GEAR | L IGHT I NG
LEDs reign supreme, but there are still some new trends to look out for in 2021 LIGHTING FUTURES
WORDS ASH CONNAUGHTON / P I CTURES VAR I OUS
ED lighting has come a long way since Aputure kickstarted the revolution back in 2016 with its Light Storm COB 120D LED. Since then, we’ve seen more power, better
colour quality and finer controls. These are features that still remain a big deal, but 2020 hasn’t been anything if not turbulent and there are some overriding themes that have made manufacturers sit up. Lighting controls, such as apps, are getting better and making socially distanced sets more achievable – and, as the impending climate catastrophe weighs heavy on people’s minds, we’re seeing innovative green generators and an investment in LEDs from manufacturers who typically only had tungsten and HMI fixtures. Other trends we’ve identified from key manufacturers include effects, RGB and practical fixtures, but you’ll have to read on to find out more.
ARRI
In recent years, Arri has been focused on bringing out high-quality, high-output, reliable LED sources for use on big productions. First came the legendary Skypanel, followed by the L-Series, with Arri releasing its 400W open- face, high-power RGBWW source, the Orbiter, towards the end of 2019, with changeable optics such as 15°, 30° and 60°, and modifiers like a softbox dome and projection lens. It’s clear to see Arri may have taken some inspiration from the Aputure COB series of lights and applied its decades of expertise in high-end lighting to bring the Orbiter to market. Capable of 20,000 lux at 1m at 5600K, with a new processor that’s four times faster than that of the Skypanel and Arri’s new six-colour light engine, the Arri Spectra, which ensures super-high colour rendition across the entire CCT range. Arri has its own Android and IOS app called Stellar, which offers full control for Arri’s entire LED range from a phone or tablet, giving very advanced DMX-like control of the fixtures with an intuitive ‘Light Plot’ view mode, which is essentially a 2D lighting plan that you can use to place your fixtures and control them, using it as a visual reference for where the lights are in real space. Very handy for keeping track of complex set-ups!
RIGHT Arri’s Orbiter is an ultra-bright LED source with a variety of optics
APUTURE Aputure is the king of the indie sector when it comes to LED lighting, and the 120D MKI was the spark that ignited the revolution of high- powered COB LED units. Aputure has massively expanded its range in the last couple of years, in offering higher power units with better colour rendition such as the 120D and 300D MKII models, but also expanding into RGB with the small but mighty MC panel and absolute powerhouse Skypanel-like Nova P300c, as well as releasing the Sidus Link app to wirelessly control most of its line-up. Aputure has recently released the Accent B7c, which is its game-changing LED RGBWW bulb with an E27 mount and built-in battery, the 7W bulb promises to be “the only bulb you will ever need” in your practical kit, and so far seems to be living up to the hype! With accurate colours from 2000K all the way to 10,000K, built-in effects and 90% coverage of the Rec. 2020 colour space in RGB mode, it’s a very impressive practical source! Aputure has recently launched the Sidus Link Bridge for use with its excellent Sidus Link app, and the Bridge is designed to enable app control for older lights such as the LS 1s and the 120D MKI.
34 DEF I N I T ION | DECEMBER 2020
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