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Gemini & SOLA add versatility to TV4’s ‘After Five’ live talk show

Gemini 2×1 Soft LED panels and Sola Fresnel LEDs are being used at Sweden’s TV4 for “After Five” (Efter Fem), a new two-hour evening show focused on daily happenings in Sweden and around the world.

Supplied by Mediateknik and installed by independent lighting designer Martin Grafström, Litepanels’ Gemini panels and Sola 4+ and Sola 6+ Fresnels provide the exceptional light quality and versatility needed to accommodate numerous setups for three in-studio commentator positions with minimal adjustment.

Litepanels’ Gemini and Sola offer incredible flexibility in controlling and focusing light, and their construction and compatibility with DMX control contribute to quick setup and easy adjustment in the live production environment.

Anders JohanssonFounder & CEO at Mediateknik

“They are a great fit for a live weekday show like ‘After Five,’ and in the hands of a pro like Martin, they can very nicely cover 360 degrees of the studio floor and multiple sets,” said Anders Johansson, founder and CEO at Mediateknik.

“I knew the Sola lights would be a good choice because I have worked with them in other studios. The Gemini was new to me, and I’ve been very pleased with it. Both are well-built lights with excellent light quality,” said Grafström. “For this show I used the Geminis as key light and the Solas as fill — which may be the opposite of traditional TV lighting, but I think it works very well. The Geminis add a nice soft key light, and the Solas add that extra touch to shape faces.”

Grafström combined 19 Gemini panels and 19 Sola 6+ lights, all pole-operated, with nine Sola 4+ lights to cover the 15- by 9-meter studio. He created more than 15 different setups across three main positions using a fixed rig that eliminates the need for the show’s vision engineer to continuously move and adjust lights. To accommodate the small size of the studio, Grafström made the soft light tight — taking advantage of the Gemini’s 40-degree grid — so he could separate it from the background.

15 different setups were created across three main positions
15 different setups were created across three main positions

Litepanels’ Gemini gives users a daylight-to-tungsten light foundation and then enables them to finely adjust color throughout the full 360-degree color wheel. As a result, users can match a broad range of ambient lighting conditions quickly and simply. Producing full-spectrum, directional illumination, Litepanels’ Sola 4+ and Sola 6+ offer the controllability and light-shaping properties inherent in Fresnel lights, but at a small fraction of the power draw of conventional Fresnel lighting. The Sola range of LEDs provides cool daylight illumination with the unique ability to control both focus and intensity via standard DMX 512 protocol and without the heat generation of a traditional Fresnel.

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