When I first got into filmmaking, I didn’t even think about lighting. The only lighting I used was the sun and the light bulb in my bedroom. I convinced myself that lighting was over-rated and not worth the effort. Boy, was I wrong.
I quickly realized lighting is EXTREMELY important in filmmaking - probably even more important than the camera you use. Lighting paints the scene. It fills shadows. It brightens faces. It’s necessary if you want to take your film to the next level.
So after deciding that I did in fact need some lights, I did what many aspiring filmmakers do: I bought the cheapest lights I could find. I went to my local hardware store and picked up some super-bright work lights. They weren’t pretty, but BOY did they give a lot of light. Ok, maybe too much light.
As my filmmaking abilities have improved over the years, so have the lighting kits I use to shoot with. Today I’d like to share with you about the LitePad Digital Shooter’s Kit made by Rosco.
Three, 12 Inch Lights Lit Up
Ease of Use
The kit comes in a giant rubberized/weather-proof container. As soon as I pulled the container from its shipping box, I could tell the people at Rosco meant business. This container was extremely durable yet still lightweight enough to move easily. It also included some wheels so you can roll it around rather than carrying it everywhere.
This kit is a piece of cake to assemble. Everything just makes sense. I plugged in the lights and everything worked just as I hoped; the dimmers were easy to use, the gels made sense, and the lights were easy to figure out. It could not have been easier to assemble. (Although I must admit there were a few “extra” pieces at the end, which is normally a bad sign. However, since everything worked as advertised, I assume these are for future expansion or got added to the review kit by mistake.)
The only thing that gave me any problems was the diffusers for two of the lights didn’t really sit well on the lights. They still worked just fine, they just sat a little cock-eyed on the lights. (Of course, with review lights, it’s unknown whether this is a design issue or whether this was just an issue from the last reviewer.)
12 Inch Light with Grid (off).
Depth of Options
I LOVE how many lights this kit comes with. As I was unpacking the kit, I kept exclaiming, “No way! Another light!” (Yeah, I know. It sounds like those late night infomercials!) The kit includes six LitePads, ranging in size from a 3” circular pad to 12”x12” square pads.
Light 12 inch light with grid.
The kit includes dimmer switches that can be attached to any of the lights, as well as diffuser grids that could be placed over the lights to contribute additional diffusion to the glow.
Each light had a stand and adjustable arms that could hold the light in place wherever you wanted. This is handy when you are filming in “awkward” or hard-to-reach situations.
Three smaller lights and dimmer switch.
Additionally, the lights can be run on batteries! This is amazing, since I’m used to having to find power-outlets at all my shoots. Being able to go cordless makes these lights even handier for any shoot you can imagine. And since the lights use LED elements, your batteries last considerably longer than traditional lights. When you are in a location where you’ll plug them in, all six lights can be plugged into one, standard, 15 amp household circuit without fear of popping a breaker.
Close up of Dimmer Switch.
As a final bonus, Rosco included a set of gels that can be applied to the lights to give you different light colors.
Adjustable arm.
Performance
These things work great! They can light up a scene perfectly and give a nice soft glow to the subject. The lights have a great throw (20+ feet) and could not be easier to use. The only issue you may wish to consider is the fact that this kit is exclusively daylight balanced at close to 5300K, so these won’t mix seamlessly with tungsten balanced bulbs around the 3200K mark. It would be awesome if future light pads could switch light balancing on the fly! (Rosco does offer all of our LitePad Kits, including the Digital Shooter’s Kit, in both Daylight and Tungsten color temperatures.)
Also, since the lights are LED, they last for years. You should never have to replace bulbs or anything.
Travel Case.
Value
The retail price of $2,999.00 might seem a bit spendy at first, but after examining other lighting kits, I can assure you this is a great value for what you are getting. Six battery-powered LED lights, with stands, dimmers, diffusers, a travel case, and gels – that’s a great value.
Video Example Used by Rosco
Final Comments I loved this kit! I highly recommend this for short filmmakers. The depth of options and performance of this kit make it a great kit at a great price. Two thumbs way up.
Ease
of Use
10.0
Depth
of Options
10.0
Performance
9.0
Value
vs. Cost
8.0
Overall Score
9.3
Jeremy White has literally traveled the world making short films. Most recently, Jeremy traveled to China and Peru to shoot promotional videos for non-profit organizations. His film “Leaves” won the 2005 Highbridge Film Festival.
When I first got into filmmaking, I didn’t even think about lighting. The only lighting I used was the sun and the light bulb in my bedroom. I convinced myself that lighting was over-rated and not worth the effort. Boy, was I wrong. 
