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Build A Lumberyard Lighting Kit

It’s my belief that the most under-rated skill in video production is lighting.  If you know what you are doing, even an inexpensive camera can make impressive pictures (and of course, the reverse is also true – if you don’t know what you are up to, even a great camera can look terrible.)  If you snoop around at sites like B&H Photo and Video, you’ll quickly discover that a professional lighting kit is no small expense; it is not uncommon for a single light to cost upwards of $500, and boxed kits are often over $2000.  But don’t despair!  A lot of the basic things you need to do a good job of lighting are doable with equipment can be bought for small money at your local lumberyard.  (You’ll also be taking a few side trips too.)  Let’s have a look around and see what’s available.

First and foremost, you are going to need electricity, and you’ll need it where the light is.  Ergo, you need extension cords.  It is a bad idea to skimp on these, since using an under-sized one is an invitation to fire.  Extension cords are sorted by amperage carrying capacity, and the measure of that is wire gauge – literally, the thickness of the wires inside.  I like to use 12-gauge extension cords, and if you can find one, a triple-head tap with a neon pilot light is a great find.

And of course, power strips are very useful as well as long as you don’t overload their (generally) 15-amp capacity.

How do you determine load?  Easy, just use Ohm’s Law:

If your source is a 120-volt plug, and your light draws 500 watts, then 500w/120v=approximately 4.2 amps.  Ergo, a 1000 watt light would draw about 8.4 amps.

Just for the record, most home power circuits are 15 amps.  Don’t overload a circuit or you’ll be visiting the circuit breaker panel, which can be an exciting trip in itself.  Luckily, today’s cameras are much more light-sensitive than those of even 10 years ago, so you can do a lot of good with even low-wattage lights.

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Bruce - you might consider posting this link for a DIY barndoor pattern & instruction video.
http://www.coollights.biz/wordpress/archives/21

Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)  on  03/12  at  10:45 AM

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Here’s some more DIY lighting info….....
http://www.videomaker.com/article/14583/

Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)  on  10/06  at  09:41 AM

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