The Importance of Lighting Control
Ask any true Gaffer, Director of Photography, Grip, or Photographer and they will tell you the absolute and unquestionable importance of quality lighting control. For, it's not just the quality of the lights, the camera, the lens, and the location, but the ability to control and create the perfect light for your scene that will make or break your shot.
Similar to really great captured audio, really great lighting may not be noticed by the common view, but bad audio/mediocre lighting will be! Anyone can pop up some LEDs or Fresnels, make a couple adjustments here and there, but to know how to diffuse/intensify the light, to bend it, shape it, warm or cool it to just the right temperature, that's what makes the difference. And, in order to become a Picasso or DiVinci or lighting, you'll need the right tools.
Starting with the right light fixture is of course the first step, after that, you'll need to make sure that you get the appropriate items to control the lights. Whether you'll need exterior dimmers, a flag set, 4x4 frames with diffusion or solid, gels, bounces, etc., we've got what you need.
Now, all this said, you should know when to say when... never let your friends over-adjust and drive... But, if you have time, make another change or two, just to see what it does to the scene; you never know when your masterpiece will be created!
For your next Las Vegas video production equipment rental or Sound Stage Booking, reach out to your buddies at F11 Rentals!
Working with Natural and Artificial Light
Working on a closed stage or set can make lighting a stage/subject very straightforward. There are, of course challenges, but there's a lot of control. What about lighting in a location where there is natural light? Let's talk about getting along with the sunshine.
The sun is wonderful! It provides lovely, 110+ degree days, burns your skin, and smolders your retinas. The sun also melts evil snow and makes rainbows possible. Sun is our friend, not our enemy. Here are our favorite lights/gear to use when tangoing with the natural daylight.
Arri Skypanel. It's big, powerful, doesn't draw a whole lot of electricity, and spreads nicely like jam.
Litepanels Gemini 1x1. Think, Skypanel in a 1x1' LED panel. Also, the light spread is jelly like, "soft and spreadable".
Litepanels Astra 6X. They don't come with the 96-color crayon box of filters, colors and effects, but they'll give you a gentle smack in the face on a bright day.
Joker 800 Bug. A big ol' haymaker of light, right in your face. (Great to shoot off a bounce board, or use as an accent.)
Lastly, cutters, floppies, flags, frames and diffusions. Remember, the sun is pretty bright... you may just need to block and bounce a little. Sunshine is a gift from the Heavens, use it before you lose it.
If you have a sun-filled video production in your future, let us help you make it a little faker, but much more attractive.
Most Popular New Production Lights
While the Astera Titan Tubes have been out for a while, they're still hugely popular with Vegas productions. From car commercials to music videos and short films, these lights are amazing! Their range and diversity make them one of the hottest lights in the industry. What's more exciting for us than the Titans however, are the Gemini 1x1 LED panels by Litepanels. The Geminis are essentially Skypanels in a 1x1 frame. The output is brilliant, the bouquet of built in filters is incredible. They can work well as interview lights or as a key source. For your next Las Vegas video production rental, make sure to include a Titan kit or a couple Geminis!
Battery-powered Gemini
The long back-ordered V-mount battery plates for the Gemini 1x1 panels have finally arrived! These plates add a whole new level of mobility and versatility to the Gemini panels. We ran a few preliminary tests for time-of-run just last week. The shortest run-time was 20 minutes, this was with the panel at 100% power using our smallest V-mount. Make sure to include a few batteries with your next Gemini 1x1 rental. For the best selection of high-quality Las Vegas video production rental gear, look no further than F11 Rentals.
F11 Rentals Goes Hollywood
Have your people call our people, and we'll do lunch! We feel pretty "Hollywood" ever since we supplied nearly all the gear for a recent short film. Except for the Audio Department, which we only helped with one of our amazing Schoeps CMIT 5 shotgun mics, we supplied all the gear needed for production and post! We sent out the amazing Arri Alexa Mini and Schneider Xenar Cinema Primes along with a bouquet of G&E. Skypanels, Gemini LEDs, and Industry-standard Arri Tungsten fresnels worked in conjunction with bounces, diffusion, and haze machines. We could go on and on, but we hear the film is just about ready for it's premier, so we'll let the final product do the talking. If you have a film to shoot, let us know, and we'll outfit you with the production gear needed to create your masterpiece!
Compact Slider Delivers Excellent Results!
The Dana Dolly and new MYT Works 4' sliders are great, but sometimes a shorter option is needed. Enter the Cinevate 24" Duzi 4 Slider! True to it's name, this thing is a duzi. An onboard flywheel adds increased dampening, creating one of the smoothest sliders we've come across. Most sliders experience a rougher ride when the camera load is light, not the Duzi 4. The folks at Cinevate perfected the slider with a flywheel driven by roller-bearings, a wider profile, and sturdy construction. For short, smooth camera slides, this is the way to go! Rent one today for your next Las Vegas video production!