Quiet generators?

T

TrueImage

Obviously the main question is how much power will I need. And I can't honestly answer that question, seeing as how this is my first film.


But I'm hoping someone can guestimate with a small setup, what I might need.


At least point me in the right direction of a reliable and quiet brand of generators. I've heard good things about Honda's.


thanks.
 
Sort by date Sort by votes
Make sure you get a genny with a stable output. Forgot the term for it. Sync'd, maybe?

Without it, there will be flicker (invisible to the eye) in the lights, but it will show up on film & video very clearly.

You can't use just any genny you find down at Home Depot.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
You need a crystal sync governor for HMI lights, but not regular lights. You also need AC for HMI. Gennys come AC, DC, or AC/DC.

Motion picture gennys are soundproofed. You also want them as far away as possible because they are not whisper quiet. Then you run stingers.

A regular "lawnmower engine" type generator will sound like a lawnmower. I'm not sure you can use it unless you can run it far far away.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
I use my 4K motorhome generator, on a lot shoots. It is noisy, so if I'm shooting near buildings, I park it around the corner and run at least 100' of extension cord. This solves the problem and will work for any generator.

If you are out in the woods or desert, you can put the generator in a hole or ditch, which really helps. I've seen some people build a wooden housing around it (allow for exhaust to vent). As long as you have plenty of extension cords, some sort of acoustic baffle and uni-directional microphones, they are fairly easy to work with.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
A better idea (different idea... maybe not better) is muffle it with a couple welding blankets with an area for venting. May want to buy some round aluminum ducting for exhaust.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
If you have a loud putt putt, You can put it far away and cover it with sound blankets to muffle the noise (just don't cover the exhust).

If this is your first film I will assume that you'll be using a small amount of lighting, and a 4K genny should do.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
The advice about welding blankets is because they are flame retardant, and CDCosta mentioned sound blankets. Just for safety I'd do a welding blanket, and then sound blankets. This way you can get one of the cheaper welding blankets.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top