For many independent filmmakers, the choice of lighting equipment is often defined less by the right resources than by the right price, so at some point in the recent past, you’ve tried to turn on a movie on a budget. , you have already worked with LED lights.
In fact, they are often much more in the possibilities of an independent filmmaker than traditional tungsten lamps: they are much more affordable, require less energy and do not heat as much (which is ideal for those who work in no experience with various lighting equipment, possibly with dangers for all involved). However, how does everything in this world?For every professional, there’s an accountant. Here are some tips for choosing LED lights.
Benefits
LEDs are much cheaper
LEDs require less power. The Aputure Lightstorm 1 (LS1), for example, requires less than half of the energy required by a 300w, however, it is as bright as three 300w.
LEDs are usually more portable. Many have the accessibility to run on batteries, or with standard AA batteries for smaller models or with batteries, such as a V-mounted battery for larger LED light panels.
The most common feature of LED lamps is that they only heat a fraction of the temperature that heats the 300 watt tungsten light. To make adjustments only to the 300 watt folding doors, you need gloves, or at least wait a little before making the adjustments. , a small LED light that has been used directly for 25 minutes can have the same heat as you would find on your phone after 15 minutes of continuous use, which is almost nothing.
The cons
However, the disadvantage of LEDs is that sometimes the color scheme can be unpleasant on cheaper models.
In fact, you can have a Fresnel light with LED inside instead of a tungsten lamp, which offers the best of both worlds; however, these lights will destroy your budget.
Another downside to using LEDs is that adding multiple bare LEDs from different brands can cast inconsistent colors and unwanted shadows. Cheaper LEDs can also trigger sparks when batteries start to run low. Something that would not happen with a tungsten light powered by the electricity. Grid.
However, compared to a Fresnel light, LEDs can often seem cheaper to build. Protective doors are usually made of plastic and, from experience, when a Fresnel light falls, sturdy metal doors are what normally prevents the lens from crushing more than once.
As I said at the beginning, the use of LED lighting is probably a great alternative to using traditional tungsten lighting, if 1. ) has a small budget and 2. ) has no experience working with lights. LEDs are usually much cheaper (in price and, of course, in manufacturing quality) than tungsten, and do not heat up enough to require the use of gloves to touch light or protective shutters. probably plug them into a normal home plug (unlike a generator), without risk of overloading the circuit breaker/fuse and causing a fire.