Seven Tools Needed by “Indie” Filmmakers- Gaffers Edition

“Lights, camera, action!” is about as cliché as you can get, but there is a reason they say “lights” first. Video and films always look better if you light them well. This doesn’t mean the scene has to be awash in light, which is why as a gaffer you need to have the best set of tools. As an Indie filmmaker in other words a beginner in the filmmaking business, it is not impossible to feel behind the game sometimes, or priced out of the high-end market.

But the best tools don’t have to be expensive. Sometimes all you need is a good plug to rent these tools from. So if you are ready for an upgrade and or just looking for affordable and reliable tools for rental then Click here or check out goldeneffectspictures on Instagram.

12k HMI Light: The Hydrargyrum medium-arc iodide (HMI) lights are used for large-screen slide projection because of their daylight-balanced light output, as well as their efficiency. Mr. Afolayan, our CEO regards it as one of his favorite because of its widespread coverage.

Diffuser: The diffuser is a large piece of translucent material that you place between the light and the subject to spread the light and make it softer. The size of the diffuser depends on your subject.  The picture above is a 12 by 12 Diffuser Butterfly.

Kino Flo Light: The Kino Flo light offers a portable lighting fixture for video and film location work. It provides cool, energy-efficient lighting that is soft and precise, which makes them suitable for a broad range of cinematic styles. 

Sky Panel: This is a compact, ultra-bright, and high-quality LED soft light. This particular light is designed to focus on the form, color, beam field, and output of videos and pictures. It is one of the most flexible soft lights on the market, as well as one of the brightest.

Space Light: A space light is used often to create a base daylight ambiance or an overall soft base exposure. If you want to mimic the perfect kind of daylight you see in movies produced by KAP Motion Pictures then this is your go to guy😉.

C Stand: The C-stand is one of the most valuable tools in a gaffer’s collection. It is incredibly useful and versatile. You can never have too many on set! It is normally used to hold and place fabrics, it also works to hold rolls of diffusion, backdrops, and a variety of light modifiers. 

Sandbag: Last but not least is the sandbag *drum roll*. The one place where sand benefits video production is its presence in the sandbags. It is used to weigh down C-stands upon which the gaffer sets up Kino flows, Chimeras, and other sorts of lighting. The number one rule adopted by our CEO while dealing with equipment is Safety First which is extremely important. With the sandbag, you can be assured that whatever tool you have mounted on your C Stand is safe.

Feel free to tell us in the comment section below what some of your must-have tools are 😊. Ire o!