NOTE: Your
computer monitor is not a TV set. The gamma settings of
your computer monitor are usually different than a TV set,
hence some of the photos may look dark or not as good as
they should. Use these photos only as a reference. Also
note that these fluorescent fixtures are not designed for
off-speed film and electronic cinematography work and may
flicker. Test one before you use it with anything but video.
I always say it's not the lights you own, but how you use
them. A perfect example was a recent shoot for A&E's
investigative documentary series titled American Justice
with host Bill Curtis. We were just about to set-up for
our final interview for the day. A time limit was involved
so it was imperative for me to get everything set up as
fast as possible.
My consideration for quick set-up involves using as little
equipment as possible while making the most of it. I could
have used any number of expensive lights in my kit, and
all sorts of attachments for the set-up but I realized that
if I wanted to get in and out of this place quickly, I needed
to use the two fifteen dollar fluorescent lights I purchased
from the local home improvement place. While some may scream
blasphemy, others might realize that you don't have to use
expensive lights to make good looking pictures.
My interview light kit probably has more in it than most
carry on a 5 ton grip truck. Well not really but it sure
has a lot of stuff in it. If you don't believe me, just
ask anyone that watches me pack it up after shooting.
Inside my light kit with 9 stands, 10 fixtures, and
everything else but the kitchen sink!
While my light kit is a story for another article, it contains
a multitude of fixtures, assorted goodies and a bunch of
'stuff' that I find I need in situations where you never
know what to expect. Two of those 'goodies' are my little
eight-watt fluorescent fixtures that I purchased at The
Home Depot which everyone is now referring to as Grafflights
so I'll calll them that too for lack of a better name. They
are only about 12 inches tall and quite thin. I use them
as fill lights in some lighting situations and sometimes
in table-top set-ups. What I like most about them is their
size, and the way they produce light. They have a frosted
cover over the lamp which makes for a nice soft, diverse
light source. The lamps are warm white so they match well
with the incandescent fixtures in my kit.
While these lights were not designed to be put on a light
stand, I figured out a way to make them work. For $1.59
I purchased the kinds of clips you might attach to the wall
in order to hang a rake or a broom and fastened two clips
to the back of the fixtures making them great for snapping
onto a stand or the side of a table or anywhere else you
can clip them to.
A few bucks changes the whole picture.
For this set-up I used both of these fixtures as my talent
lights, putting one a bit closer than the other creating
a brighter and weaker side to her face since we were going
for that style in this show. The topic involved a well-known
rape in Central Park by a group of youths some years ago
so we decided on a bit more shadows on our talent than I
normally use in these types of interview situations. For
my background I used a Cool Lux MR16 fixture and a cucoloris
that I keep in my light kit. For those of you not familiar
with the term, it's a piece of foam core that I cut with
some random shapes. While in a studio, I'd have high quality
plywood version, these portable versions fit well in the
kit. Eventually they get mangled and torn but it's easy
to replace them and inexpensive too. I also used a Lowell
Pro light on a dimmer for a bit of warm back light on the
subject.
Inexpensive and effective way to create patterns.
So you might be asking yourself, what exactly did I save
in using these lights as opposed to setting up a regular
professional light as my key and fill? Very simply it was
a tremendous savings in time. Plug in the fluorescents to
one cord, clip them to a stand and your done. With regular
incandescent lights I need the fixture, have to fool with
barn doors, possibly diffusion, or a light bank attachment
of some type, or even a reflector. That could mean lots
of stands and lots of cables. This was four lights, five
stands. And when all was said and done I didn't have to
wait for the fixtures to cool down to put them away. We
were in and out in a matter of 30 minutes total set-up and
break-down time (not including interview which actually
took longer).
Wide-shot of set-up (Wall pattern is out of frame to the
right.)
