Several years ago, I had the pleasure of attending an advanced cinematography workshop with DP Shane Hurlbut, ASC. One of the workshops I took away the most from was a night lighting workshop wherer Shane used Streetlamp practicals he purchased at a hardware store to light the street. For about $800 he was able to light an entire city street scene with practicals and use lighting off the truck to light his actors. While I use low budget tricks like this a lot, and I love the challenge of doing so, I never considered a master of the craft like Shane might employ the same techniques on big-budget films.
What is your favorite practical lighting technique? Let me know in the comments.
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That's incredible, Michael Fitzer, Mfa! I like when colored light shines on walls and objects, making the place look scary or strange.
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Personally, I love the look of tungsten or halogen lighting. Then again, who has the power supply to run them? Can you even get them anymore?
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Not practicals, but close: 1K PARs of various beam spreads. Powerful, long throws and short, easy to hide and they only draw 9 amps. I've lit entire night scenes with them. And the light quality is a lot like street lights since they have similar glass in front.
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That's a fantastic story and such an important reminder, great filmmaking is about problem-solving, not just budget!