and some experience you can use standard lights to get a good image.
As spatula mentioned, you don't have the control you have with a light kit made to be
used for video/film but it can be done.

A couple of work lights with stands from any home improvement store.

Five or six “scoop lights” - those clamp on work lights with the silver reflector.

Three or four pieces of Foamcore from any art supply store to use to bounce the light.

Two or three paper lanterns that you can get at Ikea. I hook each one to a dimmer to get
better control.

Some colored gels (check on line or if there is a small theater in your town they often
have extras) and some black wrap. Check Studio Depot

This example kind of puts all the following links in perspective.

[QT]http://www.darkcrimes.com/movies/lighting%3Aexample.mov[/QT]
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
I was under the impression that digital took dramatically less light to register than film did? The same amount of light on digital will look much, much brighter than the same amount recorded on film?

Or has something changed?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
thefilmgeek said:
I was under the impression that digital took dramatically less light to register than film did? The same amount of light on digital will look much, much brighter than the same amount recorded on film?

Or has something changed?
Click to expand...
Video cameras will almost always automatically expose to whatever light is already there, giving the false impression that less light is needed. To truely get good results, you need more that film. Part of the reason for that is due to the much lower latitude digital offers (not as much distance between the black and white points)

To compensate for that, you have to light everything such that the black & white points are closer together, then you can crush your blacks back into nothingness in post while doing your color correction.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Nothing has changed.

Digital doesn't need as much light to get an image because all the automatic
aspects of a video camera will expose an image. But lighting isn't about having
enough light. and good lighting for digital is just as important as good lighting
for film.

The more control you have, the better it looks. That's why that $1,000 on a
light kit will make the difference between a movie that looks like a "home movie"
and a professional movie.

I wish I had thought to roll some tape on that scene before we set up the lights
to show the vast difference. But if you are satisfied using using less light then
there is nothing wrong with saving money by using less.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Hm, well, what are these control items that cost 1000 dollars, that I can't fashion the exact same thing at home? Obviously these are crafted materials, so it should seem like anything that's on these lights I should be able to make myself from materials at lowe's or home depot.

Even if I could afford the 1,000+ dollar lights, I'm kind of a DIY kind of guy, and have buddies who are into crafting, woodworking, metalworking, etc.

Just let me know what are on the expensive lights that I need for control, and I could make them at home.

Now that I know I can achieve the same wattage from home depot lights, everything else should be pretty simple.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
I didn't men controls as in an knob or button. I mean control as in skillfulness
and knowledge - where to have shadows, how to keep a dark area dark, when
to add more light to a part of the face.

You can do this with the items I mentioned. A pro kit (including scrims and flags
and gobos) allows you more control. You're a DIY kind of guy which is why I
gave you a list of DIY items and and example of how these items can look.

Anything there seem like it's something you can use?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Well, what I was planning on doing now that I've heard all of your suggestions is fashioning some barndoors on the self-stand worklights, and making one of those tota lights you showed me with the foam core.

The foam core won't melt with a hot light like that so close?

As far as lighting goes, I'm familiar with basic 3 point lighting, and was going to do that for my shots. I'm looking to have lots of hard shadows and dramatic lighting for what I'm shooting, so I'll probably try to keep diffusion to a minimum, want very hard lights on the actors, sharp shadows.

Any advice on how I should light a very small room for a dramatic scene? (picture a basement work room about 15 x 15)
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Is about 90 dollars that was listed for those work lights you linked the typical price? That seems pretty high for a work light, hehe.

I also assume that halogen is the way to go then? And just remove the front screen, so you don't get any unwanted shadows?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
any lighting is hot (even flourescents give off heat, just much less). Fire and melting things is a hazard even with professional lighting kits. If you have something that you need to be within 2-3 feet of a light, you should either use a material that is better with heat (metal/tin foil) or keep the lights off as much as possible while watching for smoke, darkening or flames. Keep an extinguisher on set just in case as well.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
I have used these many times.

Pros:
-Light (with globe) is dirt cheap
-by default usually close to 3200k
-A very strong output of light
-Comes with handles
-Replacement globes are dirt cheap
-some models come with a stand, some with twin heads.

Negatives:
-Usually come with a grill on the front that has to be removed otherwise it creates shadows
-Gets to be incredibly hot. A big consideration during the summer in an upstairs bedroom scene or something.
-Because of the heat you cannot touch the globes with your bare fingers or the protective glass on the front, the oil can cause big problems including the globe exploding
-There is no built in light control - which means you need to figure out 100% of flags, diffusion, etc.
-No filter tabs (some you can make do with what they have)
-No scrim holder/set available
-No built in baby socket. This means you are going to need to use a grip knuckle if you intend on using it with a normal lighting stand.
-Is so hot you have to watch what you set the light next to or pointed at (diffusion, paper, etc), I have burned foam core with them.
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0 Downvote
Yes, the standard halogen bulbs these lights come with is fine. If you have to mix them with daylight, you may run into issues, but the standard bulbs will work just light any tungsten light source.

Remove the black grills, but keep the glass, it's a safety thing. I like to paint mine black with high-temperature BBQ or Engine paint. Gives 'em a bit more of a professional look, and they don't jump out quite as much, should you happen to wind up with one in a shot or something. I've also attached dimmers to a couple of my 500watt worklights. It's a pretty straightforward modification, but you should understand at least some basics of house wiring if you want to attempt it.

I should probably write up a tutorial on that one of these days, but I don't have much time at the moment. The basic gist of it is, you remove the push button that turns the light on and off, glue on an open-back electrical box, run the wires that formerly went to the push button through a dimmer rated for at least the wattage of the light, then you're good to go.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Also get some black wrap, it can't be too expensive, and it's a life saver. It's like a thick black tin foil. You can sculpt it around lights, make shapes, whatever, to block light leaks and more. Duvetyne and a fire extinguisher should be on hand too.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Awesome! I really appreciate all the suggestions you guys are giving me.

I'm going to pick up black wrap first chance I get.

For my fill light, should I pick up a second light, but only a single 250w one so it's significantly dimmer? Or should I go down to something like 100w for the fill?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top