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Work Lights

Murdock

Murdock

So I just bought a couple of the work lights from Home Depot and I would like to recommend that noone buy these lights. The light is totally uneven. You get two "hot" lines parallel to the ground. The only thing I could see using these lights for is bouncing them off the ceiling to up the ambient light level in a room.

So, a lesson I already know, but didn't heed: You get what you pat for. And I paid for some work lights, not lighting lights.:)
 
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Put something in front of it to diffuse the light. Use C-47s to attach it. If you're still stumped, you may pull out your VISA card and spend big bucks on professional equipment. The rest of will find ways to make it work.

Good luck!
 
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Specifically, whadyaget?

These gawdawfulhot halogen lights...
160947_lg.jpg



or classic clamps jobs?
cg5217yhfdh.jpg
 
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In this particular instance, I am trying to diffuse the light. The wattage on the lights are 500W and 250W. If I add an extra layer of diffussion I will not get enough light through cause my lense is slow. Also, I think you're absolutely right, I am going to start buying "pro" lights. Been finding some good deal on ebay, and for mole/arris not the chinese lights.

The desicion I have made for this shoot is to rethink how I am going to shoot it entirely. Going to have to make it less complicated.:(

Thanks for your input.

EDIT: The yellow one Ray
 
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Also, I didn't mean to imply that, because I have made a decision, I don't want more input. If there is a way to save these lights, I'm all for it.

One thought I have, is to spray paint the reflectors with a heat resistent white paint. This might help to diffuse the light at the source, or at least, soften the two hot lines I'm getting now. ????? Thoughts??
 
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No. I took a piece of blackwrap and created a shadow in the shape
of a “slash” by covering the light. You can see the slash of
shadow/light on the wall on on frame right. See how it’s dark by
the door then light then dark again? It very evident when the
actor stands.

I’ve always just called that a slash; as in a slash of light. I
think it give more “character” than just a flat lit wall.

Lighting with work lights like those takes some time. Blackwrap
is my friend. So is diffusion. Those lights are unfocusable and
too damn bright. But sometimes ya gotta do what ya gotta do.
With some work you can get a pretty good looking image. At least
I think this looks pretty good.
 
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I've used everything in rik's photo and more. The thing about all these halogen lights is that they're all at the same color temperature. I've bough screw in style halogen bulbs to use in clamp lights.
 
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Nice lighting, Rik!

Murdock, I've personally never done anything close to what Rik has posted, lighting-wise, but I've worked with both these construction lights, as well as a few "professional" lights, and though one is obviously advantageous over the other, it's definitely the person using them that's most important. Someone who really knows cinematography can work magic with a cheap DIY kit, and I believe construction lights are an essential component to said low-budget kit.
 
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Yep, agree with all above. Shot my first feature with halogen work lights and clamp lamps, and I was shooting film so I needed way more light than modern video does. You are correct that diffusion and/or bouncing will cut the output significantly, but that's really what you need to do. Hitting actors with "hard" (undiffused) light is the best way I know to make them look awful. You can use hard light for backgrounds, but it's preferable to break it up with shadows as Rik says.
 
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Murdock, you can also use a dimmer, but you might need to watch for color shifts.

cheap-dimmer.jpg



I have about half a dozen of those Home Depot clamp/scoop lights, a couple of worklights on the stand and then some Britek lights with softboxes and barndoors.

Rik, I love your softboxes!

As Rik shows in his shots, breaking up the light with a gobo, tree branch, blinds, flags, etc. is key. I like the bright worklights for outdoor source shots - even when that outdoor source is shining into an interior. They can easily substitute for a street, parking lot or building light source.

As noted, Tin Foil can function as barnddoors.
 
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Here's a couple of clips to better illustrate what I'm trying to do. The original plan was to do a intense

heavenly light type thing, but I started counting my nickels and dimes. I then decided to try and do what

you will see in the clips, a wall of light type thing with the subject in profile. These are two clips of 7 that I

took. I was playing around with the stops and ISO looking for the right combination. I basically got these

two results: one is blown way out and over exposed. The other is a better exposure and has a

better/blacker profile of the subject, but you can see how the lighting is uneven.



In this one, you get to enjoy me, doing the fat robot.:)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbTSa8Z-isc

1920x1080 24p ISO800 f/5.0 ss1/50


And in this one I'm an Oompa-Loompa:)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rZT6tjVdSI

1920x1080 24p ISO400 f/9.0 ss1/50
 
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Nice dancing skillz.
Looks like Kinglis has some serous competition!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyeFTNZq490
(Just don't let her boyfriend see your routine, Mr Roboto!)


Can you manually fix both your aperture and shutter speed simultaneously?
Open up that aperture and slow down that shutter speed and you should get some pretty good glow off your background.

I'm sure you noticed, but thought I'd just say it anyway, on 0044 the two halogen lights are pretty obvious behind the screen. As long as your subject is blocking them throughout their movements then it's immaterial, though.


BTW, there are worse songs to get stuck in your head all day.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cShYbLkhBc

God, I miss the 70s and 80s.
 
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Hardy-fuckin-har:) Yea I wouldn't want him getting a boner on me.:lol:

That's something to try. I didn't really mess with the shutter speed. I had it at 1/50. Let me see if I can find the info for those two clips.
 
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What the biggest aperture available from your lens selection and how slow can you knock down that shutter speed?

I'm aiming my cam out the patio door into the oncoming sunlit yard, have the ap @ <2.0f and ss @ 1/30 and it's a pretty AFU glared-out image.
Likely your artificially lit garage setting is considerably less bright, but if you can kick open your ap to <1.8f and beat down your ss to <1/15 you should be good.






Murdock said:
3.5 1/30:(
Click to expand...
F#ck.
You're gonna need a bigger lens.
Jaws.jpg
 
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