Many students ask me, "What is the best light kit to buy?". If you read the DV magazines or search the Internet, every manufacturer wants to sell you a full kit with just their brand of lights. I do not suggest buying these kits. For example, stay away from the Lowell and Arri full kits, you will end up with extra stuff you don't need, and spend too much in the process.

Here is the lighting gear I suggest, and you can get it for approx $1,800.00 from many dealers like B and H photo in NYC.

• Lowell Omni light with Speed Ring for Chimera. Order two 420 watt bulbs with this. The photo at the top of this article is of various size Chimeras. This will be your 'KEY LIGHT"
• One XS (extra small) Chimera (It's a soft Box)
• One Lowell Pro Light with two 125 watt Bulbs. This is your BACKLIGHT
• One 100 Watt Professional Dimmer ( for use with the Back light)
• One Arri 650 Watt Light with Barn Doors, 2 Half Scrims and two Full Scrims, two 650 Watt Bulbs. This is your BACKGROUND LIGHT
• 1 C-Stand (for back light) 3 regular Light Stands,
• 1 Drop-Ceiling Clamp and a bag of C-47s (clothespins)
• 3 Sheets of Full Blue Gel (CTB) 3 Sheets of Half Blue (1/2 CTB) 1 Sheet of 1/8 Blue (CTB) - use the 1/8th to white balance thru to "warm" up your shots.
• 4 sheets of 1/2 Tough SPUN ( Diffusion for lights)
• 1 Roll of Flat Black Wrap to "snoot" lights and "Flag Lights"
• 1 Roll of ND6 or ND3 Gel for use on Windows

You should also get a few AC Extension Cords and Multi Jack AC boxes. Plus,Get a large white piece of cardboard, these are often referred to as "SHOW CARDS". These will be used to "FILL" the opposite side of your KEY LIGHT. There are many places you can purchase these. B & H photo in New York seems to have the best prices and no sales tax if you live outside New York State.

You will learn how to use all these lights, and create Multiple lighting set-ups in next weeks DV Crash Course. These are the same lights that my colleagues and I use while shooting National Broadcast television news, documentaries and corporate video.