“This is where the classic phrase ‘you can make a hard source soft, but you can’t make a soft source hard’ comes in” says Joe. “I was really excited about this scene because I knew just how much punch the lights would give me so I could really go to town with my layers of diffusion”.
To create a large pyramid-style softbox, the crew transformed one of the hard box setups, increasing it from a 12 x 12 box to a 20 x 20, using the same 22 fixtures. Adding a full grid cloth just under the lamps, a half grid cloth was added 8ft below that and another full grid created a third layer of diffusion. An 8ft Bolt-on skirt completed the softbox. “The quality of light was just sensational on all skin types” says Joe. “For a piece focused so heavily on the performer and different skin types, and shooting on a Sony Venice, we needed the color accuracy of the Gemini lights to be on point.
In the softbox and the tunnels of light scenes, banks of 2×1 Hard fixtures are seen in shot, providing spectacular lighting effects to accompany the performers. “I thought it’d be a great way to include the fixture in the commercial without it being in your face!” says Joe. “But on a practical level the lights in shot provided a great back light for the performers, they allowed us to play with different effects and chases to mimic some of the performer’s routines. And allowed us to play with color”.
The vertical banks of lights were rigged onto ladder truss and wired to a DMX control desk for control of the lighting effects. “The beauty of the 2×1 Hard is the built-in ballast that makes it so compact and so versatile to rig.” Says Joe. “The actual rigging of the fixtures in all our form factors and structures was simple enough. To be able to use a single barrel clamp and not exceed weight limits on the chain hoists or truss or anything just made things incredibly simple for us”.
Run forest run
The final setup was the ‘Forest of Steel’ – a corridor of steel girders at the side of the sound stage.
“This was the third and final of our setups.” says Joe. “Every time we moved on to the next setup, I remember thinking ‘this is my favorite set up yet’ but this one really was a beauty.”
Gemini 2×1 Hard fixtures with softboxes were spaced out along the corridor to form pockets of light that individually illuminate the dancer as she moves through the space.
“It reminded me of the night-time motorbike chase scene in the heist film when we rigged the 1×1’s at the height of lampposts.” Says Joe. “That gave us the perfect amount of level at 100%, and the 2×1’s through their softboxes did the same in this set up. Beautifully soft but still direct, giving us the pockets of light we were after. I could have watched our dancer perform this routine all day. The piece and the setup worked perfectly in unison.”
Flyweight Champion
This last scene would also highlight the versatility and lightweight of the Gemini 2×1 Hard by attempting something that has never been done before with a panel of this size: flying the light around the performer on a drone. “The idea was to show the light continuing to move after the dance has finished.” Says Joe. “As the dancer stopped, all the top lights were turned off and the single drone light creates a lovely moment where you see long shadows dancing around her.”
“By flying the 2×1 Hard on a drone, we were showing not only the lightweight nature of the fixture but also the ability to use the powerful light anywhere – even in the sky – on battery power.”
That’s a wrap
The final commercial can be seen here and a behind-the-scenes video here. With Joe and his crew meeting the Litepanels challenge two for two, the ball is back with Litepanels to throw down the gauntlet for the next game-changing light fixture.
