Tungsten Halogen Bulbs are made so they don't blacken with age and can be used for a very long time. They are also rather small, ranging from 150 to 500 watts, but are available up to 20,000 watts. Halogens are daylight color-balanced lights that make it seem like it is daylight inside when it really isn't, creating a natural look to the scene itself. The quartz glass of these halogen bulbs are damaged by oils on your hands so when replacing the bulbs, wear gloves or use a napkin when handling the fresh bulb.
Halogen Softlites range from 750 to 2000 watts and are best as fill lights for a scene or a large room that needs a lot of daylight as they eliminate most shadows yet still give contour to the scene they are lighting. These double-ended linear filament sources can be redirected to focus on certain areas in the frame, allowing a talented director of photography to light a medium-sized room very quickly and efficiently. The camera then can roam without the need for much relighting throughout the scene.
Halogen Metal Iodide (HMI) Bulbs are very large, expensive and heavy-duty lights that create the sense of daylight over very large areas, to brighten entire rooms or exteriors. They are balanced for daylight and use a standard AC current but have a ballast that controls the lamp. HMIs have a very fast flicker but are timed to the speed of most film and video cameras. They are the ideal way to light many scenes, however, they are incredibly expensive and are probably not the best lights for the beginning Indie filmmaker to use off the bat.