DSLR Video shoot lighting..

[iLikeToDrum]

Ok, I'm shooting with 2 Canon T2i's, and am wanting no noise!!

I was thinking of getting 3 500w floods, but those are super hot and cost a LOT to run...

Thus.. 3 80w CFL's. They output like a 400w incandescent.

Do you think this would be sufficient in lighting or do I need more lights?

This is for indoor shooting drum cover videos. I just want more production value in my videos to attract more viewers.

Trying to shoot at a 4-8 hundred ISO, which I am told should reduce noise greatly rather than shooting at 3200/ 6400.

Thanks everyone!

 

[acearchie]

What lenses are you using?

Perhaps hiring a fast lens would be cheaper than using the extra lights?

 

[gameface]

Go with a 1.4-2.8 lens indoors. Never shoot video higher than 400 on a t2i. You might push it to 800 for small size web videos.

A lot of people are moving to LED light panels for indoor HDSLR work. Maybe look into them?

Check out this site for all kinds of cheaper alternatives for shooting HDSLR footage.

 

[alph45]

i would seriously look at full spectrum florescent (they don't flicker, true 5500k) You can find photo/video ones on Amazon/B&H. You can get 1k output for about $30 bucks, they screw into conventional sockets, don't get that hot (can't even count the # of times i've burnt myself on hot light-housings making an adjustment), and if one breaks it's not an issue. buy a bunch and build a cheap lightbox, etc.

i have a ton of old lighting equipment that i never use anymore. Exception is if i need to have a focused light for look purposes.

 

[ibennetch]

alph45 is right about the full-spectrum bit. With CFL lights you're going to get a very limited spectrum output which will likely cause you color problems. There are some good LED based fixtures but some of the cheaper ones cause flicker at video framerates.

 

[iLikeToDrum]

How's about 3 of these bulbs?? Would this be enough light? Room is a family room where we shoot these.

http://lightbulbetc.com/85-Watt-Spiral-Compact-Fluorescent-5000K/M/B000IBQ68G.htm

Full spectrum is so expensive though :/

 

[vizfxman]

You can go to Home Depot and get all season shoplights fitted with Phillips F32T8 "cool white" fluorescents.

We used them as a part of our lighting package on a recent shoot using the 5D and RED cameras, and they look great in the final result.

This may be an inexpensive option for you to look into.

 

[alph45]

How's about 3 of these bulbs?? Would this be enough light? Room is a family room where we shoot these.

http://lightbulbetc.com/85-Watt-Spiral-Compact-Fluorescent-5000K/M/B000IBQ68G.htm

Full spectrum is so expensive though :/

nice thing about 5500k is you can use for fill in conjunction with natural light if shooting indoors during daylight. The cost is so low compared to traditional film lighting that it's not even in the discussion.

you can certainly fill a room with 1200 watts. 400 watts bounced off the ceiling will fill the room. but remember that these are primarily useful as fill lights or for soft, even glow from a lightbox (think glam studio lighting). your not going to get a hard key light from a fluorescent, or create articulation, depth, contrast range, and all the things LD's do.

So, what you use depends on what look your going for. Providing enough light to shoot at a desired exposure is the bare minimum of what lighting does. I only mention this because you said you wanted to boost production value and lighting is one of those "invisible" things that radically changes look. Lux out (no pun intended) and light for 100-200 iso.

 

[skeane87]

rent lights + L-series lens

I couldnt recoment higher that you rent lights. depending what you have to spend, i would i highly recomend atleast red heads, but if you wnat seriously cool video get some kino's or diva lights.

On top of that i would recomend getting a hold of an L-Series lens. If your shooting canon dslr, L-Series is the crem-dela-crem.

for refrence, we made this video with 550D and 60D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EaKWHvUASgk

 

[100Teraflops]

I couldnt recoment higher that you rent lights. depending what you have to spend, i would i highly recomend atleast red heads, but if you wnat seriously cool video get some kino's or diva lights.

On top of that i would recomend getting a hold of an L-Series lens. If your shooting canon dslr, L-Series is the crem-dela-crem.

for refrence, we made this video with 550D and 60D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EaKWHvUASgk

Dude, that is funny! How much are the clippers? Excellent video by the way. I like the combination of the voices over the music.

Nevertheless, I am on the market for a video lens and this thread is helpful. Not sure about the lighting though. I am still "in the dark."