Chris Grubisa first discovered his love of filmmaking as a third-grader with a passion for skateboarding. Today, he is President and Executive Creative Director of Chrilleks Productions, a media house he founded in 2011 with partner Aleks Lason. Based in Toronto and Los Angeles, Chrilleks creates films for high-profile brands, personalities, and clients like Canadian Tire, Red Bull, Under Armour, Shopify, and Gymshark.
Chris prides himself on creating content that defies categorization. He’s always tweaking his work to be immersive and intriguing, whether it’s a Chrilleks engagement or something he’s cooking up on his other creative outlet, @brbcreatingsomething (Be Right Back, Creating Something). All this hard work has paid off – Chris was recently named one of “Canada’s Top 30 Entrepreneurs/Innovators/Leaders Under the age of 30” by Marketing Magazine and has earned Telly Awards for his editing and cinematography.
Chrilleks was a natural fit for Litepanels’ all-new Gemini 1x1 Soft LED Panel.
Litepanels approached me to try the new Gemini 1x1 Soft, I have used theirs and other Vitec Group brand’s equipment throughout my career Chris explains. “The Gemini 1x1 Soft is a great fit for my work. Right away, I could see what a great tool it is – a plug-and-play RGBWW LED panel with an incredible array of features for a 1x1 light. Small form factor and it fitted within our kit immediately.”
Chris and his team worked up a commercial spot to demonstrate the full capabilities of the Gemini 1x1 Soft.
“We shot the project with fast paced camera movements, floating from scene to scene. This provided momentum. Which shadows a ‘day in the life’ feel, the Gemini 1x1 Soft is used in many situations and environments throughout our shoot days in a ‘go-go-go’ atmosphere,” he says. “We shot outdoors, in studio, on location, to show how versatile the light is for every scenario – all you need is a fixture, a stand and power.”
Chris was very impressed with the quality of the Gemini 1x1’Soft’s RGBWW light in both daylight and studio settings.
One scene of the film shows a surfer walking away from the ocean and backlit by the sun.
We were able to use two Gemini 1x1 Soft lights on hand-held booms to light the surfer with just a bit of golden light. That gave us a little rim of gold that helped us add a warmer effect when we boosted the color correction in post-production,” Chris explains. “And for the interior shots, we were able to punch up exactly the daylight temperature we needed using the programmed hot keys on the back of the fixture. Efficient.”
Another scene, depicting a model squeezing lemons to make lemonade, is a perfect demonstration of the Gemini 1x1 Soft’s ability to create outstanding, flicker-free light at any frame rate. “We shot the scene of the lemon being squeezed in slo-mo at 120 fps, with three Gemini 1x1 Soft's focused on it and there was zero flicker. That’s actually one of the things we love the most about these lights,” Chris says. “Since we represent several athletic brands, we shoot a lot of high-action, high-energy content at high frame rates. There are a lot of 1x1 lights on the market, but none offer quite the high-speed capabilities of Gemini.”
He adds that the ability to dial-up precise colors on the Gemini was another big plus for the film; for example, the team was able to apply a yellow color that punched up the yellow of the lemons. It’s much easier to dial in the proper color, rather than having to throw on gels, find clips with proper diffusion, etc.” Chris notes. “The spectrum of colors available on the Gemini 1x1 Soft is really quite phenomenal.”
As Chris discovered, the Gemini 1x1 Soft powered by Anton/Bauer’s new Titon battery makes a highly versatile and portable combination for any type of shoot.
“The Gemini 1x1 Soft performs seamlessly running on the Titon’s battery power, which makes it really versatile on the go,” says Chris. “You can take it anywhere. Even in studio we chose battery power when we could, keeping the studio clean and safe with fewer cables to trip over on set. You need to move a light? One unit with no strings attached."
He adds, “We move fairly quick in our content world. As soon as we get onsite, we explain the floor and lighting plan to our crew members, dial-in the proper settings and we’re ready to capture. We typically use the Gemini 1x1’s on light and grip stands, but what’s also great about the Gemini 1x1’s is that they can sit / stand on their own, right on the ground with ease.”
Gemini 1x1 Soft is a great solution for production companies, large and small, as well as independent filmmakers and creators.
Chris comments, “The Gemini 1x1 Soft has already been traveling in our kits, airplanes, trucks, vans. It’s so rugged that I never have to worry about babying it onsite, they hold their own. The ergonomics are great. The lights are easy to stack through travel and transport.”
He adds, “The little details have been accounted for in the Gemini 1x1 Soft, you can tell. Those small details make the difference. Every tool in our kits has to be 100% trustworthy, our name depends on it. Having the plug and play user capabilities within this fixture allows us to focus on serving our clients first.
From color modes to gel modes, special effects compacted into a small form factor, the Gemini 1x1 Soft holds its own.
