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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Tom Parsons

The founder of Uddershiet Films and film enthusiast, maintains a fun collection of movies that he regularly references for technical examples, discussions with colleagues, friends, students, and production staff. Although there are particular films, shorts, and videos that he prefers over others, seldom is there a movie that he doesn't like.