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On SmashWordsLow Budget Lighting Equipment Tips: How good are Britek Lights?
Welcome to the Dojo!
It was another fantastic holiday season here at the Sensei household, filled with fun,with friends and with family. It was also filled, surprisingly enough, with some indie / guerilla filmmaking questions from a most unexpected of places: my in-laws!
Now, it’s not surprising to have various members of my wife’s family want to talk to me about making movies or ideas for films (heck, her father gives me hour long movie pitches at every dinner we go to with them!). The unusual part was to have one of her relatives come up to me while attending the yearly Christmas party at Aunt Mary’s house and start to fire off some very specific questions on indie filmmaking equipment in general and guerilla lighting equipment in specifc. Cousin Frank, you see, was very interested in what it takes for someone with limited funds to put together a low budget lighting kit — one that won’t break after a couple of uses and will still hold up to the rigors of independent filmmaking!
As somone whose career has spanned ultra high budget films all the way down to $5000 features shot over a week, I not only understand the necessity of a good lighting kits but also the need of an indie or guerilla filmmaker to put something reliable together on a low cost. While the big boys have fantastic equipment from Arri, Mole, Lowell and Kinoflow, that same equipment is oft-times way out of budget range for a low budget filmmaker. Cousin Frank wanted to know if there were any alternatives out there for him outside of working with Home Depot work lights. Was there a way for him to get some “real lights” (his words) for under $1000, for under $500 or for less?
The answer I gave Cousin Frank was a resounding “Yes.”
First up, I want to say that I’ve used Home Depot style work lights on almost every shoot I’ve ever worked on and I love the things. They’re sturdy, they’re reliable and they’re cheap. But that’s not what Cousin Frank was looking for. He wanted something with a bit more versitility — light stands, soft boxes, barndoors — and something a bit more professional looking.
While there are a few different options out there, one I have a lot of experience with and have found to be incredibly reliable on a budget is Britek Lighting. If you’re a regular on eBay then you’ve probably seen these lighting heads and kits on sale from a number of different vendors. And, as an indie filmmaker, you’ve probably wondered if these very reasonably priced (read: cheap) lights are worth taking a chance on. To be honest, a couple of years ago I was in your exact same position — needing a decent lighting kit for an upcoming shoot but only having enough in my budget to purchase a single Arri 650w fresnel.
My need being very desperate and not having much time, I took a chance and contacted one of the Britek sellers on eBay about putting together a guerilla lighting kit for me for what amounted to the cost of a couple of the “pro” lights. For well under $1000 I put together a set of two 1000w, three 600w and three 300w focusable lights, with stands, softboxes, barndoors, extra bulbs and cases, all from Britek.
I know what you’re saying to yourself right now, “C’mon, Mat Nastos, you may be the film sensei, but are you telling me that these Britek lights are better than a $3000 Arri kit? Are you stoned?”
To answer your second question “Not at the moment.” To answer your first question, “Not at all.” If you’ve got the money for an Arri or Lowell kit or a bunch of Kinoflos, there is no comparison. You’re talking about the difference between a Nissan Sentra and a BMW Z4. That being said, tho, a Nissan Sentra is still a pretty darn good car for the price, and so are the Britek Lights. They may not come with the style, brand name or bells and whistles of Arri lights, but the Britek lighting kits still produce some fantastic results for those of us on a more modest budget and, even more important, they’ll hold up to often frenzied pace of an independent or guerilla film shoot.
My own Britek lighting kit has lasted for over two years now, gone through numerous low budget film shoots and has prooven itself to be some of the most reliable gear in my guerilla filmmaking arsenal.
The lights themselves aren’t as heavy duty as Arri fresnels, but as long as you aren’t knocking them over 3-4 times a shoot, their construction is incredibly sturdy. Like everyone, I’ve had a few mishaps where a PA or actor stumbled over a cord or stand and dropped a light to the floor and, aside from the occassional popped bulb, the Briteks have always come up swinging.
My only complaint about the Britek lights so far is with the softboxes. They are a bitch to put together and almost impossible to take apart easily…I just leave mine together and have to deal with them taking up extra room in my production van. They perform beautifully, I just wish the design was a bit better then it came to breaking them back down.
In addition to the halogen lights I have, Britek has also introduced some flourescent kits. I haven’t had a chance to test those out but if their quality is similar to what I’ve seen in the halogens, then low budget or guerilla filmmakers should be very happy with them. I look forward to picking up a few for my next shoot and will give a full review here on www.FilmSensei.com when I do.
If you are in need of a low cost, high quality lighting kit for a price that won’t break the bank, then definitely take a look at Britek lights. I know I plan on adding more units to my low budget lighting kit in the near future. I picked up my own Britek lights from a place here in Southern California called Linco Inc (http://www.lincoinc168.com). Their customer service and sales teams were fantastic and I was able to pick up my lights the same day I ordered them. You can also find them on eBay and Amazon.com for some great prices.
That’s it from the DOJO for today. Thanks for dropping by www.FilmSensei.com. Take care and keep shooting!
- Mat Nastos, Film Sensei
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Good stuff. I’ll soon be looking into a kit like this, so appreciate the heads-up.
February 4th, 2009 at 4:49 pm
Thx for the info, please keep it coming! I found this site when researching the Alzo Pan L 3 Light kit I saw at DFV Expo last yr, finally ready to buy, and looking for some other cheap but great additions to a kit.
What do you think of Lowel’s DV Creator kits- which of their kits would tyou recommend?
May 18th, 2010 at 2:28 pm
I purchased the Lowell DV250 kit with three lights and a case from B&H Photovideo for a graduate film class. It was about 1100 bucks, but was top notch all the way. I only wish I could have purchased an extra Rifa light as they are so awesome for a soft light.
The lights do take about 8 seconds to reach hot enough temps on the metal to stop you from touching it without letting it cool down for several life times. Also, you don’t want to touch the bulbs being halogen and the risk of them blowing up and all.
I can’t say I am a total fan of the broad light as it’s so hot and offers to protection if the thing gets knocked over there are no barn doors or such things to stop it from touching fabric or carpet and starting to charbroil whatever it lands on. Plus, bugs tend to land on it and you’ll see smoke coming out of it that will freak your talent out if not you as well.
All in all the Lowell kit is very decent and three point lighting is a snap. I would recommend getting an extra stand and mounting an LED flashlight and gelling it to create a glint in the subject’s eye, but that has nothing to do with the kit itself. So, I digress.
If you already have a kit and have some cash to burn I am in total awe of two products; Rosco’s Litepads and the 1x1s from Litepanels. Either one of those are gold, but Rosco’s Pro Gaffer’s Kit really give you a bundle. It’s twelve lights, dimmer, power supplies, cables, case, support items galore, and lights that are bliss to use and take so little energy my Bescor battery could power them for a MONTH on one charge! Yup, they are super and if you have the means get a kit. If you can’t afford the kit then the small rectangular LItepad is great for hootking up to a battery and putting rubber bands to hold them on a visor and/or gaffer’s taping them to instrument panel in a car…perfect car lighting fixture that has just the right intensity and color for it. Couldn’t be more awesome.
Hope any of this was helpful.
David…
August 7th, 2010 at 5:45 am