TVTechnology: While high-profile advancements in cameras, image capture and fancy displays have been stealing the show, motion picture lighting has been left sitting backstage. Yet, lighting technology has been undergoing a steady transformation that may change broadcast and motion picture production more than anything.
6 comments:
It is good that the lighting world is catching up with everyone else in improving their technology. Conventional lighting is still very necessary in the lighting world, but it is not the only option now. LED lights are a lot more efficient cost wise over time. They are a lot cooler in temperature, which will reduce air conditioning use and it will also prevent fires and other objects melting if they are too close to the light. LED lights can change into any color you want so there is no need to buy different colored gels and worry if you do not have the color you want in stock. Many people are skeptical of LED lights at first because they seem expensive and artificial looking. With practice in using the lights, they can be adjusted to the proper color and temperature for the desired setting. The more people that use LED lights and figure out how to make them work towards their benefit, the more popular they will become in the lighting world.
We discussed many of these issues during the lighting mini, we discussed how these lights are more beneficial to the theatre environment not only for the long term but also for cost and energy efficiency. Like i just said in a past article, although LED technology is a great resource and tool, it should not replace what we have, it should enhance it. I think it would be better if the lighting world could incorporate both light mediums because i've heard many designers say that with LEDs, the lights loose something or are missing something. its enough that a lighting designer will use as few LEDs as possible. Not to mention that if lighting switches to LEDs there will be a cost in order to get them. Like the issue of writing today, typing is good and has many benefits, but often in regards to how we humans interact with it many of us like handwriting in its own way. I think we should only gain knowledge and tools, never forget them or throw them away.
I think it’s great that the lighting world is making big upgrades in their systems. While conventional lights are still good, LEDs have the added benefit of being a lot cooler in temperature so you don’t have to worry about them overheating as much as conventional. They also can change colors without needing a gel and can be more than one color in a show, reducing the amount of lights you need to hang. While the color pickers on the LED’s are maybe not as inclusive as a gel lineup, they are constantly improving and I can see them getting exponentially better in the next ten years. I think the lighting designers that don’t use LED’s have not had enough experience with them, though that could just be because I don’t do lighting design. In the end, I think LED’s are a really good step because of their color adjustability and their lower energy needs.
I find it really interesting how lighting in film has remained largely the same way for such a long period of time. It’s not like theatre and concert industry, which jumps at the new technology and is always looking to try to implement the next big thing. Of course, the needs of film haven’t changed nearly as much as the needs of live performance, so this makes sense. We want new technology to do new things, but for film new technology is just going to help do the same things better. I can see how that sort of logic may make people tentative to adopt a new technology (which is already a scary enough notion for some people) if it’s not going to create that much of a change in the final product. That being said, LED technology is at a point where it can hold it’s own when compared to tungsten lighting, and it’s lower running cost and longer life make it both a cheaper and more environmentally friendly option. After reading the article, LEDs seem to be the way the industry is heading, and I think it would be great if in a decade everyone was using them, or something equally environmentally friendly. Unfortunately, I think that this change is going to take a lot of work to implement and there are so many tungsten fixtures already out there that it’s going to take a lot longer for the industry to completely make the switch.
I was not expecting to see an article titled "Lighting Technology Joins the Digital Age" because I typically see lighting as pretty advanced technology. The boards that are used are extremely advanced and the technology seems as though it is very digital. However, after reading the article I completely see what they mean. LEDs are a very new concept and are still being perfected. When I went to the "Layers of Light" talk much earlier in the year we were told by ETC marketers that the technology was getting there but still had some way to go. We are so used to the warm light that typically comes out of a conventional source four and companies are trying to mimic that with LED technology. But that is difficult because you need the perfect mix of color, but it is more than just color that gives the warm glow of a halogen lamp. Also, at 4+ times the cost of a conventional lights, it is not super practical for a lot of small theaters to buy them.
I’m sure I’ve said it in previous comments this year, but LED’s are really promising in shaping the path entertainment lighting is growing in. Yes, they do not carry the same warmth that conventional Tungsten has, and can’t properly replicate that same amber glow, but the use of LED’s are just too beneficial to ignore. They are small, don’t give off nearly as much heat as conventionals, and are more than anything extremely versatile. Like the article says, many believe the tungsten HMI’s will never die out because they can’t properly be replicated, and offer an option that is extremely appealing, but I think LEDs and LEPs will find great use and integration in entertainment lighting, especially as the costs go down. Not having to go on a ladder to change gels for a film shoot is a huge time saver when trying to get in as many takes as possible in a set filming time and I think they’ll be integrated more as the industry shifts with lowering costs and a new emerging wave of younger designers who are more open to such technology. LEPs are even more promising as they can be color matched to the sensitivity of the cameras offering even greater accessibility to the film industry.
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