OT: Looking for a light

MUTTLEY wrote on 5/6/2008, 12:54 PM

Some time ago I was watching a behind the scenes of a movie and in addition to the sound guy with the boompole and mic there was another guy with a china ball on a boom. If memory serves me correctly he had a belt pack that it was plugged into. Was a really nice setup and not just a cheap paper one dangling off of a broomstick.

I've got a shoot coming up where I need something similar and all of my googling has been in vein. Wondering if anyone has seen a set up like this or might have any suggestions of something similar.

- Ray

Some of my stuff on Vimeo
www.undergroundplanet.com

Comments

farss wrote on 5/6/2008, 2:30 PM
Check out Jem lighting in LA.
They make a collapsable fabric china ball. You'd need to just add your own battery powered lamp.
Failing that in the USA you can buy nylon china latterns. Again add your own lamp. You can buy compact fluros that run off 12V.

Bob.
JackW wrote on 5/6/2008, 9:17 PM
I recently constructed a Chinese Lantern based on the instructions here . It's a really nice looking piece of gear and works very well as a soft light. I've been using a 250w photo flood, but I suspect it will work as well with a compact fluorescent.

Jack

Edit: The down side is that it's heavy and probably wouldn't work on a portable boom pole. We use it on a C-stand with a boom arm.
Coursedesign wrote on 5/6/2008, 9:33 PM
When using "home furniture" China lanterns with DIY high powered tungsten bulbs, do be very aware of the great fire risk. If there is any plastic involved, that can also melt and drip on people, creating second and even third degree burns.

Now that's nahsty!

Hopefully your gear and your home will fetch enough at Executive Auction to cover the actors' pain, suffering, medical bills, and lost income.
rmack350 wrote on 5/6/2008, 10:05 PM
And as you desperately try to put the fire out with your hand the plastic sticks to you too. At least that was my experience with nylon windbreakers.

The original fancy-schmansey china globe comes from Chimera. Generally pricey, generally well made with good functional rings available for most lights. They are the brand that everyone else emulates.

Belt battery packs used to be kind of expensive and shortlived. I don't know how they are these days but when I was working at a rental house in SF battery belts were a major part of the work day.

Rob Mack
Konrad wrote on 5/7/2008, 9:24 AM
Fire a good reason to go the CF route and the OP was asking about a belt battery pack even a better reason to go CF.

Konrad
MUTTLEY wrote on 5/7/2008, 11:36 AM
Thanks for the replies. So I'm kind of thinking of getting a Kino Flo Mino-Flo kit:

Mini-Flo Kit

And then a Bescor battery belt:

Battery Belt

It looks like those two would work together for remote light and power ... yes? And then I just have to figure out the boom and china ball and/or diffusion part.

- Ray
Some of my stuff on Vimeo
www.undergroundplanet.com
rmack350 wrote on 5/7/2008, 11:57 AM
With the flo kit you could stick the parts into any paer china ball, and you could hang the thing off any old pole.

I have a mini flo kit. Unless it's been improved, you've got a string of little parts to get you from the light to the battery. It's manageable but not elegant.

You can also build fixtures out of parts from a hardware store and use pretty much any lamp. Heat and fire are a risk of course but the key is to build it in such a way that the lamp cannot possibly touch the paper or fabric. I've run 1KW EGT lamps in 36" paper balls without a problem, but it haven't waved them around on the end of a stick.

Tree trimmer poles telecope and are reasonably light for the price.

Rob
farss wrote on 5/7/2008, 3:54 PM
If you'd like to send me half that money I'll send you the whole kit, China Ball, boom pole, batteries etc.
No, hang on you're a good bloke. Make that a quarter and I'd include freight, from Australia!

You can buy off the shelf 12V CFLs. Check out anyone selling "Green" or "Solar" energy stuff. The lamps screw into normal Edison Screw sockets. You can buy the socket already wired onto a lead from Ikea and no doubt others. Pull the plug off the end, connect right way around to 12V battery, a pack of D cells should do it, the light doesn't have to run for long!

By rice paper china ball, buy cheap painters pole, gaff tape the joints so it doesn't rattle and you're good to go.

Just talked myself out of a few hundred dollars profit I think but what the heck.

Bob.