For reasons I won't bore you with, as a one-off next week I will be travelling to a model's house to film her there.

She has a suitable room, but my one concern is lighting. I am travelling by public transport so carrying big lighting kit is not an option and I wondered if anyone had any suggestions as to things I could use to light the room that are relatively small and portable.

Thanks

I second the work lights suggestion, that's what we use. Though newer ones are led and flicker might be an issue - ours are halogens, which reminds me, must stock up on spare bulbs while they are still available.

if there's any chance the room faces daylight and you can shoot along the wall the daylight hits. you won't need much extra for it to look ok.

otherwise I'd recommend getting amazon to deliver some lights to her, then package them up and courier them back to yourself if it's too much to carry

If you need a portable light, the old worklights were fine but they just blasted so much light out and were hot. I do a lot of shooting and if you get a portable cheap light, get an LED. They're flat and portable and aren't hot, and much easier to transport than the old lights. I got a few of the ones linked at the bottom...haven't used them a ton but so far they've been great. More than enough for inside, probably just bounce them off something. I generally use them to light outside night scenes. And they match daylight so if there's windows, you can mix the light together and not work about conflicting white balances.I think it may be more expensive by a few bucks, but they're much better in pretty much every way in my opinion.


https://www.amazon.com/GLORIOUS-LITE-Halogen-Waterproof-Daylight-Floodlight/dp/B072BHD8YY/ref=pd_nav_hcs_rp_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B072BHD8YY&pd_rd_r=8bc29eb7-e9bb-4143-9ecd-1aac8455eebb&pd_rd_w=sAOui&pd_rd_wg=fkHvA&pf_rd_i=nav-high-confidence-slot&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=1f389e35-a4a8-4fe9-bcb3-352102c5df87&pf_rd_r=Z7FZWGN5BNBXMHY2S8F2&pf_rd_s=nav-high-confidence-slot&pf_rd_t=40701&psc=1&refRID=Z7FZWGN5BNBXMHY2S8F2

Do NOT use work lights unless you can work around the harsh light with your cameras. I made the mistake of using these early on in SlapstickStuff (circa 2005!!) and hated the results.

I always use fluorescents now. Even light, no extra heat. Add a soft box or hang a filter to diffuse the light and you're all set.... No harshness at all. Also they weigh maybe 10 pounds and are pretty portable. You just set up the stand and attach the light on top.

Film and video cameras back in the day needed a lot of hard lighting and a very particular kind and temperature. Modern cameras' sensors just need a reasonable and even amount. The closest thing to day light really.

I use a set of softbox lights. They're very affordable now - and as Rich says, the light is soft and even. Full spectrum fluorescent tubes are good too (NOT daylight - full spectrum) I used work lights previously but they get hot (which is nice for the model) but at least one bulb always pops during the shoot.

Softboxes are good too. But depending on his situation...if he's taking a bus it may be hard to get them around. But yeah, most cameras anymore, you don't need much. I just shot a low budget feature film and basically used one light for fill generally, since it was all shot during the day inside.

My softbox lights fold up into a relatively small carry case but even with the most spare set up I could get together for shooting on location I'd really struggle on public transport.

Most discount stores carry LED lights, some with multiple LEDs in them. They are inexpensive and work well for shooting video. You could probably carry 3 of them in your pockets.

If there is adequate daylight in the room, you can just spread 2 or 3 large reflectors around, carefully aiming them to light the scene. They twist up into much smaller circle and weigh almost nothing.

http://amzn.eu/d/3I5JWRI

If you get flicker (with LEDs or fluorescents), since you're in the UK, try using manual shutter speed and set it to 1/50 sec (or a multiple thereof).

If you were in the US it would be 1/60.

I just shot an exterior scene on my android phone for a non-wam project as we were losing the light (shooting guerilla-style, so couldn't risk putting up any lights even if I'd had them with me). The only artificial light I had available was the flash led on the phone, but it got the job done. A bit harsh for a wam scene maybe, but just underscoring that cameras don't need as much light as they used to. (PS. the latest version of Premiere Pro supports VFR video, too)

Thanks everyone for your really helpful advice

Bit late to this one... if you do use worklights don't forget you can always bounce them off a white wall or the ceiling to create a softer light.

Obviously if the walls aren't white you will be adding colour to your scene, so watch out for that!

I can't fault the Neewer LED308 video light. Fully adjustable brightness and colour temperature, can be mounted on a camera hotshoe. Powered by DC power supply or regular Sony NP battery pack. I got my lamp new for £39 from Ebay, a couple of batteries and dual charger cost £20. Throws out loads of light and I never need to use it on full power.