IMHO you cannot go past fluro lighting, I've made some myself but its more work than you'd want to do unless your handy at sheet metal. Have a look at the Osram range, their Studioline tubes are excellent for video, team them up with their HF dimmable ballasts and you've got a winner.

You can buy these things ready made, we use Lupo from Italy but there's heaps more out there or you can roll you own, you might find a commercial fitting that uses the same tubes thats pretty cheap. Replace the tubes and ballasts with the Osram ones and glue LEE Filter 273 behind the tubes to push out some more light.

Great thing with this type of lighting is minimal heat and you don't blind the talent and unlike halogen you can move them without waiting a minute after you turn them off.

The simplest way to cut your lighting costs is to not light things.

Beyond that, halogen worklights are relatively cheap. Generally, home built lights will just slow down anyone who knows how to use the gear.

Consider renting lights if at all possible. At least you'll get to look at some more professional light designs as you try to build your own.

The next step up might be to buy theatrical lights. These are pretty awful and flimsy for location work but they're relatively cheap because the companies can sell them by the truckload.

Honestly, good pro lights handle a lot of wear and tear. Mole is very sturdy but not always of the cleverest design. Arri is lighter, less resistant to rust, and superior in the HMI range. Leonetti HMIs are very light.

Kinoflos have also gotten much sturdier in the last few years. And the little Diva lights are really bright and fairly portable.

Avoid Lowel. The fixtures poop out some light and they're a step up from worklights but they aren't something you should spend hard earned money on. Rent first and try things out.

None of this is cheap but if you are working on location and you know how to use the gear then professional equipment lets you accomplish more.

Have to admit, I'm biased. I've got 12 years grip and electric behind me in a well developed market. If you showed me a crate of home depot worklights I'd suggest we just use natural light. Bad lights require more grip gear to make them look okay. That means more sandbags.

You DO use sandbags, don't you?

Rob Mack

I use hardware store worklights, it works well for basic things and it's pretty cheap.