Instagram: @JoshuaSterlingBragg @instaminiseries
I’ve been lugging gear in New York City for years. As a freelance cinematographer working from the ground up, I’ve paid my dues working too much for too little, I’ve thrown my back out numerous times carrying lighting equipment on the subway for clients that were too cheap to pay for a cab or an assistant, and in addition to raising my rates over the years, this year I decided to make a change in equipment. With the growing popularity and flexibility of LED lighting systems, I long lusted over the ease at which I could transport such a kit. The thin panels, the lightweight stands, the virtually instant color matching to indoor or outdoor lighting conditions were all very attractive, but it was just a dream until I found my newest love- er- I mean investment- the LED- 700K Bi-Color lighting kit from Bescor.
I had a few main prerogatives in buying these lights.
1. I needed lighter, more transportable lighting equipment for the smaller gigs where I would still be the one-man-band.
2. I needed them to be flexible, not only in brightness, but in color temperature. I do a lot of location shooting and being able to match the natural light of any location was a BIG selling point in acquiring an LED kit.
3. I needed to be able to travel to and from the airport by myself. With business partners in LA most of the traveling I do on my own, meeting the rest of the crew at the location of the shoot.
4. I needed for these lights to be useful not only for interviews but also to do small scale cinematic work.
5. I needed to walk out of the store that Thursday morning in New York City and be able to shoot with them in Colorado on Friday night.
Ok so my standards were pretty high, and to be honest I wasn’t 100% positive I would find what I needed. But like all of my other equipment I did my research. In the weeks leading up to my purchase I searched every corner of the internet for reviews and tutorials, I went and saw lights in person to test them out. I borrowed lights from friends for the weekend, and after all of this I had many concerns. Some kits were too bulky. Some were oddly shaped. Some had too wide of a spread and not enough control. Some just didn’t have the power to replace what I already owned. And that’s when I walked into Adorama and found the Bescor kit.
Bescor wasn’t a brand I had heard of, and it was significantly cheaper than a lot of the well known competitors. But when I got my hands on them for the first time they just felt right. The housing is lightweight, but sturdy. They have a convenient handle on the top for easy grip and lifting. Along three of the sides is a track for the removable stand mount allowing you to set them up horizontally or vertically with ease. Once on the provided stands the removable mount allows you to tilt forward and back to find the perfect angle. And perhaps one of my favorite features is the four adjustable barn doors attached to each fixture. With a reflective backing, the barn doors allow you to control the light just as you would with any typical HMI or fresnel light. They also allow you to attach jells and diffusion at an appropriate distance from the source so as to get a softer more attractive light that can hug a subjects face more gently.
The back of the lighting units have several features. There are two smooth adjustable knobs, one for brightness (10%-100%) and one for color temperature (3200k – 5400K). Like most LED lights, there are warm and cool lights on the source of the panel, and it is only when you are mid temperature that all of them are illuminated. Surprisingly thought the difference in brightness of the lamp while adjusting the color temperature is negligible.
Next to the adjustment knobs is a small LCD screen that tells you the exact temperature and brightness so you can easily match both lights exactly. Also located on the back of the fixture is an on/off switch, and AC/DC switch for multiple power sources, and access to a fuse for easy replacement (replacement fuses included).
You have two options for power, a V-mount plate for optional optional 14.4V pro batteries and an XLR power input, which is far superior to most LED lighting fixtures that come with just a tiny flimsy AC cord input. The XLR cable is strong and well made with it’s metal encasing, and when the fixture is mounted at the full height of the stand you don’t have to worry about the stress of the cord breaking the attachment. The XLR cord is an appropriate length for most basic needs. Shooting an interview in a hotel room for a documentary I was able to plug the light in and place it anywhere in the room with ease.
Later that week, shooting in a bar, I was able to place a light on either side of the room, with lots of flexibility. Because of the mirror behind the bar I was challenged with hiding the lights from the reflection, which because of their compact size I was able to do within a matter of minutes and still light the shot I wanted. Using the barn doors I single out the subject in a clean light, making him pop from the darker background. I attached a light diffusion to soften the light and then lowered the brightness of one of the lights to 50% so that one light acted as a key and the other as a fill. Lastly I was able to dial in color temperature to match the soft overcast daylight coming in the windows exactly. The shoot was flawless and the client was ecstatic.
That same day we went to a second location in the basement of a gym and I was able to again light the subject with the exact light that matched the fluorescent overhead lighting.
For transportation I bought a Pelican 1560 case with wheels. I hollowed out the foam so that the lights could sit protected on top and the XLR cables and removable mount could hide below. For just under $1000 I quickly became the proud owner of this amazing two light kit with two heavy duty air-cushioned lighting stands as well as the Pelican case.
LED lighting has a ways to go before it takes over the market, but for this price point and especially for run-and-gun documentary production you can’t go wrong. I look forward to continuing to run them through the mill. I plan on bringing these lights on just about every shoot to see how they do in each situation, but for now i have yet to be disappointed.
