The design is heavy, the price is expensive, and practicality is low. But it can be helpful, and is can fit some peoples needs relatively well.
Really though, there are much cheaper solutions, such as the Reflective Sun Shades for cars (I bought mine from a dollar store, and they work perfectly), foam boards, and even Bristol board. These are much cheaper, and much lighter/more practical.
This video is a great help for someone who wants cheap fluorescent lighting. Not the most economical or efficient, but definitely a very good setup and idea.
In this excellent video by the guys at Indy Mogul, they show us how to make a cheap and portable greenscreen, for less than $40. They also give tips on keying and lighting that are extremely helpful. Be sure to check it out and visit there awesome website!
The video has a great backdrop stand tutorial, which is awesome, and highly customizable, made out of PVC.
This excellent DIY project tutorial shows you how to make your very own greenscreen and a backdrop stand. It also gives you tips, and the design is highly customizable and easy to build. Oh, and did I mention it's CHEAP?
Let me start off with describing how brilliant but easy this design is! It uses cheap PVC piping available almost anywhere, it is a simple design, which makes it easy to customize (which I need to accommodate my 10' x 20' greenscreen), and it's portable, because it can be easily disassembled and reassembled anywhere.
The design works, it has to! It's to cross stands and a cross bar. Also, it's cheap! I calculated with the costs in my town (which is more than anywhere else fyi) to buy all the PVC supplies would be about $30! That's great! And that's for my 7 x 10 design, with 4' bases.
This design really is amazing! I highly recommend you check it out!
This is a fantastic video on the different alternatives to professional studio lighting you can use, and how to use them properly.
I have watched and reviewed this one, and the work lights seem to be one of the cheapest and most effective forms of lighting for Indy film makers and photographers. They are cheap, very powerful, and easy to mount and use.
I myself have a set of work lights for my studio, 2 x 450W Halogen floor work lights for lighting the foreground and actors, along with 2 x 150W Halogen Clamp work lights for lighting the backdrop and removing any additional harsh shadows.
Then I have a regular clamp desk lamp for lighting behind the actors, for improved chroma keying, with a fluorescent bulb.
The hole set up was very cheep:
450W Halogen Floor Worklights
$14.00 each at WAL-MART
150W Halogen Clamp Worklights
$13.00 each at WAL-MART
40W Clamp Desklight
$13.00 at Staples
I'd definitely recommend reflecting the Halogen Worklight's light, because it is very very strong and very very bright light. Standing in front of the direct light is very bad, as it will cause subjects or actors to squint from the light, and make them sweat (the lights get very very hot). It can also be damaging to the subjects skin, or to any object in front, due to the intense ultra-violet light that comes out and the heat. Follow all the warnings that come with your lighting, and pay attention to any cautions and follow instructions!
Also, as the video says, replace the bulbs with Ultra White Light ones, because the bulbs that come with them make white doors look yellow. Don't touch the bulbs with your barehands, as the oil from your skin can damage the bulbs, and create in influx in temperature on the glass causing them to explode (when turned on). Once again, follow instructions that come with your bulbs, and pay attention to warnings!
And when working with these lights BE VERY CAREFUL!!!! They will start fires if flammable materials are placed near them, so watch costumes, paper, and anything that can light on fire.
Finally, do not put too many lights on 1 circuit in your home or studio, or you will be blowing switchboards or fuses every five seconds, as the lighting set up I have alone is over 1200watts. That's a lot, and wires and fuses have trouble handling that much, be careful of electrical fires when using these lights.
I take no responsibility for any damages, injury or loss of life. Everything should be fine if you are careful and not stupid. Follow instructions and be safe!
This excellent article contains ideas, instructions, and tips for making a cheap lighting studio. Using the worklight idea, and reflective car covers (I just purchased some from the dollar store, fantastic idea!) he builds and tests multiple different lighting set-ups and shows off each of them in an easy to read and comprehend manner.
Here's my highly ingenuitive, highly brilliant, and highly easy idea for a cheap light stand. This is an Indy Burst exclusive, you won't find it ANYWHERE else.
This is going on my list for considerations. It looks very stable, and relatively easy, I just don't want to use PVC glue. Dangerous stuff that is...
The stand itself looks complex to build, but the easy and detailed instructions on the site make it much easier. The tutorial is fully illustrated, and easy to read and understand.
Nothing I can see going wrong, other than the possibility of tipping with the sqaure base. Using sand bags, or making the base large enough so you can feel comfortable should do the trick though.
I'd recommend trying this if you need something stable, strong and sturdy.
This is a very interesting light stand idea, more expensive and difficult than the others, and maybe worth just buying a pro light stand instead. It still looks cool!
I'm not going to build one, but if anyone does, drop a comment on how it works out bellow!
It looks like the idea will be very sturdy, but be careful with wires and what not, as metal conducts electricity, and electricity can be lethal.
The design seems easy enough to build, and the instructions are clear and easy to follow, with images to help guide you. Great article, not so great design.
I wouldn't so much recommend this idea, because of cost, weight, and price. But if this type of design floats your boat, by all means try it out, and definitely comment or email me with your experiences! indy filmmaking
I really suggest trying this out, I know in the tutorial it shows a backdrop, but making one of these and attaching a clamp light to it would work perfectly!
Cheap, effective, small and portable. Just remember to put some sort of bag over the plunger, or find some way to make sure it doesn't leave white marks on the ceiling.
This idea seems like pure genius! Very cheap, but still sturdy. It looks like it would be a really really good idea for places where you only have a small amount of space, or if you're going to peoples homes/traveling with it. It seems very easy to set up quickly.
The article is very clear and humorous, and is a great read. Examples of the humorous nature of the article come here:
When at the till, make sure you have some explanation ready, because you will get funny looks standing in line with a 4-12 foot toilet plunger. I just mumbled "the toilet in the basement keeps plugging up". I've rarely seen a more confused look on a store tellers face as she tried to figure out whether she was dumb and not getting what I was talking about, or if she thought I was a serious idiot. I had a good chuckle on the way to the car and congratulated myself on my ingenuity.
Very good article, very good design, I highly recommend you try it!
Welcome to the ONLY independent filmmaker's blog tailored for YOU! I know you don't have thousands to spend on professional equipment, I don't either! Here I'm going to gather resources that will increase creativity, decrease spending, and make your movies better, without spending thousands on pro equipment. I find the alternatives, and post them as links. This is YOUR resource! Here you will find what YOU need! Be it lighting set ups, green screen stand tutorials, or just stock footage links. We'll find 'em and post 'em here! I even have my own specials and ideas, plus stories on my experiences. So type in a search, post a comment, and find what YOU the indy filmmaker, needs!
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