Comments on: DIY 3 Point Lighting For $26!

By: Alan Kelly

Alan Kelly — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 13:00:00 +0000

HI, nice ideas for understanding the nature of light requirements for an interview but you are directing your audience to create something with high potential hazard. Trapping the rough cut metal laundry basket on the inside of a 250W light using the hinged seal has high potential for electric shock. If the rough cut has a dangling thread of metal it could touch the live contacts. Also at 250W the nylon wrap could melt when used indoors and cause a fire. Good intentions but this should come with some serious health warnings. This is the reason we pay for professional gear. Be creative but be safe.

By: Lil'J

Lil'J — Sat, 05 Jan 2013 07:35:00 +0000

Jay, you’re right on with your comment. We challenged ourself to see how good we could make an interview look with just how little. Sure we could but a cheap light stand and umbrella but where is the excitement or innovation in that?

Making a lighting setup out of common items was creatively challenging and we were so pumped about the results. Are we suggesting you build this for $26 and bring it on a shoot? No, not quite. If it does however push you to get over functional fixedness and see new uses for common items OR put more confidence back in the storyteller versus the tools than we’ve done our job.

Thanks for sharing and commenting.

By: Jay Lessard

Jay Lessard — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 19:04:00 +0000

I’m not sure if the point of this video is to say “look what you can do for cheap, go do this with your clients.” I feel it’s more of a fun experiment to see how cheap they can make a decent light set up. Some things are practical, some things you just do for fun. I put this on the for fun side of the spectrum.

By: Spy Black

Spy Black — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 04:40:00 +0000

What’s the point in using a tungsten setup? Standard fluorescents will work just fine for setups like that, and for less than $50 you can get a 2-light setup with stands, fixtures, bulbs and umbrellas that will look professional to your interviewee. Here is an example from Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/bakytsg

Even if you don’t want to spring for even that much money (which you shouldn’t really be trying to do anything in this business in the first place anyway) a couple of fluorescent lights in standard clamp-style lamp sockets will probaly run you less that, and be a hell of a lot safer than that dangerous to make and use setup. Fluorescents already be soft lighting and simple enough to further diffuse if needed.

By: Dan McDevitt

Dan McDevitt — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 23:34:00 +0000

No photo of your $18.97 shop light setup?

By: Dragan Jereminov

Dragan Jereminov — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 21:08:00 +0000

cmon this is stupid… you can by cheap light stand for 10$ and a cheap umbrella for 10-15$ and go on a shoot like a pro not with this… search YT for much better DIYs

By: Shawna Swaim

Shawna Swaim — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 21:06:00 +0000

I used that shop light and a smaller single bar hanging shop light and got the below results. I’m out $18.97

By: brianhirschy

brianhirschy — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 20:38:00 +0000

What about bouncing the basket – ie, light shooting into it like a bounce umbrella- and THEN diffuse it?

The work light might be to large and cause a weird blackout/shadow area, I guess?

Just a thought. Really good stuff, love the ‘lowest we can go’ concept.

Cheers,
B

By: Edward S. DeLorme

Edward S. DeLorme — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 20:15:00 +0000

IDK…better to go and find some funding to buy softbox, ect…

By: Eric Gould

Eric Gould — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 17:16:00 +0000

Excellent make-up job on the interviewee example.