In Broadcast - May/June 2011 - 42

WWW.INBROADCAST.COM | MAY/JUNE 2011

Gekko LED’s in Film and Broadcast
by Ian Muir
One of the major developments within the Film and Broadcast industry within recent times has been the increasing use of LED based lighting fixtures. At the forefront of the production of lighting equipment which utilises the technology for image capture has been Gekko Technology, a UK based manufacturer of LED lights. Whilst embracing the new technology for its energy efficient characteristics, of equal importance has been the production of lights which have colour stability, throughout the full range of intensity ensuring Gekko’s products are comparable with other market leading and well established brands of traditional lights. The Ring lights kisslite, lenslite and george were the first LED based offerings from Gekko, which have developed reputations for their robustness, quality of output and versatility as filming tools. With the introduction of HD, their ability to “soften” close up allows for more flattering images in what otherwise can be a relatively harsh medium, is frequently exploited. Utilising colour accurate 1 watt emitters and Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) to avoid colour shift whilst dimmed, the range has the capacity to work with most cameras from the largest film camera/lens combination through to the now popular DSLR. With a voltage sensing ballasts (1240volts), they can also be powered direct from the camera or most any power source generally found on a shoot. Added to the product range in 2009 was karesslite, a panel which produces a high quality of either tungsten (3200k) or daylight (5600k) soft light. Integral to the unit is diffusion which is stepped off the front to ensure the lamp is properly single source. As standard karesslite has colour stable dimming (once again as a consequence of PWM), built in DMX, as well as the capacity to run on any voltage between 12 and 40 volts. V-Lock holsters are also available as an option which enables the unit to run for up to two hours on a pair of industry standard V-Lock batteries. Equally at home either in the studio or on location, the range now encompasses two formats, the 6012 which measures some 600mm by 300mm and the 6006 which is essentially half the size at 300mm x 300mm. The most recent advancement in this

product range is the 6006DD (Double density) which has the same number of LED’s in the 6006 format as are utilised in the 6012. This produces a much more intense source of either daylight or tungsten light. Drawing a maximum of 85watts like all LED fixtures there is no projected heat in the beam, and minimal heat from internal electronics. A range of accessories complement (NO S) all the fixtures including encapsulated gel sets and plastic egg crates, which are much less susceptible to damage than the more commonly used aluminium honeycomb variety. Complimenting karesslite, Gekko have also recently added hard sources to their product range. Named kezia there are two fundamental models, the 50 and the 200 both of which incorporate a multi-chip array LED technology which has the added benefit of being colour tuneable. Drawing 50 Watts and 160 Watts respectively, the fixtures have an approximately comparative output to traditional tungsten sources drawing 250 Watts and 900 Watts, without the accompanying heat output. Much of the research and development necessary to produce the lamps, was devoted to producing accurate colour pre-sets at 2900k, 3200k, 3600k, 4300k, 5600k and 6500k. This included minimising colour shift when dimmed, and stability at a range of ambient temperatures. In combination with karesslite, kezia

is an excellent studio light which has been proved in a number of installations which have used Gekko’s fixtures exclusively. In most instances kezia 50’s and 200’s have been used as key and back lights, whilst karesslites have been utilised for fill. One notable example is Sky TV’s City studio located within the Gherkin building in the City of London. The studio is used predominantly for the Jeff Randall Live show which is broadcast daily. Confronted by a range of technical challenges, (not least of which included the sun setting thorough the studio window behind the presenter at certain points of the year), George Davis who oversaw the project on behalf of Sky was impressed with the capabilities of the fixtures installed; “The ability of the kezias to produce such a volume of light makes them a viable alternative to traditional light sources, especially in technically challenging environments such as Sky News’ new City studio.” Gekko have an aggressive R&D schedule reaching into the future, which will incorporate the benefits from continuing advances in LED technology. However as important as the characteristics the technology offers – reduced power consumption and heat output to name but two – the quality of white light produced and its ability to render well in image capture is what the world of professional film and broadcast demands.

http://WWW.INBROADCAST.COM http://www.gekkotechnology.com http://www.gekkotechnology.com

In Broadcast - May/June 2011

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of In Broadcast - May/June 2011