Download Electrical Ditty Bag - Christopher Chomyn, ASC

Electrical Ditty Bag
Leather Gloves
Cube Taps
Ground lifters
Voltage/Ohm Meter
Inductive Voltage Meter
Ground Tester
Insulated Needle Nose Pliers
Insulated channel lock pliers
Insulated screwdriver (Philips and Flat Head)
Flashlight
Electrical Expendibles
Gels and Diffusion to attach to lights
Electrical Tape
Appropriate Spare Fuses
2” Gaffers Tape (never use duct tape)
2” Black Paper Tape
1” Black Paper Tape
#8 Cotton Sash Cord
Sharpies
C-47s
Wire Nuts
Black Wrap
Bailing Wire
More Electrical Expendables
Chinese Lanterns a.k.a. China Ball(s) come in a variety of sizes and are available in Chinatown, at Ikea
and at various expendable supply stores, such as Mole Richardson Studio Depot, Warner
Hollywood Studio Expendables, Expendable Supply Store (ESS@ Hollywood Rentals) in
Burbank or through the Expendable Recycler (Todd Parker--818-901-9796). Also available at
Pier 1 Imports and Cost Plus.
These are made of paper and can burn easily. Never let the bulb touch the lantern and never use
too large a wattage of bulb in too small a lantern. *remember the larger the light source, the softer
the light—so a bigger lantern will provide softer illumination.
1 of 1
copyright © 2005 Christopher Chomyn
Clip Lights are available at your local hardware store. They consist of a pre-wired plastic socket, a
spring loaded clamp and a metallic reflector/shade.
You will notice a “UL” (Underwriter
Laboratories) rating for the highest wattage of bulb for which the fixture is approved. Exceeding
the UL rating will increase the possibility and danger of fire and electrical shock. It is inadvisable
to exceed the UL rating.
Porcelain Sockets are less likely to be affected by heat than plastic sockets (plastic will melt). So they
can support bulbs of a higher wattage than plastic sockets. However, caution should always be
used when wiring electrical fixtures. It is vitally important that all connections be insulated
properly to avoid shock. Any attempt to make you own electrical fixtures is at your own risk and
homemade fixtures should be handled with extreme caution.
18/2 wire a.k.a. zip chord is available by the foot or in 250’ spools. This has an AWG (American Wire
Gauge) rating of 10 amps. In other words, 10 amps is the maximum amount of power that can
flow safely through this gauge wire. Should you notice the wire or connections getting hot, you
should unplug the fixture and allow them to cool. You will also want to check to be sure that you
are not exceeding the maximum amperage rating, and that there are no loose connections.
Quick Ons are the “male-end” (male hubble) of a typical edison type electrical connection, with two
parallel blades. They are made to accommodate 18/2 wire quickly and without special tools. For
a more secure electrical connection, male hubbles are available with screw on connectors for the
wire.
Female Hubbles and Add-a-taps are two types of edison female connections. Typically, a standard
female hubble has screw on connectors for the wire. Add-a-taps, snap into place, but leave the
open end of the wire exposed and can be extremely dangerous, if the ends are not capped
properly with wire nuts and electrical tape.
Wire Nuts are the plastic, insulated screw caps that are used to secure exposed wire. They come in a
variety of sizes to accommodate wires of various gauges and are color coded for convenience.
When using a wire nut, the connection should be taped, first with electrical tape, and then with
friction tape for durability.
‘Cube Taps’ are used to power more than one unit from a single source. *Never exceed Amperage
2 of 2
copyright © 2005 Christopher Chomyn
Household Dimmers can also be a useful tool when lighting. Household dimmers come in two sizes
(600w and 1000w). Wiring instructions are included, but since you are not installing the dimmer
into your wall, you will want to mount the dimmer into a proper electrical housing so that you will
be protected from the unnecessary danger of fire and shock. Keep in mind that as you dim a
tungsten light source, the voltage is reduced, and subsequently - so is the color temperature.
Your light sources will become more (orange/red) the more you dim the light. Also, the use of a
dimmer will increase the amperage through the line. So you will want to separate your power
draw across multiple circuits in order to reduce the likelihood of “blowing” a fuse, or circuit.
Here’s a 650w dimmer that can be assembled from simple parts from The Home Depot for about $15.00
(if you choose to build one please talk to me first)
Light Bulbs
Of course you can use ordinary household globes for photography. But you should be
aware of a few characteristics which you may want to consider.
Color Temperature:
Standard Domestic Light Bulb (40-60w)
Standard Domestic Light Bulb (100-200w)
Standard Domestic Light Bulb (500-1000w)
2800K
22900K
3000K
These bulbs will be significantly “warmer” (orange/red) than tungsten light sources
designed for photographic purposes. Remember the color temperature of quartz
halogen fixtures is 3200K.
3 of 3
copyright © 2005 Christopher Chomyn
Quality:
Standard household bulbs are not very diffuse. They tend to burn hotter in the
center. You may find this undesirable, especially, if the light source is in frame.
Options exist which allow you to use ordinary household fixtures as well as clip lights
and special fixtures you can make for your own purposes. Photographic
suppliers and expendable supply stores carry several color correct light bulbs
which will fit into standard light sockets.
Enlarger Bulbs are widely used in motion picture lighting. They are evenly diffuse
across the surface of the bulb, have a proper color temperature of approximately
3200K and come in three wattages.
PH211 = 75w (color 3200K)
PH212 = 150w (color 3050K)
PH213 = 250w (color 3400K)
Photofloods (standard pear shaped) are another option. The most common sizes are:
250w and 500w.
BBA (No.1) = 250w (color white 3400K)
BCA (B-1)
= 250w (color blue 4800K)
ECT = 500w (color white 3200K)
EBV (No.2) = 500w (color white 3400K)
EBW (B-2) = 500w (color blue 4800K)
These can be used in China Balls, Clamp lights as well as regular household fixtures.
They have the advantage of being the correct Kelvin color, which will render colors and
skin tone as ‘normal’. Never use a bulb with a wattage higher than the UL rating of the
socket.
Reflecting Globes (RFLs) (mushroom shaped) are another option:
DAN (R-20) =200w (3400K)
BEP (R-30) = 300w (3400K)
EAL (R-40)= 500w (3300K)
4 of 4
copyright © 2005 Christopher Chomyn
Here are some homemade lighting fixture options courtesy of cinematgrapher, Angelo
Pacifici
5 of 5
copyright © 2005 Christopher Chomyn
A Soft-Light box you can build.
The Soft-Light box creates an even, soft light. It can be soften further by adding
diffusion to its front.
The box itself is very lightweight and easy to use. Various wattage bulbs can be
installed ranging from 25 to 250 watts.
*Consider Photo Flood lamps, which are available in Tungsten (3,200K) and Daylight
(5,600K) correct color temp.
Its ‘open face’ (front) should be covered with diffusion material
a
6 of 6
copyright © 2005 Christopher Chomyn
Diffusion material is used to soften the output of a light softening any harsh shadows,
this is especially important when lighting faces.
There is a huge difference between hard and soft light *(train yourself to see the
difference and understand their emotional effects).
Professional Diffusion is designed for consistency, neutral color and ability to withstand
heat.
You should consider purchasing the following:
(2) sheets of Lee White # 216 (a medium density dif.) and
(2) sheets of Opal Frost (a lite dif.)
Sheets: 21”x 24” $7.95 approx. $7.95
Light Bouncing Material:
‘shiny’ Bounce boards are useful for Exterior & Interior bounce light.
Use Silver for hard bounce and white for softer bounce.
Bead Board is an excellent ultra soft bounce board while
Foam Core provides a Medium soft bounce
.
These can be found at art supply and camera equipment/ Rental stores, such as:
Film Tools (888-807-1900) is just one source of film equipment
(http://www.filmtools.com
Studio Depot (at La Brea and Willoughby)
Sammy’s Camera.
7 of 7
copyright © 2005 Christopher Chomyn