And here we are. Yes. There are ways to buy pre-fabricated L.E.D. lights on tripods from about $8- $20 dollars. But we are all low to no budget filmmakers here aren't we? That's why we came here -through the convoluted maze we like to call the internet? To find a way to do things a little cheaper with just as much  quality and production value?

I, in the course of filming a short flick that made use of miniature sets, came across a way to decrease the allowed budget for lighting by a - hmm - a slight significant amount. A three point lighting setup uses well... you guessed it .. a minimum of 3 lights. Learning what I have learned from both grandparents that lived through the great depression- be frugal- a penny saved is a penny earned, and on a production budget something that you save on something you can DIY ( do it yourself) is money that you can spend on something where you really, really want or need it.

Buying an L.E.D. off of the internet, for the sake of argument: lets just say you need a three point lighting set-up with 2 extra - let's split the difference and say that they are $14 (3 pt lighting with 2 extra = $70). The way I'm showing you ( 3 pt. lighting with 2 extra - each one = 2$, that's $10). A savings of $60 that you could spend on any number of things in a budget.  We all know that a short film can cost in the thousands (talent included) . A local commercial alone can cost between $900 and $1500 depending on your time an production cost. So, as you can see- nothing puts art to the test more than trying to figure out how to achieve a vision within budget constraints.
If you are trying to sell your Art in this economy you have a duty to yourself to not let monkeys free with your checkbook- buying the coolest things they see that you can make just as good yourself in studio with about 30 min and some kick-ass music or film in the background to get you motivated.

WHAT YOU NEED:
1) cordless drill (assuming you are as serious as you say you are) Cordless drills are invaluable - used for numerous things on set *nuff said
2) 5 "Dollar Tree (everything is a dollar stores are also acceptable)"  L.E.D. Flashlights ( yes they have them ) if not go the distance this is a budget we are talking about - your livelihood!?!
3) 5 "Dollar Tree 'camera' tripods (everything is a dollar stores are also acceptable)"- go figure, they carry everything at a certain point and time so stock up when they do
4) batteries? Whoah, wait What the...(relax- look around the house, we have bigger ideas at stake here- remotes? you don't need'em walk yourself over to the TV and turn it on ..have we become that dependent? My Great-Grandfather made the 1st remote control and it needed no batteries and it was called the "blabb-off".
5) nuts x 5 to fit the bought tripods from Lowes - what?!! added expense? Stop your whining on the way to Lowes I scrunched around in my car seats while I was driving to find ¢.37 and a half ( the half was so corroded I couldn't say what it was .. but it was still spendable in my book)


And just simply watch the Tutorial Below:

Enjoy yourself, be safe, and Live, Breathe, forever the film world!!
Show me what you got!!
Thanks for stopping by,

TJPARSONS

Twitter = @tjparsonsfilms
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