lighting Beginner Lighting Kit and Lighting vs Camera

A

Astrid

This is a loaded questions, so if you can just answer part it, I'll be grateful!! I am a total beginner with lighting and shooting. I am currently using a Flip Cam at work for shooting interviews and, well, everything. I borrowed a giant light kit from our TV center - no idea what kind. There were no labels but the kit was really heavy, had barn doors on the lights that you had to attach to the stands and they were very hot. I had no idea where to place the lights but with just two guess placed lights...wow! What a difference. The interview looked amazing with the Flip. One of the broadcast students filmed that same interview with a Panasonic pro camera that shoots SD and the Flip footage looks SO much better. Pretty much every time I use lights, any HD consumer camera footage looks better than the professional SD camera footage. I am now addicted to lighting!

SO, for my questions:
1 - Most important - any suggestions for a lightweight, inexpensive light kit? I know there are many easy to use lightweight florescence lights but I'm wondering if the florescence lights give off more of a cool tone? I just loved the warm tone and dramatic look I got with the we got with the heavy, bulky lights.

2 - I am trying to decide on a camera. I was looking at the Panasonic HMC40, Sony HXR-MC50U or, if I can manage to fit it into the budget work has given me, the Panasonic HMC 150. I know the 150 is the best camera of the three. What I'm wondering, though, is, as someone who has never shot with a professional camera and barely shot any video at all, should I look at any easy to use consumer HD camera and focus on the lighting and maybe get some backdrops? Then move up to a pro camera later?

I'll be shooting lots of interviews inside but I will shooting sports in and outdoors and following athletes around as they go to class, etc.
 
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You can do wonders even w/ a paper lantern and a 60W bulb. I like the Smith Victor 600w 3200k lights w/ barn doors myself. If you have plenty of money the new LED light kits are easy to move around and are very soft. The LED lights are 5600K which might create issues when using partial sunlight or incandescent. You will get many different ideas / suggestions here.. Main thing is think flexible
 
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Astrid said:
1 - Most important - any suggestions for a lightweight, inexpensive light kit? I know there are many easy to use lightweight florescence lights but I'm wondering if the florescence lights give off more of a cool tone? I just loved the warm tone and dramatic look I got with the we got with the heavy, bulky lights.
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I agree with, IndieBudget - a couple of paper lanterns, a few
"Smith-Victor" lights, even a few of those clamp-on work light will
make a nice beginners kit.

Lowel makes nice kits. Tungsten lights with stands, barndoors and
hard case. Britek makes nice light kits - cheaper than Lowel and
not as durable, but very usable. You can also check Arri lights -
more expensive and worth every penny. I have a Lowel 6 light kit
with the Omni’s and Tota’s that I bought new in 1990 and am still
using it 20 years later.

Astrid said:
2 - I am trying to decide on a camera. I was looking at the Panasonic HMC40, Sony HXR-MC50U or, if I can manage to fit it into the budget work has given me, the Panasonic HMC 150. I know the 150 is the best camera of the three. What I'm wondering, though, is, as someone who has never shot with a professional camera and barely shot any video at all, should I look at any easy to use consumer HD camera and focus on the lighting and maybe get some backdrops? Then move up to a pro camera later?
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There is no reason you can't focus on learning to use a "pro" camera while
you are learning to use lights. There is no reason why you need to buy a
"pro" camera first, either.

Not the answer you want, I know, but it really doesn't matter. If you can
afford a "pro" camera now, get it and get lights and begin your learning
process. If all you can afford right now is a nice light kit and a consumer
camera then that's what you should do.

What can you afford to do?
 
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so why change what you KNOW works? Use the same TYPE of lights, my guess tungsten, and just find a lighter kit. A three point kit from Smith Victor is pretty lightweight. You could skip the barn doors etc if weight is your major concern. In any system the Light Bulbs are likley the least heavy.

Hot lights get hot. Buy leather gloves. Also adding to weight will be sandbags, but those are a must have, safety and all that.
 
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If I had to start over, I'd get better lights from the start and wait on the pro camera. Even an expensive camera won't make a poorly-lit subject look good. Of course, with the proper skills, you can use $6 aluminum lights from Walmart and get great results. I still use these when I need a little splash of light in a scene.

Having used a Smith-Victor kit for the past few years, and now slowly switching to ARRI heads, I wish I had just started with these ARRIs. I would have saved money.

If you get an ARRI kit, get one with a 150 head. Those are such versatile lights (unless you need to light huge areas, of course). I'm using 2 of these on my current short film, and I'll be getting a few more soon. Focusing fresnel heads are worth every penny for what I need.
 
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I've gotta say, I really appreciate barndoors and being able to focus lights... but barndoors are more important for controlling where light doesn't go than the focusable lights are for changing the texture of the light. So if you have to choose between doors or not, pick doors, but the focus is nice but not nearly as necesary. Although, you can do alot with just plain lights positioned carefully. Using the falloff at the edge of the cone of light projecting from the reflector can work pretty well not given choices.
 
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