BY: David Wood

In 1982 two German gaffers, Bernhard Grill and Uwe Hagenbach, met on the set of a small feature film. The two hit it off and began a partnership which, thirty years later, is still going strong in the shape of Munich-based lighting company Licht Technik, writes David Wood.

At first Licht Technik was a rental company, supplying kit and lighting knowhow to productions across Europe. But, as Grill underlines, the duo's ambition was always to design and supply their own lighting solutions.

It's a goal which Licht Technik has certainly achieved, establishing itself as a developer of specialist lighting accessories – from motorised yokes, colour changers and dimmer shutters, to its own unique lighting designs, such as the SkyLight and the Bag-O-Light – supplied mostly through a network of rental partners including Panalux in the UK.

As Grill points out, whilst film cameras have developed rapidly over the last decade, particularly in the field of digital cinematography, the pace of change in lighting has been more gradual.

“Lighting itself hasn't changed that much,” he says. “What has changed is the range of kit. “Twenty years ago we had 2.5k HMIs. Then it was 4k, 6k then 12k lights and now in the US 24k daylight Fresnels – lights have certainly got more powerful.”

But, whatever the technology, whether Tungsten, HMI, LED or fluorescents, the basic dynamics of the industry haven't changed much either. The focus for many companies is on developing kit which generates more, better-quality light, creating less heat and using less energy in the process. Licht Technik is no different, but if it has a USP it is its close relationship with film and commercials production.

The rental side of the business supplies and supports hundreds of shoots every year, allowing the company to spot opportunities for new lighting products.  “This puts you in the perfect place to see problems on-set regarding lighting and think-up solutions,” says Hagenbach. To which Grill adds: “To survive against the big lighting companies such as ARRI – you have to develop niche products – the kind of lighting kit which they are not set up to cater for.”

Filling creative niches with innovative lighting kit has become Licht Technik's stock-in-trade, making the company a firm favourite amongst gaffers, directors of photography and lighting designers worldwide.

Hagenbach adds: “Our philosophy is to develop specialist tools to produce nice effects which are quick and easy to set-up and operate on location. This is why a lot of gaffers and DPs like them and use them.”