INDUSTRY. LIGHTING ROUND TABLE
spectrum with additional colours such as white, cyan and amber, but the control systems differ to the extent that making a unified system is cumbersome and complex. As of this year, manufacturers are starting to build RGBWW-based panels which provide much better colour reproduction. As such, these panels can be used as both video and lighting tools, integrated on the same control network, and all driven from the same game engine instance. In order to ‘sell‘ that an actor is in a real environment, it’s imperative that the foreground and background lighting actually matches, and these new RGBWW panels will help with this tremendously. Helios is the only LED-processing platform that can support a native five- colour pixel, and we’ve put significant R&D into future-proofing our colour pipeline to ensure video-driven lighting is a natural element in our ecosystem. CC: Per-pixel control to create dynamic lighting has been extensively tested in VP studios, with mixed results, but the benefits are major. Using LED panels that have this function is just the natural evolution and simplifies the process greatly. When everything is calibrated to the exact same targets, the starting point in terms of colour accuracy is greatly improved. This is what Brompton is bringing to the table with TrueLight – it’s the first technology capable of achieving fully calibrated LED panels with extra emitters for the most accurate experience when using LED panels for lighting. How do you see lighting design evolving to accommodate new formats such as virtual reality and augmented reality?
independent roles of lighting designer and video designer. By having a single creative director in charge of the vision for the production, they can manage the complexities of picking the right pieces of technology and using that technology to paint the creative vision they have. Virtual and augmented reality are just tools in the toolbox of creatives. Augmented reality allows artists to extend the scenery from the physical space into the virtual space and enhance the storytelling experience along the way. What do you believe is the future of lighting in terms of sustainability and energy efficiency? SJ: LED technology already helps save energy and will replace more and more traditional fixtures. The downside of LEDs is that the fixtures changed from comparatively simple designs to complex electronic devices. If we don’t want to create another pile of electronic waste, lighting manufacturers need make their products last for a long time. So, hardware needs to be sturdy, repairable and update- able. It doesn’t make any sense to create fixtures that are cheap but not future- proof. With the Sumomax, we created a modular design that is very sturdy and functional, and sub-assemblies can be swapped fairly easily in service. For example, if there’s a failing LED, we have a process that allows us to repair the light- engine as opposed to just exchange for a new one. In addition, Sumomax is not only our most technologically advanced light, it’s the first product we’ve made that is 100% net zero. JH: Lighting is certainly becoming more efficient each year with better diodes
“As it stands, lighting and video design are already being combined into a single workflow on some projects” SJ: There will be digital twins of fixtures that can be used to design lighting in virtual and augmented reality. Also, reproductions or captures of natural light such as different day times in different places around the globe will be available for these kinds of applications. JH: As it stands, lighting and video design are already being combined into a single workflow on some projects. Creative directors are often replacing the
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