TV Academy honours ARRI’s SkyPanel with engineering Emmy

The Television Academy announced the recipients of the 73^rd Engineering Emmy Awards.

ARRI was awarded with the highest TV technology recognition for outstanding achievement in engineering development for its ARRI SkyPanel family of LED softlights. The Engineering Emmys are presented to individuals, companies, or organizations for engineering developments that are either so extensive an improvement on existing methods or so innovative in nature that they materially affect the recording, transmission, or reception of television.

“Engineers, scientists, and technologists are a vital part of our industry and are key to the continuing evolution of television,” said Frank Scherma, chairman and CEO or the Television Academy. “These extraordinary pioneers and groundbreaking companies we are honoring have advanced the medium and elevate storytelling to a worldwide audience.” The ARRI SkyPanel is an efficient and versatile family of ultra-bright LED soft lights with multiple control options. The jury recognized that SkyPanel fixtures have optimized the production lighting workflow and have been widely adopted throughout the television industry.

Markus Zeiler, executive board member of ARRI and General Manager of ARRI Lighting at the time of SkyPanel’s release, commented: “We are very grateful for this very special acknowledgement of the Television Academy. This prestigious award recognizes the hard work of the SkyPanel team of engineers and designers who worked tirelessly on the hardware and software on the SkyPanel family for many years. SkyPanel was a major breakthrough product that helped facilitate the digital revolution in lighting for the film and television industry. Calibrated, tuneable LED lighting significantly changed set lighting, allowing more creative freedom while saving time and energy.”

Ivo Ivanovski, general manager business unit lighting at ARRI, added: “We would like to thank, not only the Television Academy but also our many customers worldwide who have trusted SkyPanel for their productions and studios. We often hear filmmakers and lighting designers call the SkyPanel ‘the work horse of the industry.’ Software features and accessories have helped to maintain the value of investment for our customers. Their feedback has always inspired us to continuously improve over the years and it will continue to drive us in the future.”

John Gresch, SVP sales & marketing at ARRI Inc., said: “When ARRI first introduced the SkyPanel S30 and S60 at NAB in Las Vegas in April 2015, a true success story began. Within just two years, the SkyPanel family was expanded to include the S120 and S360 models. The SkyPanels found the sweet spot between high light output, tuneability, and versatility. We are so pleased that SkyPanel has been able to assist the global film and television industries and we look forward to many more years to come.”

Since its introduction, the ARRI SkyPanel was immediately adopted for television and feature productions worldwide and frequently used in numerous broadcast studios, at live events, fashion shows, and even art exhibitions. Some notable shows illuminated with SkyPanel include recent four-time Emmy winner Ted Lasso (Apple TV+), the Netflix series Dark, The L Word: Generation Q (Showtime), First Ladies (CNN), and Genius: Aretha (National Geographic), along with multi-award-winning feature film Blade Runner 2049 and the last two Star Wars productions, and many more.

The Engineering Emmy will be presented to ARRI at an awards ceremony on October 21, 2021, at the J.W. Marriott Hotel in downtown Los Angeles, California.