In
my many hours surfing movie making sites on the web,
I've seen the question, "I'm poor and need to know
how to light my movie" so many times I've lost count.
Being a director of photography who's shot a number of no/low/modest
budgeted movies I thought it was about time I just wrote
an article on how to light on the cheap.
So
you've squandered almost all your money on a cool DV camera,
decent microphone, tripod and some tasty food for your crew
(don't skimp on food because a crew travels on its' stomach),
but now your actors are standing around in the dark because
you don't have any lights. What do you do? First, you get
in a time machine and go back a few days so you can start
gathering your jiffy, on-a-tight-budget light kit.
I'm
a big believer in get the right tools for the job, but sometimes
you just can't afford the right tools. Here's where ingenuity
comes into play. First, where do you find cheap, or if you
prefer, inexpensive, lights. Hardware stores, auto parts,
store, Salvation Army stores, Goodwill, garage sales. camera
shops that carry used stuff, local production houses and
rental houses. You have to keep your eyes peeled and be
open to possibilities.
WORKLIGHTS
A
good key light for cheap is a 500 watt tungsten work light
which can be found at hardware and car parts stores. They
come with their own stands, but I do find the stands a little
short.
There's
some power here, but it's hard to control, so I recommend
that you don't aim them directly at your actors. Bounce
them off a wall or ceiling to create a nice soft light.
If you want, you can put them outside windows and blast
them through the openings. These lights can get hot, so
be careful moving them around. I've found them as cheap
as $10 and can run up to $30. They can be found with two
heads that makes 1000 watts of lights.
HOW
ABOUT A SHOWER CURTAIN AS DIFUSSION?
One
thing you can do is get a frosted shower curtain and hang
it from a stand and then place the shower curtain in front
of one of these babies to create a wall of soft light. Again,
don't get too close otherwise your melt a hole in your pretty
shower curtain. (I have to give credit for Bruce L.)
CHINA
LANTERNS
China
Lanterns are great. I've seen them on the sets of movies
costing many millions of dollars. They are paper material
which can be expanded into a ball (and now different shapes
like squares, rectangles and ovals). They come with a wire
support for the bulb. You need to get a socket and cable
and they are usually sold in the same place you find the
lanterns. I put a regular 200 watt bulb inside and they
make
a great softlight for close-ups. If the lantern's big enough,
I'll put two 200 watt bulbs in and I can light a small room
with them. Be careful with them because they're made of
paper and can burst into flames. They run between $3 - $7
depending on size. You can find them at Target, Ikea and
Pier One Imports, to name a few.
If
you're handy, you can pick up a socket and some zip cord,
otherwise known as household extension cord, and make your
own cord for the china lantern.
A
good key light for cheap is a 500 watt tungsten work light
which can be found at hardware and car parts stores. They
come with their own stands, but I do find the stands a little
short.
HOW
ABOUT A SHOWER CURTAIN AS DIFUSSION?
CHINA
LANTERNS
make
a great softlight for close-ups. If the lantern's big enough,
I'll put two 200 watt bulbs in and I can light a small room
with them. Be careful with them because they're made of
paper and can burst into flames. They run between $3 - $7
depending on size. You can find them at Target, Ikea and
Pier One Imports, to name a few.
