Once Bitten… was filmed on a small set which posed a number of challenges to be overcome in relation to lighting, the main issue being that once the cast and crew were in place there was no room for light stands and other kit! To overcome this director Pete Tomkies and cinematographer Mat Johns had to come up with a cunning plan to incorporate the lighting into the design of the set. They decided to build in brackets high up on the walls and use an ingenious system of hooks to move and hide the power cables around the set as the shots required.
Mat knew that the ideal lighting set-up would be to have a KinoFlo 4-foot 4 bank light mounted on the wall just below the ceiling at either end of the set. The ability to switch on and off each tube individually would give the flexibility to have 8 different light levels in the room and alter the direction of the main light source as well. KinoFlo lighting also offered the very welcome benefits of low power draw and low heat output. Shooting in July we were already concerned about how warm the set might get without adding the additional heat from tungsten lighting!
The soft light from the KinoFlo was gorgeous to work with and matched the practicals perfectly. When planning the lighting design, the intention had been to use small lights on stands or handheld by camera assistant Sam Ridgway for accents and backlights or kickers. However, in practice the light from the KinoFlo fixtures was all that was needed for the majority of shots which made for a much faster transition between set ups, a welcome bonus when working to a tight schedule!
The set had a window through which two Rotolight Anova Pros and an Arri 300w fresnel all stylised with coloured gels were directed and the lights from all of these fixtures blended beautifully with the KinoFlo’s soft light.
The unique soft light from KinoFlo products is always a joy to work with and this shoot was no exception. They are a light we would always want on set!
The KinoFlo fixtures that we used were supplied by Panalux Manchester.