Litepanels

Litepanels® Lights Slick Videos for YouTube Channel

To produce “Video Game High School”, the latest feature length web series to air on Freddie Wong and Brandon Laatsch’s YouTube channel, the team needed solid, mobile and efficient lighting. “That’s exactly what Litepanels® LED lights gives us for our latest feature as well as our weekly YouTube videos,” says Wong.

Wong, Laatsch and show runner/writer Matthew Arnold discovered Litepanels, a Vitec Group brand last year when they took a 1×1 on a 10,000-mile road trip project, making videos with their fans. “We’re tech geeks at heart,” Wong admits. “So I had been following the development of LED lighting closely for some time. When it came time to equip ourselves, Litepanels LED lights were at the top of our list. We are now using an array of Bi-Color and daylight 1×1s, a Sola 6 Fresnel, MicroPro on-camera light, as well as the new Hilio on our projects.”

Wong and team were drawn to Litepanels lights because their shooting schedule and style requires them to move extremely fast in order to make their days. “The 1×1s and Sola 6 Fresnel were ideal for allowing us to light in the cramped spaces of classrooms and hallways, as well as to move as quickly as we needed to,” Wong explains. “In many cases, despite having other lights on the set, our DP Jon Salmon elected to go with Litepanels boomed out on C-stands because they gave a significantly faster speed of deployment. Often the last step before we shot was to grab a Litepanels fixture for a bit of fill or an eyelight.”

On the last day of their recent shoot, the trio was out in the desert and ran out of sunlight. Not a problem, “We simply took a battery operated MicroPro, bounced it into a bounce board and used that as a keylight. That combined with the low light sensitivity of the Sony F3, allowed us to get the last few shots we needed.”

After this experience, Wong and team are sold on Litepanels lights. “It’s clear that the weight and output of these lights make them ideal soft sources, especially when combined with cameras that are now becoming more sensitive in low light situations,” Wong says. “You don’t need to blast your actors anymore and make everyone on set sweat – you can move quickly and efficiently while keeping the on-camera talent happy.”

As with their other projects, “Video Game High School” will run on the company’s YouTube channel as well as their upcoming portal site http://rocketjump.com. Wong’s freddiew and freddiew2 have 2.6 million subscribers and have over half a billion video views to date.

For more information on Litepanels LED lighting, contact Litepanels, Inc., 16152 Saticoy Street, Van Nuys, CA 91406, Email: info@litepanels.com www.litepanels.com

Litepanels Ships Hilio high intensity LED Lighting Fixtures

Litepanels®, a Vitec Group brand, announces that the Hilio high intensity LED lighting fixtures are now shipping. Daylight color balanced Hilio is a small-footprint LED fixture capable of emitting illumination over a 20’ to 25’ (6.1 – 7.6 M) distance without requiring a ballast.

Early users of the Hilio compare the new Litepanels fixture favorably to the venerable HMI fixtures used by the television and motion picture industry, but without the HMI disadvantages such as heat generation, power hunger, short bulb life and required down time before restrike. The new high output Hilio draws just 115W (while providing comparable illumination to a 575W HMI) and offers a bulb life of 50,000 hours while operating from 100-240VAC 50/60 Hz, or 24VDC battery.

“As with Litepanels other innovative products, the high output, ballast-free Hilio is sure to make the market take notice”, states Chris Marchitelli, Litepanels VP of Global Marketing. “We now have LED lighting fixtures that can balance exposure against the intensity of natural sunlight in both exterior and interior backlit situations. Lighting directors, gaffers and photographers are no longer constrained by the cumbersome requirements of traditional HMI fixtures.”

Like all Litepanels LED fixtures, Hilio is dimmable from 100% to zero with no noticeable color shift and is controllable by either an on-fixture knob or via a DMX dimming panel. Hilio’s 15° beam angle outputs an even wash of soft light to provide a natural filling of shadows in even the harshest sunlight.

The slim, 14” W x 10” H x 4” D (356mm W x 254mm H x 102mm D) Hilio is equipped with a standard yoke for easy mounting and positioning on light stands or in a grid. It features an integrated rear gimbal plate for accessories and power supply attachment as well as a front gel slot.

For more information on Litepanels LED lighting, contact Litepanels, Inc. 16152 Saticoy Street, Van Nuys, CA 91406, Email: info@litepanels.com www.litepanels.com

DP Johnnie Behiri Chooses 1×1 for Ballet Documentary

When DP Johnnie Behiri isn’t working as a freelance cameraman for the BBC, he films documentaries, music videos and video content for broadcasters and other respected customers. He also works as a consultant on the development of new products for leading companies in the broadcasting industry. For his new documentary project entitled Just Ballet, Behiri also worked as a co-producer together with one of Austria’s leading production houses, the Viennese based SEVEN film and post production company. As part of this project the 1×1 LED lights from Litepanels, a Vitec Group brand, were used by Behiri as a versatile source of lighting for demanding shots.

In total, Behiri spent a year working on the two 56-minute parts of the documentary about a unique ballet class from the Vienna State Opera Ballet School. Behiri filmed eight dancers between the ages of 14 and 15 years old during rehearsals, performances and interviews. He even accompanied some of the young dancers to Romania and Japan. “To get the most authentic footage possible, I wanted to be as close to the ballet students, their teachers and families as possible,” says Behiri. “When it came to equipment, I kept my set-up to a minimum so I would always have mobility and flexibility and not be in the dancers’ way.”

Professional Equipment for aesthetic shots
A Canon EOS 7D on a Sachtler DV8 SB tripod system and the Litepanels 1×1 fixture made up the basic equipment, which was only supplemented by some accessories. The choice of lighting was especially important to Behiri as most of the filming took place in ballet studios with plain white walls. “This was indeed a challenge because it would have disturbed the girls’ routine and their behavior would not have appeared authentic if the ballet studios had been completely lit,” says Behiri. “The combination of modern HD-DSLR film equipment and the versatile 1×1 enabled me to create the shots without exaggeration and to portray the protagonists in a very personal way.”

One light – many uses
“The 1×1 is versatile. I used it when shooting interviews, to film the girls while dancing or to emphasize room details,” says Behiri. “The light was often used as a direct light. However, it was also used with the filters included in the kit to adjust the color temperature or to spread the light. Independent of what the lighting conditions were like in the room and how much natural light came in from outside, I used the 1×1 as a key light, fill light or background light.” Throughout, the quality of light consistently met Behiri’s high demands. “The new possibilities created by filming in HD-quality have influenced the audience and the demands on the pictures are extremely high. Litepanels has moved with these developments and is consistently improving the lighting technology. Litepanels lights provide bright, flicker-free lighting without the annoying side effects of traditional lights,” emphasizes Behiri. “Hot lighting, which makes the interview subject sweat, is just no longer an issue.”

User-friendly and robust
Behiri also appreciates the characteristics of robustness and durability: “The 1×1 has traveled with me around the world for more than four years, and I always know the LEDs will work.” The option of switching the lights to battery operation if required is priceless in the eyes of the experienced camera operator. “I have frequently used this feature during difficult filming conditions and in doing so profited from an all-round dependable lighting source,” remembers Behiri. The slim form also makes it easy to transport the light.

“With this unique project, Litepanels has directly influenced my way of working,” explains Behiri. “A project begins long before one presses the record button. With the 1×1 fixture, I don’t have to think about whether the equipment will weigh my luggage down too much or whether the light will survive the trip. I also know I can quickly assemble it on the set. And the most important thing is that it contributes to great footage – giving me exactly the look I want.”

For more information on Litepanels LED lighting, contact Litepanels, Inc. 16152 Saticoy Street, Van Nuys, CA 91406, Email: info@litepanels.com
www.litepanels.com

MTV3 lights up Finnish mornings with Sola 6 and 1×1

Van Nuys, December 2011 – Private broadcaster MTV3 News reaches approximately 80 per cent of the Finnish population with its channels. For people under the age of 55, it is the preferred news channel in Finland. As part of a move over to HD content, the broadcaster decided to convert their studio lighting to LED technology. “We tested a number of other manufacturers’ products and eventually decided in favour of Litepanels (a Vitec Group brand),” explains Visual Director Johannes Kantelinen. MTV3 chose the Sola 6 Fresnel LED lights and three models of the 1×1 LED production light: Mono Flood, Bi-Focus and Low-Profile Flood. Johannes Kantelinen had high expectations for the new lighting system and the final result was even better than expected.
A major part of this project was the modernization of the 100 m2 studio used for the beloved morning show “Huomenta Suomi” (“Good Morning Finland”) in Hel-sinki. First broadcast in 1989, this show is now the oldest morning show in northern Europe and the team broadcasts live every day for four hours. Host Lauri Karhuvaara is absolutely delighted with the new studio lights: “I’ve been doing this job for 15 years. Now, every day is like Christmas for me! After three hours of broadcasting live, it used to get really warm in the studio. Doing interviews is now much more comfortable. Even the Finnish Prime Minister noticed the difference. Low heat generation and the soft light are the most important advantages for me.”

Perfect combination of Fresnel and LED technology: the Sola 6
Altogether, 24 Sola 6 LED Fresnel lights with 15.24 cm (6 inches) Fresnel lenses now provide HD-friendly lighting in the morning show studio and the 36 m2 news studio. Johannes Kantelinen reports: “The new lighting is brilliant and flattering for our news anchors. Even the studio furnishings now appear fresher on the screen.” The proprietary Litepanels LEDs produce a bright and soft 5600°K daylight, the hallmark of Litepanels‘ products. In addition, the Sola 6 consumes only about a sixth of the energy of a conventional 650 watt tungsten spot. The light also focuses from 70 to 10 degrees and so provides the control and the single shadow characteristics that are such key elements of Fresnel lights. Like all Litepanels fixtures, the Sola 6 can be dimmed from 100 percent to 0 without producing a visible change in colour temperature. Both focusing and brightness can also be controlled via DMX, making them an ideal choice for a studio environment.

A model for every situation: the 1×1
The classic Litepanels 1×1 fixture is available in a vareity of different models to suit every requirement. Lighting director Tero Rantanen chose 30 1×1 Standard Flood lights, 20 1×1 Bi-Focus lights and 15 1×1 Low-Profile lights, all producing 5600°K daylight. “The camera loves the colour temperature,” he says. In addition, the economic and ecological benefits have been critical. “Our energy consumption has been significantly reduced. Overall, I am more than satisfied.” Johannes Kantelinen adds: “A further advantage for us is that the new lighting is compatible with the infrared-technology of our screens. With the daylight, the monitors stay nice and bright. Our 85- and 67-inch touchscreens for the weather report and other graphics as well as the 57-inch LCD monitor for our live broadcasts in the news studio look great during broadcasting!”

For more information on Litepanels HD-friendly LED lighting systems in Europe, the Middle East or Africa, contact The Vitec Group, William Vinten Building, Western Way, Bury St. Edmunds, UK. Phone: +44 (0)1284 776945, Email: emea@vitecgroup.com
More information, visit: www.litepanels.com

Indie Film Odd Brodsky’s First Line of Defense is Litepanels

For their indie feature “Odd Brodsky” cinematographer Matthew Irving and director/producer Cindy Baer chose to use LED lighting from Litepanels, a Vitec Group brand.

Irving has been the cinematographer on two dozen feature films, including Fox Searchlight’s hit romantic comedy “Waitress” and Lionsgate’s teen comedy “Waiting”, but when he and Baer conceived the story for the ultra low-budget “Odd Brodsky”, they were concerned about the limited resources. “Despite some major sacrifices in the lighting department, I made sure my favorite Litepanels fixtures would be on hand,” says Irving, who has been an avid user of these LED lights since 2007. “We had to have a MiniPlus kit (Daylight Flood) and a 1×1 Bi-Color Flood fixture. As it turns out, they literally saved the day!”

“Odd Brodsky” is a quirky comedy about a lovable loser named Audrey Brodsky who quits her steady day job to pursue a lifelong dream of becoming an actress. There is just one problem: she’s not good at it. What she lacks in talent, she makes up for in heart. Baer and Irving created a film-style akin to Wes Anderson’s “Rushmore” or the Coen brothers’ “Raising Arizona” to capture the unusual moments of Audrey’s life.

“One day I found myself in an office location where we had two lead actors and multiple featured performers for a party scene, without our grip/electric truck or our usual lighting package,” Irving recalls. “Luckily, I had my Litepanels! Armed only with the 1×1 Bi-Color fixture and the two MiniPlus ‘bricks’, we carried on without missing a beat. We made our day and the footage looks fantastic!

“The versatility of the Litepanels fixtures cannot be over-stated,” says Irving. “They have nuance and subtlety when I need them to sparkle in an actor’s eyes, and yet the very same fixtures can put out enough punch to light an entire scene. To me, they’ve become as essential as a C-stand.”

“Odd Brodsky” is now in post production and is expected to hit the film festival circuit by the end of 2012. For more information on Litepanels LED lighting, contact Litepanels, Inc., 16152 Saticoy Street, Van Nuys, CA 91406, Email: info@litepanels.com www.litepanels.com

Ali Ahmadi Joins Litepanels Team

Litepanels, a Vitec Group brand, announces that Ali Ahmadi has joined the company as Senior Product Manager. In addition to heading the Product Management department, he will use his expertise to stay ahead of market demands and envision the next generation of product development.

After studying lighting design at the California Institute of Arts and marketing at the BAW in Munich, Germany, Ahmadi worked for Sachtler’s Studio Lighting Division. He quickly advanced to the company’s New York operation where he became Product and Marketing Manager for Sachtler, Vinten, Vinten Radamec, OConnor and Petrol Bags in the Americas.

In 2009, Ahmadi was promoted to Brand Manager for OConnor. During his tenure, the company released a host of new products including a series of popular fluid heads, and the award-winning OConnor Camera Accessories range.

According to Chris Marchitelli, VP of Global Marketing for Litepanels, “Everyone at Litepanels is excited to have Ali join our growing team of world class industry professionals. His experience and knowledge of the lighting marketplace will undoubtedly result in products that will allow Litepanels’ LED technology to penetrate new markets and further our commitment to be an innovation leader.”

Ahmadi will work out of Southern California office. For more information on Litepanels LED lighting, contact Litepanels, Inc., 16152 Saticoy Street, Van Nuys, CA 91406, Email: info@litepanels.com www.litepanels.com

Eldred Lights Auto interiors with Litepanels Sola ENG LED Fresnel

To light the auto interiors and related interviews for content about a new KIA hybrid vehicle, Emmy-winning DP and DGA-nominated director and cameraman Jody Eldred tried out the Sola ENG LED Fresnel light from Litepanels, a Vitec Group brand. The client, Source Interlink Media, is the largest provider of media content to enthusiast communities interested in automotive, action sports, marine and other niche activities.

“Having worked on SIM’s beautiful stage already, I had a good idea of the tools required to shoot in the cramped interior of any vehicle and make it look beautiful” he explains. “Soft lights that don’t generate heat are important, because it’s pretty much me, my camera, sticks and the lights inside the vehicle. In those tight spaces, small instruments are a necessity as is light control in terms of intensity, color and spill.

“With a wide array of Litepanels fixtures already in my toolkit, I knew the new Sola ENG would be pretty handy for this shoot.

“The Sola ENG was designed as an on-camera, 5600-degree Kelvin small light for ENG applications and its functionality far exceeded that” he adds. “The form factor is that of a tiny Fresnel; only 4″ x 4″ x 5″ (10cm x 10cm x 12cm) and like all Litepanels it is LED, so there is practically no heat, and very little power needs (30 Watts). I also love that it is dimmable (with no color temperature change) and has spot/flood capabilities. It also has a 10 to 70 degree beam angle and 100%-0 dimmer. All these features make for an incredible amount of control. All you have to do is choose how much punch you want by turning the two dials on the back, and you’re off to the races.

“The Sola ENG comes with barndoors, 1/2 and full CTO gels plus a frost diffuser” he explains. “It is a great tool. I hid it on the floorboard, dimmed it down just right to give a little glow in what would otherwise have been a black hole. I then turned it around to bounce it into a small white card to give a little illumination on the dark steering wheel and dash area. I had no worries of setting it on the seat or on carpet; no way it would burn or harm anything with its cool LEDs! Perfect.

“When it came time for the interviews, we mounted it on a stand with the included stand adapter and I used it as a beautiful, controllable hair light on my talent.

“I love tools that are multi-functional, quick and easy to use, easy to control and reliable. I like lights that are cool, have a lot of punch when I need it and can provide a beautiful glow at the twist of a dial. The new Sola ENG fires on all those cylinders. It is a very well thought-out system and I love it. Welcome to my toolkit!”

For more information on Litepanels LED lighting, contact Litepanels, Inc., 16152 Saticoy Street, Van Nuys, CA 91406, Email: info@litepanels.com www.litepanels.com

Litepanels Hilio™ High Output LED Lighting Fixtures Illuminate Red Carpet for KTLA

Litepanels, a Vitec Group brand, introduced the new Hilio™ High Output LED daylight lighting fixtures just in time to give a new look to KTLA’s red carpet coverage for the prime time television awards at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles.

The KTLA crew faced a low afternoon sun coming from almost directly opposite the camera position. Without additional light, exposing for faces of actors and interviewers would have resulted in a background that bloomed. The KTLA camera crew put one Hilio close to the camera itself, and one on each side. The lights were approximately 12’ away from the talent’s on-camera position, a range at which the full output of a Hilio provides about 200 fc of light with a beam angle of 15°.

The crew anticipated they would need to add diffusion to the Hilios, but found the light on the talent looked great without it. There was no heat thrown off by the Hilios, and because they draw just 125W maximum, the three fixtures could be powered via a standard low amperage wall socket. Weighing in at just 13 lbs (5.9 kg), the Hilios were easily hung in position.

All Litepanels LED lighting fixtures can be dimmed from 100% to 0 with no noticeable shift in color temperature. Because of this dimming versatility, if the sun had started to go down or was blocked by clouds, the lights could have been quickly adjusted to provide the perfect illumination. But skies were clear so the KTLA crew used the Hilios at full output throughout the telecast.

For more information on Litepanels LED lighting, contact Litepanels, Inc., 16152 Saticoy Street, Van Nuys, CA 91406, Email: info@litepanels.com, visit www.litepanels.com

Litepanels Shine for Music Videos

Van Nuys, November 2011 – With a RED One on an artemis EFP HD SE camera stabilizer system from Sachtler, a Vitec Group brand, German DOP and camera operator Markus Kambeck filmed two music videos with German artist Cris Cosmo. The MiniPlus LED camera light from Litepanels, also a Vitec Group brand, provided the right lighting conditions.
For the filming of “Alle in einem Boot” (“All in the same boat”), a big party was staged where a band is vigorously firing up the guests with their song and everybody is celebrating together. Markus Kambeck and his film team were right in the middle of the action. “The film location was so incredibly narrow that choreogra-phy had to be developed and rehearsed for the scene, which had to be shot without a cut. This was the only way we were able to use the narrow space available to us,” explains Markus Kambeck.
Space-saving and lightweight
“The robust MiniPlus camera light from Litepanels was almost made for this project,” says Kambeck. “We were able to fix the light underneath the camera on the stabilizer system. In doing so, we saved ourselves the time-consuming installation of lighting structures, which take up a lot of space. The very bright and flicker-free light of the MiniPlus optimally illuminated the faces of the band members in the darkened rooms of the house party. “That’s how we got the exact atmosphere we had planned for this video,” emphasizes Markus Kambeck. Furthermore, the MiniPlus can be dimmed from 100 % to 0. Throughout, the battery-operated LED light is extremely energy-efficient and generates hardly any warmth. Enhanced with a battery adapter for standard camcorder batteries, it ensures up to eight hours of operation.
Versatile usage
“Since we worked together so well and the making of the first music video was an overall success, Cris Cosmo contracted us to do a second music video,” reports Kambeck. The song about Facebook is a call to permanently networked people to leave the virtual world behind the screen to meet “real people” in the real world. During the filming of the song’s video clip, the MiniPlus was also used. “An important stylistic device in this video is the screen’s shine effect, in which light is projected from the computer screen onto the face. “To increase the blue shimmer, we used the MiniPlus with its different filters,” explains Kambeck. The camera team “hid” the light between the screen and face and filmed so that it could not be seen in the clip. “With its strong lighting power and compact design, the MiniPlus optimally supported us in producing music videos and commercials,” says Markus Kambeck when summing up the multi-faceted video shoots.
For more information on Litepanels HD-friendly LED lighting systems in Europe, the Middle East or Africa, contact The Vitec Group, William Vinten Building, Western Way, Bury St. Edmunds, UK. Phone: +44 (0)1284 776945, Email: emea@vitecgroup.com, www.litepanels.com.
More information, visit: www.litepanels.com

Dorsett Chooses Litepanels for Harry Chapin Tribute

Litepanels, a Vitec Group brand, announces that Creative Director/DP Rhonda Dorsett of The Phoenix Group chose Litepanels fixtures to light interviews and footage surrounding a concert celebrating the works of Harry Chapin. Shot in Huntington, New York, the project marked the 30th anniversary of the singer/songwriter’s death.
“Our company does a lot of work in our community, and the Harry Chapin Foundation is one of our favorite projects. My partner shot stills at the concert and I did the interviews,” says Dorsett. “One of the most important was of Harry Chapin’s mother and his daughter, at Mrs. Chapin’s brownstone in New York.
“In order to do this shoot, we had to have a very compact gear bag and lighting system, because New York apartments are not known for their tremendous size and old brownstones don’t usually have great power sources. It was a small, dark place and not easily lit. And there wasn’t room to set up traditional tripods and lighting. We wanted to do a two-camera shoot, for easy editing. I brought our equipment in with the Petrol Cambio bag; three camera bodies, five lenses, batteries, chargers, filters, and our lighting workhorse – Litepanels MicroPros.
“I love Litepanels,” she adds. “My product and video shoots require continuous lighting that could be on for hours and hot lights are rightly named – they get hot. Litepanels are extremely useful in still and video shoots. The fact that they create no heat was a plus in the cramped quarters of the apartment. They didn’t overheat our two women. And, because I am able to dim them, I could give the Chapins a soft light without interfering with our shoot. These weren’t professional models and I knew I needed light that would not distract from what the subjects wanted to say.
“Litepanels are lightweight and small, so they could fit into the tight spaces of the apartment. And, because they are battery powered, we could move them around easily,” Dorsett continues. “When you are working with a client on set, time and ease of workflow is of the essence. And, at the end of a long day of shooting, when everyone just wants to go home, it’s easy to put the Litepanels into a tote or our new Cambio bag without worrying about the cool down time required with hot lights.”
The Harry Chapin Tribute, shot for the Harry Chapin Foundation, is now in post production and will be seen on the foundation website and other venues later this year.
For more information on Litepanels LED lighting, contact Litepanels, Inc., 16152 Saticoy Street, Van Nuys, CA 91406, Email: info@litepanels.com www.litepanels.com
For more press information or photos contact: susan@lewiscommunications.net

About Litepanels
Litepanels’ pioneering, energy efficient LED (light emitting diode) lighting fixtures are popular and valued tools throughout the television, motion picture, and audio-visual industries, thanks to their low power draw, heat-free usage, and soft, directional illumination. Litepanels are renowned for their HD-friendly key and fill lighting, and innovative features such as full range dimming with only minimal effect on color temperature. The ever-growing range of Litepanels products includes: compact MicroPro and MiniPlus on-camera lights, slimline, flat-profile 1×1 fixtures in standard, Bi-Color, or Bi-Focus, Super-Spot, and Low-Profile versions, and LED Ringlites. Litepanels installations are an essential component of the White House and Pentagon Briefing Rooms, the CNN Election Van, KTLA News Helicopter, and television news crews and motion picture studios worldwide. In addition to dozens of industry awards, the company has recently been honored with a Prime Time Engineering Emmy by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Litepanels is a Vitec Group brand.

Center stage at IBC: Three New Litepanels

Broadcasting’s most innovative production lights took center stage at IBC 2011. Litepanels solid reputation and three new product introductions kept the stand busy throughout the show.

Building on the success of the Sola 6, and Sola ENG, Litepanels is expanding the Sola line with the new SOLA 4. Featuring a 4-inch (10cm) Fresnel lens, this daylight balanced 5600°K fixture uses a small fraction of the power consumed by conventional lights. Sola 4 requires just 30W of power, yet provides the luminance output of a 300W conventional tungsten or 150W HMI Fresnel. Weighing 22 oz (.62kg), it can be powered from AC (120-240V) or DC (via XLR). The fixture has no external ballast, so there’s no re-strike down time before being re-illuminated. We expect product shipments to start late 2011.

Another show hit was the new HILIO High Output light. The new fixture answers the need for an LED soft light capable of throwing illumination over a 20 to 25 foot (6 to 7.5 meter) distance. Hilio provides 5600°K color balance light, utilizing a 6 x 12 array of 72 daylight LEDs that are focused to a 15° beam angle, with little spill to adjacent areas. The penetrating and highly directional 5600°K light generated by Hilio makes it an ideal replacement for HMIs. It draws a paltry 125W, yet provides the luminance output of a 1000W conventional tungsten or 650W HMI. Plus, Hilio does not require restrike downtime before being re-illuminated. We are proud that the editors of TVB Europe and the IBC Daily gave Hilio TVB Europe’s Best of IBC2011 Editors’ Award.

Litepanels also introduced the CROMA, a versatile on-camera light for run-and-gun news shooters, event videographers, and still photographers who move rapidly from one light environment to the next. The sleek new Croma is like a small 1×1 Bi-Color, offering Litepanels’ hallmark HD-friendly soft light, with variable color temperature output from daylight (5600°K) to tungsten (3200°K). Weighing barely12 ounces, the Croma draws just 9W, and provides the equivalent luminance output of 40W – 90W traditional fixtures. The fixture, can power from either AA batteries or an included AC adapter. US audiences got a sneak peek of the Croma at DV Expo in Pasadena on September 21-22, where it received Digital Video’s Black Diamond Award

Litepanels installation in Monroe, LA station KNOE

When KNOE TV, the CBS affiliate in the Monroe, LA installed a new set, the station decided to look at upgrading its lighting.

“At that time I knew LED lighting was out there,” said Jerry Harkins, KNOE Chief Engineer. “But I didn’t know how advanced and reliable it would be.

But when lighting designer and integrator Steve Mulkey of Redwood Media Group brought in Litepanels LED fixtures for a demonstration, Harkins and his crew saw the light, so to speak. “I was totally amazed at what level of light one little panel could throw out,” said Harkins. “They’re very adjustable and able to do exactly the lighting job we needed done.”

KNOE was replacing an aging fleet of fluorescent fixtures. “They just flooded an area with light, which I guess was what we needed back in the earlier days,“ said Harkins. But Mulkey employed a combination of Litepanels Spot (30° beam angle) and SuperSpot (15° beam angle) 1×1 fixtures, which allowed him to control and direct light where he needed it. “I used SuperSpots for keys and backlights where the talent didn’t move much, and the Spots where I needed to cover a wider area.”

The Litepanels were originally installed at KNOE while the station still had standard definition cameras in the studio. This past spring, the station took delivery of new Sony high definition cameras, and Mulkey made a return trip to Monroe to tune-up the lighting.

“We weren’t running the Litepanels fixtures at full output even with the SD cameras,” said Harkins. “With the increased sensitivity of the Sony HD cameras, we were able to reduce the light level even more.” Litepanels fixtures’ ability to be dimmed from 100% to zero, with no noticeable shift in color temperature, made this an easy job. That’s a capability the station’s previous fluorescent fixtures did not have. Plus, with Litepanels 50,000 hour LED life, the station won’t have to worry about lamp changes for ten years!

Harkins said he’s glad KNOE opted for fixtures with DMX control that allow each light to be remotely dimmed. “It makes tweaking the light a lot easier, and once we’ve set all the lights with a computer, we downloaded those settings to a Fleenor Preset 10 button box. Each different lighting cue for the news has its own button, so no one has to adjust the lights to change them for various segments of the news.”

Litepanels Offers New Key Player to Pro and College Football Broadcasters

The Litepanels Sola 6™ LED Fresnel lighting fixture has taken a key position in broadcast and cable network announcer booths for professional and college football games this year.

The Sola 6 Fresnel fixture made its football debut at last year’s Super Bowl XLV, where some of the first production models of the new light were incorporated into the Litepanels’ lighting scheme for the network announcer booth. The longer throw of these new Fresnel fixtures allowed the Sola 6 to be used as key lights, and they were also placed further from the talent for wider camera shots.

As the 2011 season opened, the Sola 6 Fresnel fixtures were lighting college and professional football announcer booths. The new Fresnels are being placed alongside Litepanels 1×1 fixtures, which are used for fill and backlights. “Although both types of Litepanels’ fixtures draw just 10% of the energy of traditional lights, the Sola Fresnels are more directional and provide more light output,” said Joe Wire of Bexel, which provides lighting and other professional equipment for many of the college and professional game broadcasts. (Bexel is a unit of the Vitec Group’s Services Division, and a leading worldwide provider of broadcast services and solutions.)

The Sola 6 Fresnels are daylight (5600°K) color balanced lights and so match ambient light coming into the booth from the stadium. In addition to their low power draw, the LED Fresnel’s share many of the same advantages as other fixtures in the Litepanels family. They can be dimmed from 100% to zero with no noticeable shift in color, have a 50,000-hour LED life (eliminating on-air failure concerns), and generate virtually no heat, providing welcome relief to the announcers.

Bexel’s Joe Wire pointed out that broadcast sports producers have been quick to warm to the low power requirements of Litepanels’ LED fixtures. “They’ll run their six or seven Litepanels 1×1s and four Solas back to a 15A power strip and they can turn it on and off there.” There is never any need to run extra power to the booth for lighting, and because Litepanels LEDs require no restrike time when being powered up, they can be turned off when the talent go off-camera and instantly re-lit if a turn of the telecast requires an on-camera announcer shot again.

Litepanels Croma™ Debuts at IBC 2011

Litepanels®, A Vitec Group brand, announces the premier of the Croma™ LED light at September’s IBC equipment exhibition in Amsterdam. Ideal for use on-camera or off, the new sleekly designed fixture provides Litepanels’ hallmark HD-friendly soft light with variable color temperature output from daylight (5600°K) to tungsten (3200°K).

Croma is a versatile solution for run-and-gun news shooters, event videographers, or still photographers who move rapidly from one light environment to the next without time to change lighting equipment. Plus, this self-contained light can be a secret weapon on any set or location wherever extra kick or nice fill is needed.

Croma provides infinite control of both color temperature and lighting intensity via two ergonomic on-fixture dials. One offers the ability to dim from 100% to zero with no noticeable color shift. The second lets the user dial-in the fill light to any point between daylight (5600°K) and tungsten (3200°K) to precisely match the ambient light.

The Croma draws just 9W, and provides the equivalent luminance output of 40W – 90W traditional fixtures. To power the fixture, the user has the choice of AA batteries, optional AC adapter or a DV Adapter Plate designed to mount Sony, Canon, Panasonic DV battery packs. Six 1.5V AA batteries install within the Croma to provide power from 1.5 to 6 hours, depending on battery type.

The compact Croma weighs just 12 oz. (.4 kg) and measures 6” x 4” x 2” (54mm H x 36mm W x 102mm D).
To facilitate positioning when mounted on the camera, the Croma comes complete with a metal ball head shoe mount featuring a 1/4 x 20 thread. Also supplied with the light is a carrying case and diffusion gel filter kit. An optional baseplate is available for off camera use.

For more information on Croma or other Litepanels LED lighting, contact Litepanels, Inc., 16152 Saticoy Street, Van Nuys, CA 91406, Email: info@litepanels.com, www.litepanels.com

For more press information or photos contact: susan@lewiscommunications.net

Litepanels Wins Best New Technology in Lighting Award at 2011 BIRTV Exhibition in Beijing

Litepanels, a Vitec Group brand, has joined a pantheon of leaders in the design and manufacture of film and television equipment by receiving the prestigious 2011 BIRTV Award. The Sola 6™ LED Fresnel lighting fixture was cited for Best New Technology in Lighting.

The Beijing International Radio Film & Television Equipment Exhibition (BIRTV Exhibition) is the most prestigious industry event for the radio, film and TV industries in China. Judges for the BIRTV awards recognized Litepanels’ breakthrough technological developments in LED (light emitting diode) engineering that provide the point-source of light technology necessary for powering a Fresnel lighting fixture.

This patented LED design is crucial to the Sola 6 lighting fixture, which employs a 6” Fresnel lens that provides the crisp single shadow focusing of the classic Fresnel fixture design. At the same time, it offers all the energy efficient, low heat generation and color temperature stability advantages of Litepanels LED lighting equipment.

The Sola 6 fixture produces a beam width focusable from 10° to 70°, is dimmable from 100% to zero with no noticeable shift in color temperature and draws just 75W of power while providing the luminance output equivalent of a 650W tungsten or 400W HMI Fresnel. The heat-free nature of the Sola 6 helps to cut down on air-conditioning requirements, and since it does not require the heat dissipation or protection necessary for conventional Fresnels, the Sola 6 weighs only 1/3 as much as HMI and tungsten predecessors.

The Sola 6 Fresnel fixture provides local manual focus and dimming controls on the light’s housing, as well as DMX control from remote dimmer panels. It has a universal AC input and can be used on consumer power sources worldwide.

Other Litepanels Fresnels in the Sola family include the Sola ENG™, a 3” Fresnel lensed, AC/DC light fixture, designed for on-camera and portable light use; and the soon to be released Sola 4™.

For more information on Litepanels HD-friendly LED lighting systems, contact Litepanels, Inc., 16152 Saticoy Street, Van Nuys, CA 91406, Phone: 818/752-7009, Fax: 818/752-2437, Email: info@litepanels.com, www.litepanels.com

For more press information or photos contact: susan@lewiscommunications.net

Williams Chooses Litepanels for Scala Music Video

Award-winning commercial/music video cinematographer Mark Williams’ recent music video, “Everlong” is poised to launch female choir, Scala to the top of the charts. Scala’s unique cover of Radiohead’s “Creep”, used for the trailer for “The Social Network” earned the group accolades.

“We had several challenges to face, shooting the Mark Woollen directed ‘Everlong’,” he explains. “The story takes place in a single hotel room, following five couples at different places in their relationships. Each of these contrasts the other. It is really a piece of visual poetry. Ultimately, the entire room and our couples are consumed by nature.”

To shoot this visual diary, Williams decided to capture the entire video from a remote head on a jib arm, using Phantom Flex cameras. With primary lighting from tungsten pars bounced into unbleached muslin over the set, he found that he needed a consistent fill light source. His only choice were his trusty MiniPlus LED fixtures from Litepanels, a Vitec Group brand. “When you shoot at high speed you need to use a flicker free source. Even tungsten lights flicker during a normal power cycle,” he explains.

“The Litepanels don’t flicker. And, being DC powered, they are ideal for high-speed work, as DC power provides consist output during a power cycle. I mounted two MiniPlus fixtures on the camera with the bracket Clairmont made for me and attached this with an Israeli arm. This way I could get the lights near the lens to act as very subtle fill for our actors. At times, I would use the Litepanels onboard gel pack and diffusion for a little more subtle adjustment when needed. This allowed me more flexibility in getting the lights to match my bigger tungsten sources. I love the quality of light that I get from Litepanels. A subtle dial in or out, a bit of diffusion, and the blend is so imperceptible, you don’t notice them. And, when the camera traveled close enough to the actors to create shadow, Litepanels mitigated it, as well as creating a nice soft fill for the actors.”

Williams says he bought his first set of Litepanels four or five years ago. “I use them all the time! I do a lot of car commercials for Mitsubishi, Audi, Infinity, Lexus, Toyota and more as well as major campaigns for everything from Coca Cola to Walmart, Jenny Craig to Puma and Converse. I started using the Litepanels on the car commercials and found them super helpful in interiors. Now I use them everywhere I need to add a small soft source. Being cordless, allows me to place them anywhere with little fuss. They are always within an arm’s reach on set. We just drop them in wherever we need a little light.”

Williams’ video for Scala’s single “Everlong” is in heavy rotation in Europe and was recently released in the U.S.

Click here to see the music video.

For more information on the Sola series of Fresnels and other Litepanels HD-friendly LED lighting systems, contact Litepanels, Inc., 16152 Saticoy Street, Van Nuys, CA 91406, Phone: 818/752-7009, Fax: 818/752-2437, Email: info@litepanels.com, www.litepanels.com

For more press information or photos contact: susan@lewiscommunications.net

Litepanels chosen for CNBC’s new London studios

CNBC, the leading business and financial news channel, recently began broadcasting from completely refurbished studios at its European headquarters in London. The new studio was designed to support one ultimate goal – to deliver the most essential business news to the most influential and affluent audience. Central to the studio is its new 12-meter curved video wall – one of the largest in Europe – which displays new graphics and visual tools which enhances the way the channel articulates and displays the key facts driving a story. As part of the rebuild, the international broadcaster changed the lighting in the studios to LED lights from Litepanels, a Vitec Group brand – and in doing so has reduced energy consumption for studio lighting by an impressive 89 percent.

“We have created a state-of-the-art environment totally geared to enabling our journalists to tell compelling stories about business and the global economy in real-time. As part of the redevelopment, we decided to equip the studio with a new lighting system,” reports Lloyd Stacey, Supervising Studio Director for EMEA.

Market leader with flexible solutions

“For us, it was clear from the very beginning that we would choose a leader in LED studio lighting systems. The quality, flexibility, and, above all, the energy efficiency of Litepanels lights had greatly impressed us when we first saw the products and immediately arranged for an on-site demonstration. The impressive energy savings and flexibility with which Litepanels managed to handle our tight delivery schedule made the decision easy for us,” explains Stacey.

Always the right light

All in all, 88 1×1 LED production lights were installed. “Since the 1×1 panels are almost flat, even the limited space on the studio ceiling, which had been the source of complications in the past, was no problem,” reports Lloyd Stacey. “In addition, the installation of the lights was quick and easy.”

The different 1×1 models provide the right lighting atmosphere in various studio situations. Using 5600°K 1×1 flood panels, for example, a twelve-meter-long, curved video wall can be illuminated with direct, bright daylight-balanced light. This enables perfect lighting for every scene. Cameras can film presenters from any angle. In contrast, the faces of the anchors sitting at the anchor desk are illuminated with flattering soft and warm light using 1×1 Bi-Color floods. Litepanels LED lighting is also suitable for HD. It gives the faces real depth, minimizes impurities, and thus makes the presenters appear even better looking on HD monitors.

For more information on Litepanels LED lighting systems, contact Litepanels, Inc., 16152 Saticoy Street, Van Nuys, CA 91406, Phone: 818/752-7009, Fax: 818/752-2437, Email: info@litepanels.com, www.litepanels.com

For more press information or photos contact: susan@lewiscommunications.net

Chris Marchitelli Joins Litepanels as VP of Global Marketing

Chris Marchitelli has joined Litepanels, a Vitec Group brand, as VP of Global Marketing. Litepanels is known for pioneering high performance LED lighting fixtures for professional broadcast, motion picture production and still photography.

Chris’ 20-year career in the industry includes hands-on experience as an independent videographer and editor, and tenure at Sony Electronics as a senior level executive in the planning and marketing of multiple professional product lines. In his new role with Litepanels, Marchitelli is executing marketing initiatives regarding the creative and energy-saving advantages offered by Litepanels proprietary LED lighting.

According to Rudy Pohlert, President and co-founding partner of Litepanels, “Chris Marchitelli brings the Litepanels brand excellent experience in planning and marketing high profile broadcast technology as well as hands-on experience, to better address the practical benefits for end-users.”

For more information about Litepanels innovative lighting products, please contact Litepanels, Inc., 16152 Saticoy Street, Van Nuys, CA 91406, Phone: 818/752-7009, Fax: 818/752-2437, Email: chris@litepanels.com or visit www.litepanels.com
For more press information or photos contact: susan@lewiscommunications.net

Fargo TV Station Installs Litepanels in their News Studio

The energy-saving features of the LED broadcast and motion picture lighting equipment from Litepanels™, a Vitec Group brand, are well known. But Hoak Media’s Fargo, North Dakota television station KVLY, found that changing their studio lighting to Litepanels not only paid big energy savings dividends, but also brought a host of other benefits.

One of them is dependability every time the lights are turned on. “With our old tungsten lights, every time we turned them on it was an adventure,” said station Operations Manager Jeff Petrik. “It would be five minutes before the newscast, one of our camera operators would turn on studio lighting and we would have bulbs that needed replacing.”

Not only did it mean replacing bulbs at the last minute in this time-is-money world, it also distracted the crew from final preparations for their challenging newscast production. Sometimes Petrik would get a call from the newsroom wondering why an anchor was not sitting in her normal position on the set. The answer was usually that a light blew and they didn’t have time to fix it.

Litepanels LED lighting fixtures can be expected to last well over 10 years in normal operation, the ultimate in dependability. “Since we got Litepanels, we’ve had no problems,” said Petrik, “when you turn the lights on, they’re there.”

Steve Mulkey of Redwood Media Group, the lighting designer/integrator for installation of Litepanels at KVLY, amplified that thought. “It’s hard to put a dollar value on it, but broadcast operations people know what that costs, just in aggravation and distraction. With conventional lights, it’s not just the high maintenance cost of repetitive lamp changes— but the cost could be a heck-of-a-lot more than that if somebody’s distracted and misses one of the other tasks that they should be doing at the station. After all, many times they’re running television news shows with just four people.”

Petrik describes the station’s pre-Litepanels lighting equipment as strictly old school. “Before, we had tungsten lighting with no dimming whatsoever, and, in addition to wasting a lot of energy and generating a lot of heat, we had to position them 2½ to 3 feet closer to our talent than what we have now.” Petrik’s crew previously had no choice but to run the lights at full power, reducing light intensity when necessary by adding scrims and diffusion, which limited where the lights could be placed.

Using Litepanels 1×1 fixtures, which feature an array of LED bulbs on a one foot by one foot (30cm x 30cm) square panel, the fixtures could be positioned further back and higher, out of the way, dimmed to exactly the intensity required for great modeled lighting on the talent. In particular, none of the Spot or SuperSpot Litepanels fixtures used as backlights are run at more than 50 percent intensity.

The ability to set the lighting and rely on it to be prefect day to day has become more important to stations like Petrik’s. “A lot of local stations in smaller markets are losing expertise, so I want a system where we turn the lights on and they make great pictures.”

In addition to the considerable annual budget savings for energy to light the studios and reduced air conditioning needs because their new fixtures generate no heat, Litepanels has provided a complete lighting solution to streamline Fargo’s KVLY studio newscast production.

Litepanels Introduces H2 Hi-Output LED Fixtures Premiered at NAB 2011

Litepanels showed prototypes of H2 Hi-Output LED lights at NAB 2011 They answer the need for an LED fixture capable of throwing illumination over a 20 to 25 foot (6.1 – 7.6 M) distance, providing HD-friendly light with all the advantages of Litepanels proprietary LED fixtures.
The new H2 Hi-Output is 5600°K color balanced, utilizing an array of 72 one-Watt daylight LEDs that are focused to a 10° angle. H2 fixtures integrate perfectly into sets or locations utilizing other Litepanels fixtures, providing wide-spectrum daylight (5600°K) color balance illumination.
Like all Litepanels LED fixtures, the H2 fixtures provide their incredible light output while remaining energy efficient. The 100W H2 fixtures provide light equivalent to a 1000W legacy lighting fixture, utilizing just 10% of the energy. And because H2 lights generate no noticeable heat, the need for power-hungry air conditioning is reduced.
The new H2 fixtures provide the same dimming capabilities as other Litepanels fixtures as well as dimming from 100% to zero with no noticeable color change. Dimming is provided via a knob located on the fixture itself, or from a DMX dimmer board.
H2 fixtures have an integrated yoke and gimbal system for easy hanging in the grid or positioning on a light stand.

Litepanels Wins TV Technology STAR Award at 2011 NAB

Litepanels, pioneering developer of proprietary LED lighting and a Vitec Group brand, received the coveted STAR (Superior Technology Achievement Award) from TV Technology magazine for the Litepanels H2 Hi-Output LED light. The new fixture answers the need for a high-output LED fixture capable of throwing illumination over a 20 to 25 foot (6.1 – 7.6 M) distance, providing HD-friendly light with all the advantages of Litepanels proprietary LED fixtures.
“Our teams searched the NAB show floor for products that were truly deserving of recognition,” says NewBay Media Broadcast & Video Group Vice President & Group Publisher Eric Trabb. (NewBay is TV Technology’s owner.) “Recognition with an award at NAB from the Broadcast & Video Group is a strong vote of confidence and admiration from this leading industry publication.”
The new H2 Hi-Output is 5800°K color balanced, utilizing an array of 72 one-Watt daylight LEDs that are focused to a 10° angle. H2 fixtures integrate perfectly into sets or locations utilizing other Litepanels fixtures, providing wide-spectrum daylight (5800°K) color balance illumination.
Like all Litepanels LED fixtures, the H2 fixtures provide their incredible light output while remaining energy efficient. The 100W H2 fixtures provide light equivalent to a 1000W legacy lighting fixture, utilizing just 10% of the energy. And because H2 lights generate very little heat, the need for power-hungry air conditioning is reduced.
The new H2 fixtures provide the same dimming capabilities as other Litepanels fixtures as well as dimming from 100% to zero with no noticeable color change. Dimming is provided via a knob located on the fixture itself, or from a DMX dimmer board.
H2 fixtures have an integrated yoke and gimbal system for easy hanging in the grid or positioning on a light stand.