500 Watt lighting for $8

LOGAN L Productions

LOGAN L Productions

I just thought that I would mention, for all you starving artists out there, that if you have no money but need great lighting...don't worry. Wal-Mart sells 500 watt worklights (intended for use in the garage) for $8. You will need an extention cord with ground, and maybe a stand...I just used an old tripod for my stand.

The light works great, although it's very yellow (I fixed that in post). It keeps grain out, and for $8 it's a steal. AND if you only intend to use it once, or you are not satisfied with it, you can return it within 30 days!

Just thought I'd tell y'all about this.
 
These work lights are handy if you have no money. You can find them at car parts stores too. I think they're best when bouced off ceilings or foam core.

Scott
 
That is a good deal Logan. Are they the yellow two handle type? I believe Home Depot carries some 250 watt clip on halogen lights for around $15 dollars. Pretty useful for getting light in odd places.

I need to go find some cheap, effective, flourescent lights. I have some work lights but they get awefully hot (and are yellow like Logan mentions). You guys know where I might find these things cheap?
 
Shaw said:
I need to go find some cheap, effective, flourescent lights. I have some work lights but they get awefully hot (and are yellow like Logan mentions). You guys know where I might find these things cheap?
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I got a couple of china lanterns at a discount store and worried about putting high wattage bulbs in them, mainly because of the heat. I picked up a couple of low-wattage energy efficient light bulbs (well, they're kind of curly flourescents and not 'bulbs' per se.) Got those at Home Depot fairly cheap. The net result is the energy efficient light is lower wattage, gives off a lot less heat, and is as bright as a 150W conventional lightbulb.
 
SPaulovich said:
I picked up a couple of low-wattage energy efficient light bulbs (well, they're kind of curly flourescents and not 'bulbs' per se.)
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We're planning on utilizing these for our Round 2 entry. :censored:

The other day, I got stuck in a little predicament at work. I was in the local Hilton hotel to interview the President of the US Hispanic Chamber of Commerce who is in town for the national conference of HCCs. For some stupid reason, I left my light kit at the station, and the room we were shooting the interview in had very little light. I was able to grab two lamps that had these little soft lights in them from another room. They worked perfectly, and the interview ended up looking really good - good enough to run on the the Network evening news.

They're very good lights to have in your collection.

By the way, if you haven't checked them out yet, Scott Spears ha some really good Indie Tech Tips concerning lighting.

Poke
 
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I put 200 watt bulbs in my China Lanterns with no ill effects unless you let the bulb rest against the side and even then it will only burn a small hole in the lantern. I did it once and ended up taping a small hunk of diffusion over the hole to get through the shoot.

Poke,

Thanks for the plug for my Indie Film Tech Tips. I made them to share with the world.

Scott
 
Thanks for the tip about the 200W bulbs, Scott. I wasn't sure and decided to err on the side of safety.

I don't mind plugging your Indie Tech Tips myself, they're great! If you're looking for another topic to cover, I'd love to see some lighting comparison footage. You know, "here's a scene lit with [xxx], and here's the same scene lit with [yyy]." Maybe a clip or two showing fill lights too, I haven't quite gotten the hang of it.

Thanks again for the tech tips!
 
Hi guys,

Just wanted to let you guys know that you can get a decent 3light pro kit for approx $400. See here:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=3860&item=3839260132&rd=1

I hate ebay but the deal seems not bad. I know this is much more than some here want to spend on lighting but for a "pro" kit this is really a pretty decent deal.

That said, I have a question of my own. I want to get some form of gel(s) to make my yellow Tungsten lights fit in better with daylight etc. Anyone know of a place to get these things cheap? I'm also unsure how to connect these to my wonderfully hot shop lights... any ideas? I would prefer NOT to melt them if possible (or at least melt them slowly).
 
Those works lights should have grills, no? The ones I've worked with do... but some of them don't. If you can, get the ones with the grills - they stick out about two inches and are perfect for clipping gels to. You just need some clothes pins.

As for where to find gels... talk to your local theatre (stage, not movie), if there's one nearby. They should know where to find them, and might even have some old ones they're willing to sell or give away.
 
Yeah the work lights I use have grills. I'm just afraid I'm going to melt the darn thing onto it (just like a BBQ grill)!
 
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