yes i have used them in movies. Its a cheap and fairly easy way to get lighting.

"Anyone who has ever been privileged to direct a film also knows that, although it can be like trying to write 'War and Peace' in a bumper car in an amusement park, when you finally get it right, there are not many joys in life that can equal the feeling." - Stanley Kubrick

Those work lights are fine, but they're hard to control without a stand. Don't aim them directly at your actors. Bounce them off a wall or ceiling to create a nice soft light. If you want, you can put them outside windows and blast them through the openings.

One thing you can do is get a frosted shower curtain and hang it from a stand in front of the light. It creates a nice, soft light. Don't get it too close - shower curtains can melt or catch fire.

China Lanterns are great. Put in a regular 200 watt bulb inside and they make a great softlight for close-ups. Add a dimmer for more control. and don't forget your very useful, easy to get, cheap "scoop" light. Those silver, clamp on work lights are great for the hair light. Grab some black wrap (it's a heavy black foil) to get more control and a couple pieces of foam core - they make great bounce boards.

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The aim of an argument or discussion should not be victory, but progress.
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I'm thinking about buying those exact same lights that Ninja showed in that link.

Would I use all three 500 watt lights for the backlight, key light and fill light? Or would I need to purchase different wattage lights for each?

yeah i use shop lights from the 1.00$ store
they are great and cast a nice yellow or red hue.

Me too. Although I call them 'inspection lights' for some strange reason. I also use work lights. They are both very cheap, especially second-hand.

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You can't keep 'em out, they're already in!

These lights work great. I bought two 500-watt lights last year and there what I used to light all the scenes in my feature. But it's worth the few dollars extra to get the ones that come with a stand, and you will also want lights with easily removable grilles (they tend to cast shadows)

If you're concerned about getting lights all the same intensity, you may want to invest in a heavy-duty fader switch. This can be very useful in changing the mood of a scene.

You should also be prepared to light the scene entirely with halogen and tungsten lights if you go this route, otherwise your white balance will be off and all the lights will look orange.

Oh... and if you're planning on building filters, BE CAREFUL. These things get HOT. I once nearly set a chair on fire with one of them (not in direct contact--it was about four inches from the chair and I wound up with a big cloud of smoke)

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Andrew Gingerich
Exploding Goldfish Films
Check out my vodcast on iTunes: http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=96931870

OK so let me get this straight: I can use three 500-watt lights for the backlight, fill light and key light; and build my own reflector using tin foil and cardboard?

Thanks.

quote:

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Originally posted by Strongbad

OK so let me get this straight: I can use three 500-watt lights for the backlight, fill light and key light; and build my own reflector using tin foil and cardboard?

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That's a lot of power for a fill and back light, but they will work. Just be careful that you don't blast everything into a flat lighting wash. That's the number one problem in lighting DV - the lighting is too flat, not enough variations and shadows.

Cardboard isn't strong enough, in my experience. Buy several pieces of foam core from an art supply house - leave one alone, cover one with tin foil and another with crumpled tin foil. Add a china ball and three or four scoop lights, a roll of black wrap and you'll have a very versitile lighting set up.