REVIEW GEAR
that somewhere off-screen there was a larger computer room powering the building. The slow colour shift allowed a soft electronic glow to bleed down the corridor, almost as if the building itself were breathing. My gaffer, Ben Bailey, and I found the pixel-mapping controls extremely intuitive. More broadly, Aputure’s menu system is one of its real strengths – clear, logical and quick to navigate. In practice, I’ve never needed to refer to a manual; the interface is self- explanatory, with a screen large enough to make adjustments confidently and quickly under pressure. What truly sets the NOVA II apart is the quality of the light. This is the first panel I have used that employs Aputure’s BLAIR- CG light engine, and it feels like a genuine step forward. The quality of the white light in particular is something I haven’t seen before in an LED panel; clean, rich and natural in a way that sits beautifully within both controlled and mixed lighting environments. Combined with its 1000W output, it delivers an immense amount of usable light while also maintaining a softness and consistency that makes it incredibly versatile. Additionally, the NOVA II proved extremely effective on a nighttime exterior sequence in which one police car slowly approaches another vehicle that has been the site of a shootout. Traditionally, I might create a large soft source by bouncing an HMI or multiple SkyPanels into a 12x12 frame of diffusion or Ultrabounce. On this occasion, I simply used the NOVA II fitted with the Aputure NOVA II Dome Diffuser. It produced a beautifully soft cyan-green wash that
FUSS FREE Tim Cragg and his gaffer Ben Bailey found the Aputure NOVA II’s controls straightforward and intuitive, and so would often adjust effects directly on the fixture instead of via Sidus Link
immediately suggested an urban night environment. With the addition of a few small tungsten sources to create isolated pools of light, the NOVA II was able to generate a convincing moonlit atmosphere without the need for large bounce frames or complex rigging, which saved both time and space on-set. Another moment where the NOVA II proved to be invaluable was on a set recreating a fish and chip shop interior. The real location has a large pane of glass facing the street, but the sequence was filmed on a stage. I wanted the interior to feel as though it was lit by natural daylight entering through that unseen window. Using the NOVA II, again fitted with the Aputure NOVA II Dome Diffuser, I introduced extremely subtle pixel-mapped variations in intensity. These gentle shifts created the effect of clouds passing across the sun, giving the light a natural breathing quality that brought realism to the scene. Across these different environments – electronic interiors, moonlit exteriors and daylight interiors – the NOVA II was a truly versatile fixture. It allowed us to create layered, atmospheric lighting quickly while maintaining a naturalistic visual language. Working alongside collaborators such as Revolver and my gaffer, it became an essential tool in shaping the immersive world of the film.
77
DEFINITIONMAGS
Powered by FlippingBook