Discover the Surprising Truth about LED Lights & Save Money for Filmmaking!

There's a trend right now of filmmakers selling their daylight balanced LED film lights and replacing them with bi-color lights. I share with you why that may not be the best choice for your key light! I explain Why Your Key Light Should Always be Daylight Balanced for Filmmaking!
Cinematic Lighting Tutorial | Daylight vs Tungsten | Best Light for Filmmakers | Daylight or Bi-Color? | Daylight vs Bi Color | Lighting with Color | Color Temperature | Why Filmmakers are Still Using Daylight
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#filmmaking #cinematography #lighting

[@markwiemels]

Dude, this video almost makes too much sense to be on KZbin! Well done, such sound, and logical, advice.

[@JustinPhillip]

😆

[@GlobalShutterNY]

Totally agree- for any powerful lights I choose the Daylight version and add gels as needed- you can always add the gel , but you can never add power! I think the bicolor (and RGB) lights have a place as convenient accent/kicker lights where quick color flexibility is valuable and max power output is not as important...

[@JustinPhillip]

100% agree with this. I failed to point out that this video was referring to Key Lights.

[@braxtonwoullard1188]

I completely understand. I learn this the hard way a few years back testing the intensity of my bi color lights by simply using false colors. I was losing 2 stops of light when I was switching back and forth from 2700 to 5600k, and then even more when I slap a diffusion in front of it. So I ended up losing about 3 and a half stops of light, forcing me to increase my isos causing me to have a noisey footage.

[@seansmith1405]

I just want to let you know, I watched this video on my work laptop and about 3/4 of the way through I got up from my desk, walked downstairs, grabbed my personal laptop, found your channel and subscribed to your account before returning upstairs to finish watching the video. This was so simple and insightful, I just had to make sure I could find your content in the future. This video couldn't have found me at a better time, as I am currently in the market for some new lights. Well done, KZbin algorithm, well done.

[@JustinPhillip]

Nice. 🙏🏼🙌🏼

[@nickmcmillian2122]

yeah man. Thank you. I've been watching so many of your videos on how to build a low budget lighting kit and it's been giving me a lot on insight.

[@JustinPhillip]

🙏🏼 Awesome!

[@weightlessfilms5651]

Great video! You make a good argument, but I can't say I agree across the board. For a key light on set (probably one of your fill lights too), I think you're right. You don't want to sacrifice output and you'll likely be adding modifiers anyway. Might as well invest in some quality gels and get way more mileage / bang for your buck from your key and first fill. But bicolors still have a place in my kit; great for fill or accenting where output isn't as important and will save time if you're one-man-banding or with novice grips. I used to have a small studio with a NOVA P300c as my key, and that light was magnificent haha so I think it really comes down to selecting the best tools for the job at hand.

[@JustinPhillip]

Oh 100%. Yes i failed to mention in this video that I was primarily referring to a key light source. 🤙🏼

[@AnontonioTalesFromtheCrypto]

Most underrated content creator in existence. Been following for a long time and you've really changed the game

[@JustinPhillip]

Thank you! 👊🏼🙌🏼

[@PaulePorter]

Hi Justin, thanks. I totally agree. I often use my light with a Fresnel. In this scenario my gels melt very often. Also the better Gels from known manufactures. Do you have an Idea for bypassing that?

[@JustinPhillip]

Even when attached to the barn doors? Like clipping it on to the doors, it still melts?

[@richardsisk1770]

Good ideas! That’s what we had to do in the old days. I’m with you in using a color meter. It really lets me dial in the look I want.

[@MarkusPix]

Right on!

[@seecraig]

In so many cases I think a typical workflow is to control the color temperature (kill the local lights) and go with the strongest light and I'm still inclined to brighter daylight fixtures as a result. Granted in the corporate video world sometimes you can't kill the tungsten-colored office lights but you also can't shut out sunlight ambient light but otherwise stronger lights are actually more flexible given they are better at "overpowering" local lighting or otherwise adding a gel. BTW this is further confused by newbies who gravitate to RGBW lights for what should be key lights when those are better used as accent lights to create color contrast. People will get a big COB-like RGBW light as a first key light when it really makes more sense to get a much stronger daylight-only fixture.

[@JustinPhillip]

100%

[@memathews]

Excellent presentation on LED color temp/output, and you mentioned the light loss through adding softening effects. At Fill-Lite we covered this in 2015 and manufactured a super-high quality, LED fill light with built-in softening-think of a 2x2' iPad soft light-but it was too early in the LED lighting development cycle to build market acceptance and the company folded just before COVID-19 hit. It's great to see you wake up DPs and gaffers to these subjects and their variables. atb

[@JustinPhillip]

Thanks for watching!

[@davidmultimedia2024]

I do agree about brightness, but this isn’t the only thing to consider here. Gels aren’t only changing CCT, they also affect the color accuracy of LEDs (like the R9 score). I remember when I had the cheap Aputure Amaran HR672S kit, they came with a solid CTO to bring it from 5500K to around 3200K. They also provided a CRI chart (with the extended range), and there was a HUGE difference on color accuracy with the CTO on and it affected skintones a lot. Also, if you take a look at most modern bi-color LED lights, 3200K is where they’re the most color accurate (and by quite a lot, based on the SSI score, where they can be pretty much indistinguishable from a true tungsten source). So IMHO, you should have both reasonably bright bi-color lights, and also super bright daylight balanced lights (at least one).

[@JustinPhillip]

Hmmm, not in my experience. Most LEDs once they drop below 4000K they get really nasty in terms of color fidelity. I mean thats one of the reasons why DPs still use real tungsten bulbs. LEDs have a LONG ways to go in terms of matching tungsten. Not even RGBACL fixtures have mastered a clean tungsten rendering.

[@davidmultimedia2024]

@@JustinPhillip Well, based on the SSI scores provided by companies (and confirmed by people like Curtis Judd who tested it with that very expensive Sekonic meter), most Daylight balanced LED lights, even though they have an almost perfect CRI/TLCI scores, their SSI is often between 75 and 80, while good 3200K chips are rarely under 85 these days. Although, I own the Amaran 200x S and their dual-blue chips makes the daylight chips almost as accurate as the tungsten (89+ compared to 90+), and trust me, they are indeed both insanelt accurate. In fact, the 200x S is a budget light, but it has one of the most accurate color accuracy spectrum on the market (newer tech). RGBACL is very accurate in CCT mode considering they do color lights (so more versatile), but they are still not as accurate as the 200x S. Other lights (like the Aputure high end line, the GVMs, Godox, etc.) have a SSI score of around 75 for daylight and 85 for tungsten.

[@DANAMIONLINE]

This is an insightful perspective on the topic of versatility and what is true versatility.

[@homerjon]

Convert your daylight balanced light for $50.... BUT you need an $1700 color meter to do it.

[@JustinPhillip]

😂😂

[@p.t.ngwolo1003]

You can borrow that meter right?

[@Ranger7Studios]

I think the main reason is that people don't want to carry or buy gels anymore. The are easily recked and they another thing you have to carry around. And the expence does add up. Then there is trying to decide on which gel and what strength to use. So I get why people want the bi-color units over the daylight only ones. We are also getting to a point with plus/minus green/magenta where brightness is not a factor anymore. I think very soon, we are going to see Bi-color lights with the LED technology to be as bright as a single colored unit. This will happen very soon IMO.

[@dpixvid]

Noobs don’t want to learn gels or too inconvenient...

[@mradriiiian]

Something I never made my mind up to.. good to know! :D

[@ScreenFiends]

Thank you, I have been saying to people for ages. For KZbinrs, sure, BI might be better but only as a means of convenience and the miniscule nature or their vids. Outside of that, more power and gels always seemed better to me

[@Logan-Cassadine]

Thanks, useful info

[@RuXTaR]

Good stuff. But! Let's be honest, most of us low budget people mostly use COBs. What's your suggestion?

[@JustinPhillip]

Yea those are a little harder to gel. But i always kept a pack of gels in my zipper lid with the Forza 500. If you are using a dome its pretty simple to clamp a gel on the inside. Or with a fresnel its really easy to clamp a gel on the barn doors

[@rickymcc9072]

I like the concept of gelling more powerful daylight heads (circa 5500k) but a Seconic c800 (undoubtedly excellent) is quite an investment to be able to accurately determine gel(s) required. Are there any recommendations for alternative colour meters that might afford good enough accuracy, with reliability and robustness, whilst offering a decent saving vs. Seconic's c800? I'm an amateur newbie to this, yet to buy my first light(s), who up until now had thought that the flexibility (and convenience) of a powerful bi colour head(s) was the way to go. I realise that quality costs, wasn't looking to unrealistically 'cheap out' but I'm trying to understand what kit offers the best trade off in terms of performance, power, longevity, flexibility for any given budget? I'm in the UK where a Seconic c800 costs circa £1500, or as much as a decent Apurture head. I may well end up eventually spending circa £4-5k on lighting, so I'm open to suggestions. Any thoughts welcomed? I'm in the 'investigation and research' phase currently. I want to buy wise rather than buying twice - I'm not looking to buy in a hurry or make snap decisions (but as an indulgent amateur I can't really justify more than £5k on lighting alone).

[@JustinPhillip]

Yeah well the good news is if you use the same gels i did you will be fairly close with any unit thats 5500-5800K 🤙🏼 It’s pretty universal across the board. And nowadays almost all good pro-sumer LEDs are pretty accurate in the daylight setting

[@richardweddle3408]

Justin Phillips -- what's a good matte box? the type that attaches to the lens so you don't need rods? with side doors?

[@JustinPhillip]

Pick your poison: bhpho.to/3SKwMaj

[@Dwayne_M]

great vid and super useful !! Big up !! Lmao ..that took me back !!

[@JustinPhillip]

😆

[@arunr4103]

Does the Sekonic LiteMaster Pro L-478D-U Light Meter also has the function to give us what gel exactly we need to use to get bi colour from a daylight source? It's much affordable tho

[@JustinPhillip]

No that is a light meter. Much different from a color meter. But the color meter can also give you luminance levels, just not stop calculations

[@arunr4103]

@@JustinPhillip Then I think some App is the only way to work for me !

[@Ranger7Studios]

The creamsource doppio is no longer in production. :(

[@JustinPhillip]

Nope, its a legacy.

[@katflorida8349]

Absolutely new to filmmaking and would like to ask advice to a professional like you! I recently bought an old Sony fs7. But only the body as im on really low budget. I would like to shoot a drama feature film around 45 minutes long. What lense should i get to give me the best film look? My budget is around 300 bucks i was thinking of Rokinon 35mm cine lens or Sigma 1.8. Which would you recommend and also silly question but what exact numbers (iso...etc) do i need to put the lenses in as i see they have lot's of little small numbers.... Also do i need to focus things my self? And lastly what would be the exact camera settings? Thank you

[@JustinPhillip]

I would suggest catching up on some basic camera settings (24fps, 180 degree shutter), but also just test test test with your camera. Only way to know a camera is to do plenty of testing. Ive got quite a few videos on basic handy tests, just check out the backlog. As far as the lens, the ones you mention are a tad generic IMO. I would seek out a vintage lens like a 28mm Leica or something like that. I believe that camera was a crop sensor so if i only had one lens for a S35 sensor, i would want a 28mm. But thats just me, i dont know what you’re preferred focal lenght is, you have to test and figure that out for you.

[@johngormley1920]

You’re right.

[@JustinPhillip]

😆

[@davidsuperville7541]

you, sir, have just gained another subscriber :)

[@JustinPhillip]

Awesome! Thank you🙏🏼

[@Ranger7Studios]

Funny, I was just thinking of selling my 300Ds, but just decided to keep them for the power. #getoutofmyhead :)

[@JustinPhillip]

😆

[@Row4our]

How did a 3/4 cts gel transform the 5600k temp to 2700k

[@JustinPhillip]

The meter calculates for each individual light. I’ve shown on another video where that particular light pushes green. So that’s probably why it’s coming up with 3/4 CTS for 2700K.

[@dpixvid]

Any advice how to gel a soft box? I like CTS too...

[@JustinPhillip]

Softbox shouldnt affect gel. The gel needs to be as close to the source as possible. If you’re using a mono light, what ive done is clipped a small gel to the back on the tiny internal diffusion. (Most softboxes come with a small piece of white cloth that snaps inside the dome, clip a gel to the back of that so the light hits it first

[@dpixvid]

@@JustinPhillip Excellent! Yeah my soft boxes and domes have internal diffusion. Never thought of backside of this panel! Many thanks! Back in the day we were always using CTB on our incandescents , so I jumped on daylight(5600)...but regularly want to warm up... thanks for your straight up no bias tips and advice 👍

[@philpritchard5173]

Nice.

[@chilee5513]

I think the reason most people choose BI instead of Daylight is that they don't need that powerful intensity in their daily use.

[@JustinPhillip]

Up until they do 😆

[@onlinetraderucom]

And these are really common problems. What do you think about halogen? Yes, it requires a spinneret to reduce the brightness, it is hot. But the effect it gives is simply incredible. And it is extremely cheap, at least in our post-Soviet space. And if you use the lighting schemes of Roger Deakins, it amazes the imagination, giving an incredible plastic picture flooding the frame. For example, a circuit with a large hemisphere made of reflective film into which halogen light hits.

[@JustinPhillip]

I've seen excellent results, but idk if that option is ideal for low budget filmmakers, in terms of transport and quick building.

[@andrewlutes2048]

Just use hot lights. An Arri 650 is 40% less than the price of an Aputure 300d and will probably last longer.

[@JustinPhillip]

😳

[@TonyFuego]

💪💪💪💪💪

[@jimkappel]

A.fucking.men.

[@brettalexander.studio]

Is there a brighter less expensive option than the GVM 650b tho??

[@JustinPhillip]

🤷🏼‍♂️

[@Isaiah_Saldivar23]

Dude I was in this exact predicament, whether to get the 720D or B, just bought the 720b even though the 720D was on special 🥲🥲 would have saved almost $600 if I stumbled across your video last week

[@Isaiah_Saldivar23]

Jokes, you just posted this 6 hours ago 😂😂