Indoor Lighting Issues

[Konton]

I'm about to start shooting a short Super 8mm production indoors. I decided to use 250w incandescent lights (practicals) since they give off light at 3200 degrees Kevlin (El Mariachi style). These will be used on standard light sockets (I have a portable 250w light and reflectors for the other lighting).

The problem is that most home light sockets use only 100w lights at the most. Using a 250w light could overhead the socket causing major problems. How can I fix this issue?

My current solution is to use Socket Extenders. These extenders claim to be able to use up to 660w lights. Will I be okay to place a 250w light blub into an extender that can handle up to 660w, then place the extender into a light socket that can only handle 100w? Please let me know what you think.

[Nigel]

As far as I know that should work. Just be sure that you run the numbers to see if the circut can handle the amount of lights you will have. Good Luck

[ulrichsd]

Sorry, that should say driveWAY lighting, like the ones people have over their garages.

Sorry,
scott

[ulrichsd]

I was planning on trying to use a few Halogen 120Watt (I think) bulbs beacuse they burn at the higher 3200 deg temp. These are the type of bulbs that people use for drivelighting and stuff. They are very white but I haven't really had the chance to test if the light is sufficient for the filming. I chose to try this because the filmmakers handbook listed tungsten-hoalogen lights as a potential lighting source. I bought my lights at a hardware store, but 120 Watts was the highest wattage I coud find there.

If I'm making a mistake with trying this please let me know, and if anyone knows a good relatively cheap lighting setup I would love to know. Also, where can you get those high wattage bulbs from?

Thanks in advance,
Scott U.

[#Pedro]

Well, these socket extension items I don?t know, but I think with more distance to the plastic parts there will be no problem at all. You can also exchange the existing lamp sockets thru ceramic lamp sockets, which cannot be melted by the heat.
But I would prefer halogen lights. There are halogen bulbs around, that can be screwed into standard lamp sockets (27 mm) and work with mains voltage instead of 12 V. This could give a good background and average brightness at correct color temperature. For a realy good lightning of the actors, conventional movie lamps are neccessary without any doubt. I use one 2000 W lamp I have fixed on the top of a cupboard in my living room, shining towards the szene from top right hand direction (main light). In the back of the room I fixed a 1000 W lamp in diagonal as a effect light. This makes the hair of the actors shining very beautifull. With the reflections at the white walls, this is enough in most times. Perfect results I obtain with an additional 300 W camera light, mounted directly on the camera, to melt the shadows off the faces.
Pedro

[tripplezero]

Wow Pedro that is so simple I would have never thought to put a light on the camera.
I can't wait to try that.

[Alex]

Lights on Camera are not a very bright idea...haha

...Unless you really diffuse the light and the shot is a lock off shot.

Camera movements should be independent of microphones and lights.

-Alex

[ekoe]

the 300w source at camera would serve primarily as a fill for subjects closer to the foreground. with the 2k key source, you wouldn't get noticeable shadows from the 300w source.
sounds good to me.
i believe y'all were talkin' about pars.
that's the standard socket 120w halogens. the term 'par' refers to a bulb, of varying wattage, possessing a lens, reflector and filament in one unit. like an automobile headlamp. par = parabolic reflector.
the 'flood lights' attached above your garage door are most likely pars.
not exactly the breed you'd find in a nine-light par64 fixture, but a par nonetheless.
the par's fall-off is rather steep. despite the term 'flood light', i've found the consumer variety pars to function more like a spot. which is nice.
color temperature... there's the rub.
there is, supposedly, less consistency in the color temperature of lower wattage par lamps.
90w halogen par38's, mounted in a 100w worklight clamp-base fixture will cost you under $10 at home depot. 90w leaves a bit to be desired.
anything terribly insane about mounting a 120w par in a 100w fixture? i'm ok with it.
but, alas, i'm a confounded fool.
it might just warm up a bit, right?
seriously, why not run a 120w halogen through a 100w fixture? granted, keeping a watchful eye for fire.

[ekoe]

it's ok to touch pars. if it is quartz halogen, the porous nature of the quartz will retain your finger oils.
the par38's i spoke of are like halogen automobile headlamps. they don't get hot enough to warrant a quartz globe.
halogen refers to the 'halogen cycle' which occurs within the globe. as the tungsten heats, it evaporates and becomes affixed to the sides of the globe, which blackens the globe. the halogen cycle is a chemical process that removes the evaporated tungsten from the globe and redeposits it on the filament, for reuse and, ipso facto, longer life.

[AlexGfromUK]

I think overrating a 100watt outlet by 20watts would probably be fine too, Is it true that if you touch a halogen bulb, the grease on your fingers will make it explode?