LIGHTING SPECIAL
We pick the brains of Tim Kang, principal engineer for imaging applications at Aputure, to get his hot takes on burgeoning innovations, common hurdles and what the future holds
Definition: What innovation or burgeoning trend in lighting excites you most right now, and how do you see it transforming workflows or creative possibilities? Tim Kang: The transition from RGB colour to truly full-spectrum matches for lighting has finally arrived with Aputure’s STORM series. This opens the door to straightforward What You See Is What You Get (WYSIWYG) lighting colour workflows that are similar to the traditional methods of adding lighting gels to full-spectrum white light. It also continues to provide the flexibility and dynamic image-based colour controls that RGB-colour lighting promised but previously failed to fully deliver. These technological advances completely connect images and ideas to lighting environments. Def: What are the most significant challenges or pain points you encounter in your field, and how are you/the industry addressing them? TK: Apart from company-specific product challenges, industry-wide agreement still doesn’t exist on the definition of white light, coloured light or the means to effectively control both variations. I experienced a competitor rejecting my recommendation to use the white light colour conventions recognised and specified by the American Society of Cinematographers Motion Imaging Technology Council (ASC MITC), due
to their perceived – but misguided – conflation of these standards with Aputure’s product calibration standards. However, I’ve found that patient education of filmmakers about these standards has started to erode this suspicion and distrust from other manufacturers, since the adoption of these fundamental, brand-agnostic specifications has improved colour workflows and fidelity for the craft of cinematography. Def: With sustainability a growing priority in production, what advancements or practices in lighting tech are contributing to more environmentally friendly filmmaking? TK: Although energy requirements have removed energy-inefficient incandescent lighting from normal practice, they also removed the sustainable practice of only replacing incandescent bulbs within fixtures that last for decades. In contrast, LED fixtures inherently have shorter shelf lives due to more complex computing and electronic controls, so shorter component lifespans often drastically reduce fixture lifespans. To increase the sustainability of these fixtures, having manufacturers design them with easily replaceable and recyclable lighting engines, driver boards and electrical components will drastically reduce waste and increase the lifespan of LED lighting products.
LIGHTING TECH AND SOFTWARE have now evolved TO EMPLOY image- based lighting ”
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