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Need to choose

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Phil_UK

Hey Guys,

I am 15 years old, so my budget is a bit limited.
I am looking at two light kits and I am wondering, which would be the better option..

I want to use these light kits for lighting short films and also which is very important, music videos and performances in a mansion.

I was wondering, which of these 2 would be the better buy:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/2250W-Continu...quipment_RL&hash=item27b6305301#ht_2102wt_907

or

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/3x-800w-red-h...light-kit_W0QQitemZ170517706667QQcmdZViewItem

Phil
 
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I would go for the three light kit.

You can add a couple of paper lanterns for soft light, a white board to
bounce light and some "frost" gels for just a little more money and
have a nice kit. Those three redheads with barn doors are more versitile
than the two soft boxes.
 
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you want chocolate IN your peanut butter.. whats wrong with you?

I first agreed with ZenSteve, but then I agreed with DirectoRick. .. but then I noticed both are 3 light kits so Im back with ZenSteve...

either kit will do most of what you want, neither will do EVERYTHING..
 
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Ok, I went for the 3 head softbox light kit! Will be here by tomorrow! Hopefully the right decision!

Choose it, because they are 5500K compared to 3200K and they dont get hot. Also, they are better to control and softer.

Shooting with them on sunday!

Hopefully it was the right choice :S
 
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Got them today! Awesome delivery! Next day on my doorstep!

Well anyways, I am impressed. For 200, I got what I wanted. Good deal! They are really bright when I switch on all 5 bulbs!
Its good that I can dim them! Even 1 Light would be enough for most purposes but I think I can get way way better lighting with all 3 of them!

Had them all built up and to my surprise, my fuse didn't even blow out ;)

I already have some sandbags, so all sorted..

I expect it to be much worse, to put together the soft boxes.. First took me 10 minutes, second took me about 5 and the last one was really quick! Maybe 2-3 minutes.. Probably less.

I will have loads of fun with these I think :)

Thanks for your input guys!

-Phil
 
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Phil_UK said:
Well anyways, I am impressed. For 200, I got what I wanted. Good deal! They are really bright when I switch on all 5 bulbs!
Click to expand...
Good news!

I'm sure you know that just because they are bright and you
can expose the image you haven't lit the scene. This is where
you learn to use light well. and that means using the shadows
and dark within the frame well, too. This is where flags and
fill and blackwrap comes in.
 
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Phil_UK said:
Got them today! Awesome delivery! Next day on my doorstep!

Well anyways, I am impressed. For 200, I got what I wanted. Good deal! They are really bright when I switch on all 5 bulbs!
Its good that I can dim them! Even 1 Light would be enough for most purposes but I think I can get way way better lighting with all 3 of them!

Had them all built up and to my surprise, my fuse didn't even blow out ;)

I already have some sandbags, so all sorted..

I expect it to be much worse, to put together the soft boxes.. First took me 10 minutes, second took me about 5 and the last one was really quick! Maybe 2-3 minutes.. Probably less.

I will have loads of fun with these I think :)

Thanks for your input guys!

-Phil
Click to expand...

Just two quick questions:

1. How is your purchase now you've used the lights for a short while
2. Are they easy to take to pieces and store in a small place? I mean the boot of a small, German, convertible?

Thanks
 
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directorik said:
Good news!

I'm sure you know that just because they are bright and you
can expose the image you haven't lit the scene. This is where
you learn to use light well. and that means using the shadows
and dark within the frame well, too. This is where flags and
fill and blackwrap comes in.
Click to expand...

^ i was just reading through here and came across this. What do you mean by this? how would you use black wrap?
obviously properly lighting a scene takes experience, but how do you do the shadows?
 
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Ponty301 said:
^ i was just reading through here and came across this. What do you mean by this? how would you use black wrap?
obviously properly lighting a scene takes experience, but how do you do the shadows?
Click to expand...

Flags and blackwrap are used to block light. For example, you might want to flag your key light so that it doesn't light up the wall behind an actor, or to stop it lighting up an item in the foreground (which would otherwise be much brighter than the actor behind it).

A fill light reduces the contrast in a shot, and is used to add light to the shadows. Often fill light does not use an actual lamp but a piece of polyboard or a reflector, which is used to bounce light into the shadows.

A shadow occurs when an object obstructs a light source. When it comes to lighting faces, the angle and size (physical size, rather than brightness) of the light source are key in creating shadows in an interesting and appealing manner. Gobos and cookies are used to break up light and allow you to project interesting shadow patterns onto the set.
 
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