5 DIY Lighting Tips For Filmmakers on a Budget
Filmmaking can get expensive quick! Save yourself some cash and free up some of your budget with this collection of DIY lighting tips.
Top image from Wistia
The high cost of filmmaking is tough to deny. Cameras, lenses, travel cases… the list of purchases goes on and on, and various lights can take up a big chunk of the list. Luckily, lighting is one field of filmmaking where you can find a lot of money-saving DIY options. Let’s take a look at some video tips and tutorials on DIY lighting that can help you come in under budget.
1. DIY Light Bar!
The great Ryan Connolly of Film Riot fame shows us how to build a DIY light bar for less than $60. You’ll probably have most of the materials sitting around your house, and the completed light bar will work with most bulbs. Check it out.
2. DIY: Make Your Own Basic Lighting Kit at Home
In this video tutorial, Luke Leonard, the Lighting Course Director of Full Sail University, walks us through the steps of building and using a DIY light kit from items you can find at your local hardware store for less than $100.
3. DIY Bank Lights
The Basic Filmmaker is always an enthusiastic source of helpful DIY tips. In this video, he shows us how to make inexpensive DIY bank lights that can come in handy for your next green screen shoot.
4. Quick Tips: DIY Lighting Kit!
Here’s one more from Ryan Connolly that covers a basic (some would say must-have) light kit that should cover most of your needs on set and in the studio.
5. How-to: Powerful DIY video light (800 watt equivalent)
In this video from Indy Mogul, Griffin Hammond builds a powerful video light for only $86, using hardware store parts, and eight 100-watt-equivalent compact fluorescent (CFL) bulbs. He also touches on the basics of three-point lighting.
While you’re feeling motivated, why don’t you take a minute and check out these other PremiumBeat tips for DIY filmmakers:
Got any DIY tips/tricks/hacks to share with the filmmaking community? We’d love to hear about them in the comments below!
