I’ve got a few thoughts from both work in the film industry and on projects involving grow lights. TL;DR I would still recommend film-specific lights over grow lights.
Spectrum
While grow lights are “full spectrum”, they are optimized for plant growth, boosting certain color ranges while neglecting others. While farmers may work with grow lights for extended periods of time, their comfort is not the priority. Film lights are closer, as they are designed to look and feel like natural lighting (more so than even the convenient/cheap lighting that individuals and companies can purchase for daily use. This is demonstrated especially by the notoriously bad quality of commercial fluorescent lights). More importantly though, film lights are optimized for aesthetic control. Plants are there to grow. Farmers are there to do their job. Actors are there to look pretty.
If charts help, this is how a grow light compares to film lights of various types. The Skypanels are industry standard for extremely bright ambient light (and are then shaped and colored with light control)--the science LEDs are designed specifically for control, and allow you to make detailed adjustments to the spectra.
Diffusion
If you are in a group house with multiple lumenators, it’s probably worth purchasing a full diffusion roll. These can be cut to size. https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1774322-REG/lee_filters_216rc1_24_x_25_filter.html There are different qualities and gradations of diffusion (some with fancy names like “opal frost”). If you are living with something every day, I would recommend doing tests to see which of these sparks joy. But B&H and Adorama are good starting places for this.
Surface Area
The larger the surface area the light is going through, the softer it will be, and I would argue, the more pleasant to live with. To me, the obvious “more dakka” solution is to try to create a full wall of light instead of having a small point source. What I’ve done on music videos before. One technique for this is a “book light” where a light is directed toward a bounce board (reflective white surface) and then bounced through curtain of diffusion.
One setup I use frequently that gets maybe 80% there is to set up tube lights (like these, though they may not be powerful enough for this purpose) on a stand behind a sheer white or off-white curtain. A curtain with a light behind it gives a nice natural look, and is already diffused, and the tube form factor will naturally spread out the light more than a panel form factor.
Heat and Power
There’s no way getting around this one with film lights. Film sets are hot. LEDs have made this much better than the old days of tungsten lighting, but MUAs will nearly always go in between takes and wipe sweat off of actors’ faces. Film sets do not optimize for physical comfort (especially when you consider ACs and fans go off during takes). I think there’s a definite gap in the market for extremely high powered lights for indoor use that use the same kind of cooling technology as grow lights.
My Personal Solution
Take this all with a grain of salt. I don’t use lumenators; I live in the Southwest where we get 80% sunny days, and I have large windows that I frequently have to black out because I get eye strain due to glare!
I’ve got a few thoughts from both work in the film industry and on projects involving grow lights. TL;DR I would still recommend film-specific lights over grow lights.
Spectrum
While grow lights are “full spectrum”, they are optimized for plant growth, boosting certain color ranges while neglecting others. While farmers may work with grow lights for extended periods of time, their comfort is not the priority. Film lights are closer, as they are designed to look and feel like natural lighting (more so than even the convenient/cheap lighting that individuals and companies can purchase for daily use. This is demonstrated especially by the notoriously bad quality of commercial fluorescent lights). More importantly though, film lights are optimized for aesthetic control. Plants are there to grow. Farmers are there to do their job. Actors are there to look pretty.
If charts help, this is how a grow light compares to film lights of various types. The Skypanels are industry standard for extremely bright ambient light (and are then shaped and colored with light control)--the science LEDs are designed specifically for control, and allow you to make detailed adjustments to the spectra.
Diffusion
If you are in a group house with multiple lumenators, it’s probably worth purchasing a full diffusion roll. These can be cut to size. https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1774322-REG/lee_filters_216rc1_24_x_25_filter.html There are different qualities and gradations of diffusion (some with fancy names like “opal frost”). If you are living with something every day, I would recommend doing tests to see which of these sparks joy. But B&H and Adorama are good starting places for this.
Surface Area
The larger the surface area the light is going through, the softer it will be, and I would argue, the more pleasant to live with. To me, the obvious “more dakka” solution is to try to create a full wall of light instead of having a small point source. What I’ve done on music videos before. One technique for this is a “book light” where a light is directed toward a bounce board (reflective white surface) and then bounced through curtain of diffusion.
One setup I use frequently that gets maybe 80% there is to set up tube lights (like these, though they may not be powerful enough for this purpose) on a stand behind a sheer white or off-white curtain. A curtain with a light behind it gives a nice natural look, and is already diffused, and the tube form factor will naturally spread out the light more than a panel form factor.
Heat and Power
There’s no way getting around this one with film lights. Film sets are hot. LEDs have made this much better than the old days of tungsten lighting, but MUAs will nearly always go in between takes and wipe sweat off of actors’ faces. Film sets do not optimize for physical comfort (especially when you consider ACs and fans go off during takes). I think there’s a definite gap in the market for extremely high powered lights for indoor use that use the same kind of cooling technology as grow lights.
My Personal Solution
Take this all with a grain of salt. I don’t use lumenators; I live in the Southwest where we get 80% sunny days, and I have large windows that I frequently have to black out because I get eye strain due to glare!