VMI
Seeing is believing, as they say, and now that we’re all
back to business the chance, VMI’s new in-person workshops which allow visitors
to get hands on with equipment and to talk about it in-person only underlines
the value of what we’ve missed this last couple of years.
article here
Case in point was the tremendous reception we have had to
May’s Lighting Workshop held at West London College’s Studio in Ealing.
The sold-out event was the first in a series that VMI is
hosting to spread awareness of the creative and sustainability advantages of
LED lighting technology and a central part of our award-winning role as an
Ealing Business Pioneer.
Attended by industry professionals at crew and production
executive level, the workshop began with a short introduction to different
lighting technologies, progressing from tungsten lamps to Fresnel and HMI, onto
LED and finishing with the latest LED COB (chip-on-a-board) fixtures.
While the first generation of LEDs only provided a binary
choice of daylight or tungsten, and the second generation enabled switchable
tungsten and daylight options, the latest advance of the technology – using
RGBWW LED – enables lighting crafts to synthesise any colour without having to
use gels.
It’s all very well reading the specs or even seeing a review
on YouTube but when it comes to lighting choice there really is nothing like
seeing it and manipulating it yourself.
That was what attendees could do with visitors encouraged to
compare and contrast the performance of fixtures side by side.
The results were as clear as daylight.
For example, some gels permit less than 1% of light through
so you would traditionally need a fixture capable of generating a commensurate
amount of brightness and power.
But with RGBWW lighting you can create and control the same
colour temps accurately at a fraction of the cost in power and heat from a
fixture a fraction of the size – all with positive environmental impact.
Another example: if you need to simulate the midday sun
through a window you would typically reach for a powerful lamp fitted with
a large Fresnel lens. At our workshop visitors could see for themselves a
demo of an ARRI M18 1.8K HMI side by side with the output of
a Nanlux EVOKE1200 LED fixture.
The LED impressively stood up to the test and yet draws far
less power from a smaller, lighter footprint – and it’s cheaper. There really
is no downside.
“The feedback for our first in-person lighting event was
extraordinary and so positive,” said Barry Bassett, VMI’s managing director.
“Everyone was able to compare the very latest LED technology alongside
conventional illuminations. It sounds strange but after Covid, being able to
see with our own eyes rather than via a screen is just so important.”
The events are run by trainer Graham Reed, a highly
experienced Lighting Director and Camera Operator, who worked at the BBC for 21
years before embarking on a long freelance career. He has delivered
courses on Camera and Lighting Techniques and Production at Ravensbourne
College, Bedfordshire University and Oxford Brooks University, as well as to
several corporates.
Graham is passionate about maintaining standards in the TV
production industry and helped to found the Institute of Training in TV
Production for which he sits as chair.
Bassett adds, “Best of all – they’re free of charge! Having
won the grant as an Ealing Business Pioneer we wanted to follow
through and help the industry to recognise just how far lighting tech has
improved and that making the choice to use it not only cuts production costs it
can help make a positive impact on the environment without compromising the
craft. The best way by far of encouraging people to change attitudes and habits
is to see it in person.”
The initiative has also caught the eye of commissioning
powerhouses like Netflix which has made sustainability goals a strategic
priority.
Events like the VMI workshops will help producers,
broadcasters and streamers in the UK’s film and TV industry to achieve their
goal of using more efficient low carbon production techniques.
The events will be running monthly for the next 18 months.
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