Chicago Cinematographer looking to improve lighting.

<p style=”text-align: left;”>Hello Sir Roger,</p>
First off thank you so much for having such a wonderful podcast and creating this forum for us to ask questions.

I have been making films since I was in high school and have mostly worked with projects where I depended on natural light for a scene. I never used a lighting and part of that was I didn’t know how or what lights to use. I am really making an effort to be intentional with lighting my scenes in my projects and want to build a minimal kit. I am a little bit intimidated with the options and the pricing. I know that it always depends on the project, the tone and theme.

My question for you is, if you had to start fresh with 3 or 4 lights or tools that would give you flexibility to achieve more than one mood, or theme through out a project, what would you recommend and what would I stay away from?

Sincerely,

Andy