Glamor Shots: DIY Ring Light - Filmmaking & Cinematography Tutorial 8

[Disthron]

Ok, I've seen tutorials on movie making talk about lights before and no one seems to ever mention fluorescent bulbs, is there a reason for this? Do they mess with the lens or color balance or something? Is it tradition or are they just new and unproven?

The advantage of fluorescent bulbs are that they produce less heat and use less power but I'm wondering why video producers don't seem to use them.

[TheMykeSkillz]

I'm noticing more and more industry directors watching these tutorials and using them on their shoots... I get excited because I know how they did it...

[mariomatosmeb]

Another great light tip... which is awesome, 'cause a video is as good as it's light work.

[yattrich49w]

I want this video on my XOOM 2 Media Edition phone.

[Arkasai]

I really appreciate the tutorial, the brief warning about electrical hazards was great. As someone who does electrical work I often cringe when tutorials don't stress safety around electricity. 0.065amps is all it takes to stop your heart.

[articlescholar]

Your video is popular on Wellington

[RitzVEVO]

Does anyone have an idea of a song topic that i could use?

[odias67]

Where is this video finalized?

[bruvvamoff]

Hey. Your videos are awesome.

Imagine instead of a ring light around the camera you have a gold reflector with a hole in the middle.

Now imagine 2 softboxes either side of the singer shining at the reflector.

Would that work?

[hanselnissa]

Great tutorial buddy, just learnt something new, cheers!

[broncojonnes]

You can't turn up on set with 50 cent DIY

gear like this and expect to be taken

seriously ...

[ilmutato]

@broncojonnes if you get a 50 cent level gig, you will have enough fundage for better gear

[redspre]

Hi Tom, I'd like to know the name of this music video, to watch it entirely. Can you? Is that here on YouTube?

[grghns]

I just built mine and it worked great for my video. It was outdoors under a cloudy rainy-ish day so the rings in the eyes weren't so pronounced but the color was awesome.

[amentes2]

OMG!!! I LOVE YOU! and i a MAN!



[dreamer77777]

its this ligth just for close ups? or could i use it for medium shots also?btwy i like ur tutorial

[NewAgeDirector]

Great video keep up the good work.

[kmckoy13]

Just paused the video to comment here.....LOVE LOVE LOVE the tutorial...good job man......now time to continue watching :)

[haveafilms]

Thanks Tom! Your Tutorials are amazing, We built our ring light for under $70 and used it for our first Music video we shot for Lily Buonocore. Look forward to learning more cost effective ways to make high production quailty video.

[jathishc7]

Great tutorial thx for sharing

what is the name of the this music video?

thx

[973Ronald]

why the fuck is she so sexy i cant focus on what he is saying gosh <3

[haveafilms]

Thanks for this great tutorial, we had our first test with one we made, it came out amazing!! Will post once video project is done. Cheers!

[mav110]

Hey, I built my ring light in the same size but in you can see the light bulbs in the eyes. It isn't a circle. What can I do, to get the same effect like you?

[polcan99]

@mav110 put more lightbulbs and place them as close to each other as possible.

[robert1973h]

@mav110 dude ur the best man u answer so many questions ...but!!!!!!!!!!!!!!u stutter.... to much and u go around a lot man,,,...sorry dude but get to the point!!!!! i love u man

[LionRoseProductions]

I love ring lights!!!

[kidentbeats]

People that don't know what really goes on behind the scenes in filming or photography have no clue how important lighting is. It makes all the diff in getting beautiful shots.

[HBomb92]

how did you attach the ringlight to the tripod?

[polcan99]

@HBomb92 I used a piece of aluminium tube cuz my old tripod has a screw that sticks out so I put that into the tube... but you can use anything... depends on your tripod. Use a nut and bolt or hardware clamps etc.

[cciemail]

ha,ha. she looks like a pumpkin!!!

[Demetris85]

actually u can see the reflection thru the girl's eyes about the ring.. sweet result!!

[kiashadowwave]

she looks like an oompa loompa

[xcode394]

wow that girl is freaking gorgeous

[dilsan78]

Great video, thanks for sharing. Would you mind sharing the light setup for the wide angle shots with the band?

[dilsan78]

Great video, thanks for sharing. Would you mind sharing the light setup for the wide angle shots with the band?

[Laclaustra]

Gorgeous light, but the girl is to beautiful to pay attention to the setup

[Laclaustra]

Gourgeous ligth, but the girl is to beautiful to pay attention to the setup

[ride5000]

i like everything but the use of romex... aka solid core copper. anything that is subject to flexing must be stranded core wire to prevent metal fatigue and eventual failure.

a couple of strain reliefs on the line connector and the thing would actually be up to code.

[dzknockout]

wow, she is stunning.. lucky guy getting to keep all that footage for himself

and the lighting's great too... yeah... lights

[K7vibe]

this is awesome

[777Normski]

Great videos..........

Just a quick question or 2

How do you attach the "gels" ?

Are they flammable ?

[TomAntosFilms]

@777Normski Thnx! Use metal or wooden clothes clips to attach the gels (or hardware clips) and the gels that are made for lights can withstand high temperatures without melting or burning... don't use just any regular plastic gels as they might start a fire.

[cetre99]

Awesome video!

[MrDZMC]

Really handy, cheers!!

[StavroJames]

Thank you so much..

[EvaBrick8]

I'm learning so much from you - thanks! :)

[Szczur88]

Of course if one of the bulbs goes down, whole thing stops workin'?

[polcan99]

@Szczur88 No... it will still work even if half the blubs are out or not installed.

[Deriviado]

@polcan99 haha blubs

[sayrith]

@Szczur88 Its wired in parallel. 

[916WonderC]

Damn is this woman beautiful..................and your tutorial's great too,just amaszed starin into her eyes like this.Haha.How much do Ring Lights usually cost?I'm having trouble finding a reliable place to purchase these lighting products you've been mentioning through these videos,definitely want to add them to what I've got

[allain14]

sorry I have to watch this twice.... first to admire this lovely lady... second to listen on what you have to say... =]

[ForeverFire]

what about smaller ring lights? the´re are cheap about 37 bucks or so...do you recommend them? will they do the same eye effect? or useless?

[polcan99]

@ForeverFire if they're too small. about the size of the lens or slightly wider then they're usualy built for macro photography. They will work great for that but not for shots of bigger subjects. Also keep in mind that the futher you want to use your ring light the bigger the ring light has to be or the effect is not visable. The size I built in this tutorial is perfect for medium portrait shots filmed from about 6 feet.

[ForeverFire]

@polcan99 Thanks (; ... one more question ...i Live in Perú and i would like to get dinner date DVD...is there a cheap digital copy that i could buy to download? or do you do international shipping?(little afraid of that cuz the last dvd i ordered came here broken)

[MrKylePopovich]

How many watts is this all together?

[polcan99]

@MrKylePopovich the ring light is 480 watts and with the other two back lights its 2480 watts

[MrKylePopovich]

@polcan99 Thanks ! How many lumens do you believe it produces?

[DivadWaldoss]

cool... you can see the ring light in her eyes

gives a cool effect, but might not always be wanted...

[polcan99]

@DivadWaldoss Exactly...its a nice effect but you definately dont want to over use it. Only in some situations it looks good, and mainly on girls. I dont think this kind of look would work on a guy

[BounceToTheJiggy]

Not a single dislike!

You deserve it, Sir!

[ok4240]

HI,

what kind of light do you used on the left of the video at 41 secondes ?

thanks for your answer ;)

[polcan99]

@ok4240 1000 watt red head with a blue gel on it (CTB)

[SquareballTV]

wow. this is just awesome. best tutorial ever. i'll use this for my next music video.

[SquareballTV]

wow. this is just awesome.

[amhatalk]

hi

could you tell us how did you mad a stand for this ?

[polcan99]

@amhatalk Its just old tripod legs that I had lying around, onto which I slide the ringlight on using a metal tube that I bolted to the light. U can use just about anything. Any old stand from a hardware light or a mic stand will work. Then just do what I did or u can even use a hardware clamp to attach the light to the stand.

[amhatalk]

@polcan99

Thanks a lot

keep the good work

[arturtymanski]

simply amazing! you have some very good tutorials!

Thanks!

[jarman67]

I love this, great stuff. My biggest concern though is that you can see the ring light reflection clear as day in her eyes. Any solution to fix this, whether it be building it or placing it in a certain way?

[polcan99]

@jarman67 Hmmm. I don´t think it would be possible - though most people like using ringlights becuase it gives that specific reflection in the eyes. It looks almost as a sparkle that appears in the subject´s eyes.

[TStudiosFilms]

Great job, thanks Tom!

[DonQPhotography]

Hello,

Great tutorial....I built a DIY ringlight for photography but would like to build one for filmwork.

My only concern is how u ran the ground wire through all the lights.

How did u run your ground wire exactly?

Thanks,

Don

[cellg8]

Hi,

May I know what kind of lgihts you used in the background to backlit and on the sides? Thank you.

[polcan99]

@cellg8 2  1000watt redheads with blue gels

[cellg8]

@polcan99

Thank you, sir. Keep up the great work! :)

[REDIMUSICMOVIES]

Dude im lost for words. You are the coolest

[rodrigosales]

this is one of the most beautiful woman I've ever seen in my whole life...seriously.

good job

[mruseta]

Where are you located?

[polcan99]

@mruseta Toronto, Canada. Why?

[JotaLegendOfficial]

She's Pretty..

[launeisaac]

how did u attach to tripod

[fiddlefeller]

This was great! Not gonna build one right now, but boy if I ever do need one. . . .

[bluedemoncmll]

you are god

[Maxcielle]

you are an inspiration to me. Thank you so much for your videos.

[papanikolau182]

Hi, your work is amazing...where can I see the final work of this video ? the whole video ? is it on youtube ? I really would like to see it

thanks

[polcan99]

@papanikolau182 Nope, this video hasnt been released yet by the label. I'll post it on my youtube channel once it is.

[Killerwill36]

What music video is this? I saw your jreyez video and I really liked it I wanted to see the full version of this one.

[polcan99]

@Killerwill36 I'll post a link to the full video once it is released by the record label. As of now the artists is still finishing the album and possibly gearing up to do more music videos.

[Bajanphoenix]

Thank you so much for this tutorial....I will post some footage of my music video...it helped me so much...THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!

[ThePazFilmProduction]

4:28

[SummersHellProduct]

I LOVE the reflections in her eyes

[ComplexElite]

*Subscribes* without hesitation....

[loisdulan]

This is wonderful!!! Do you shoot music videos for other artists?

[polcan99]

@loisdulan YES! :) I shoot lots of music videos, commercials, films, etc.

[William82oct]

@polcan99 Hey thanks bro!!! I always wondered why do people in music videos have that white circle reflection in their eyes.

[drunky1022]

This video is amazing, and she is a very beautiful girl.

[harryjoaquin]

Great tutorial! Are the light bulbs tungsten of daylight? Thanks

[jlucan]

Hi, can you please explain how you would mount this to a tripod?....I have a manfrotto heavy duty, but it looks as though you made some sort of contraption for the base head of your tripod....

[PriTheHoneydark]

Thanks for this video!!! I am in music, but I also have a certificate in basic carpentry, so this works out perfect for me! Now I don't have to try and find one! Just one question though. How did you attach it to the tripod securely?

[mixmasternut]

Wow, she looks amazing!

[rubent100]

And also, did you use any rails with dolly for the shot on your intro?

[polcan99]

@rubent100 Yes... that was a pee-wee dolly

[rubent100]

@polcan99 Excellent! Sorry for the questions, ignore the email i sent you. this answers everything.

[TANDBFILMS313]

@polcan99 can you use the redrock ith the canon 7d

[rubent100]

Hey buddy graeat stuff as always. One question. How far should this ring light be to the subject so that you can see the reflection on the iris? I have a small studio and not sure if it will catch the reflection. Thanks

[polcan99]

@rubent100 The further you are the bigger the ring light should be... in this case the ring light is 2 feet in diameter and I was 4 feet from the subject. I tested it and this ring light worked great from a distance of 3 feet to 7 feet. Any further than that and it just looked like a plain spot light.

[MrWelschvideo]

What lights were used in this video? Other than the main light you described how to create, lol

[polcan99]

@MrWelschvideo Just two other lights I show in the diagram. which were both the same 1000watt Tungsten lights with blue gels on them.

[naveenmalekala]

Really Your tutorials made me more confident, when I am handling the camera...I like your tutorials..... thanks my friend.

[TranCanCook]

awesome vids man keep it up!

[Socman86]

hello sir! where can we watch this muic video looks really nice!

[polcan99]

@Socman86 Gotta wait for the music video until the singer releases the single or the album. Should be soon from what I was told by the label. After that I will also post the whole video on my youtube channel.

[MrWelschvideo]

Amazing my friend, really. Saved most of us probably $900 haha

[Rfocused1]

Tom you are the fuckin man!!!!!!

[bllius69]

Lol, is the singer single?

[Hitori1]

thank you for posting this video

[amulpatel07]

love it!! Please keep em comming! The narration, illustration and pacing is awesome.

Thank You!!

[iguanacruda]

thanks tom for all these tutorials!!

[hazemabdulrab]

are they connected in series or parallel?

[polcan99]

@hazemabdulrab They're connected in a series.

[popper666]

@polcan99 No, I think they would technically be connected in parallel, using correct electrical and electronic terminology. That is, you connect all of the white wires from each light to the next, and the black wires the same way. Connecting AC lights in "series" doesn't really make sense. And I believe is not a good idea. If they were DC, then you could connect them in series, but I would also suggest parallel in that case, as well, otherwise, when one light burns out, they all go dark.

[kimleeparkchoi]

just uploaded my first youtube vid, plz come check it out, comment, and rate! thx

[thefrugalfilmmaker]

Nice job, Tom! I love all of your videos, but you get extra points by going DIY with the ring light. Keep it up!

[hawkteflon]

Very nice! Thank you very much for making this tutorial. I had never heard of a RL before.

[particlelight]

Maybe you mentioned it, but what are you using to attach the light to a stand?

[polcan99]

@particlelight I didnt have time to talk about that, sorry. In my case I had an old tripod (- the head) so I screwd to the ringlight a 12 inch long piece of aluminum tubing 1" thick n hallow inside... then I slide the tube onto a piece of metal that sticks out from the old tripod. You could even use a clamp and attach it to any light stand.

[moekanz]

great tutorial thanks , very helpful

[ewill40]

Thanx for the info. I really appreciate you taking the time to do this.

[asantamaria3]

Thanks again for sharing. Great videos, great tutorials. Keep it up!

[geeqcza]

your vids are great!!!,im thinking of making movies,and such info are not too easy to come into,even books that try to give such info end up deviating and just becomes muddled,so please thanks for doing it,whenever you have time,please make more,thanks once again

ps:if I need some specific info on how some things,say some shots are made,can i place a request for you to elaborate?

[krushalot99]

Thanks so much for sharing with us and for the tutorial!! You're helping me save money by making my own ring light!! awesome!

[AsVideoProductions22]

her eyes at 4:24 look cool

[onjoFilms]

Thanks for sharing that with us Tom, that was cool. I'm getting ready to shoot some models in slo mo like the Acura commercial (on my favorites) and was thinking how to light it. This should work great, just got to get AC somewhere. I'm assuming you used incandescent bulbs because 1)better temperature 2)You can't use a dimmer with fluorescent.

[SecretdwarfRS]

Thanks!

[3bdura7man]

genius and simple... i love when ppl make thing ur self

thx

[cannoir]

the girl is HAWT !

[cratedigger89]

Great video as always, Tom! This was exactly what I was wanting to know!

[ShinraFlight26]

Great info

[hayk7]

thanx