< Previoushe studio lighting space has witnessed a revolution ever since manufacturers cracked the LED code. The technology has led to several new lighting concepts that save on space, require little to no cooling and relatively easy to install and maintain. Studio lighting manufacturers, as a result, are also investing further as more studios around the world TRENDING LED Innovations in LED lighting is transforming the studio and cinematic lighting sector T THE MARKET LEADING PLATFORM MIDDLE EAST REACH MOR upgrade their equipment and buy into the concept. For instance, broadcast and cinematic lighting specialists Rotolight has secured a second round of equity investment from the Development Capital team at Octopus Investments, one of the leading SME investors in the UK. Octopus, who invested in Rotolight in early 2019 remain a long-term partner for the company, have now provided additional funding to support the next stage of Rotolight’s ambitious growth plans which have already seen the company open offices in the US and Holland. The follow-on investment also provides increased resource to protect and enforce its substantial Intellectual Property portfolio of over 50 patents and designs. Rotolight’s recent claim to fame has been the Titan X2 — an The Rotolight Titan X2 features over 25 patent protected technologies. MARKET UPDATE www.digitalstudiome.com40 / FEBRUARY 2020RM FOR THE BROADCAST AND PRODUCTION SECTOR IN THE MORE THAN 40,000+ INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS even as the colour temperature settings are adjusted. LED lighting is also made its presence felt in the outdoor lighting space. UAE-based MediaPro has made a significant investment purchasing several Robe products. MediaPro’s large investment in Robe moving lights was due to its “reliability” according to the company’s sales and marketing manager, Jinesh Nair. MediaPro Middle East purchased 86 x Spiider LED wash beams, 76 x MegaPointes and three RoboSpot systems complete with the BMFL FollowSpot LT (long throw) fixture with integral camera, which has been designed for large arenas and stadiums. These are the first of these special BMFL FollowSpots in the UAE! “The products are generally in demand,” Nair said. “LDs and productions are constantly asking for them, and we want to give our customers the best and most flexible options to realise their shows.” Having their own stock of new Robe products now also saves MediaPro substantially on cross rentals, in which they were increasingly engaged to give the LDs what they wanted. Recent events featuring their Robes have included the 2019 Dubai Jazz Festival where MediaPro created the production design, and Virgin Radio’s RedFestDXB 2019 featuring a lighting design collaboration between their own Harold Fernandez and Miguel Galvao from Done Events. innovative LED soft light that utilises state of the art RGBWW technology to provide light output, high colour accuracy and a suite of industry-first features. The Titan X2 features over 25 patent protected technologies. Meanwhile, Lowel, a division of The Tiffen Company, has launched the Tota LED Production Kit, a travel kit which combines three Tota LED lighting fixtures with combination V-Mount / AC power supplies, three stands, a silver reflective Totabrella, and a white silk Tota-brella in a custom soft case for an easy travelling, quick deploying location lighting kit. The Tota LED is able to achieve daylight balanced LEDs (5600K) output the equivalent of a 750w tungsten fixture with flicker-free dimming from 100-0%. Experts claim that this is only possible thanks to LED technology. Manufacturers are also looking to software tweaks in order to help professionals. Cinema lighting manufacturers Kino Flo Lighting released True Match 4.0 - a beta firmware with software upgrades that include camera profiles and CIE xy modes for LED lights. Kino Flo has turned the tables on cinema cameras with a menu of spectral profiles that are essentially lookup tables (LUTs) for HD cameras. Kino Flo’s firmware balances their LED lights to the cameras, rather than the other way around. The True Match 4.0 beta firmware and Kino Flo-designed tungsten and daylight LED emitters harmonise with the camera sensors MARKET UPDATE www.digitalstudiome.comFEBRUARY 2020 / 41 S: Tell us a bit about what you do. I work as a sound recordist and sound designer for film and elevision. In simple words I make a living out of listening to people. DS: What got you interested in sound and how did you start out? I was born and raised in Dubai and went to India to pursue degree in mechanical engineering after high school. However, I dropped out after two years since I wasn’t passionate about the subject anymore and pursued a career in sound instead. As a kid I always fancied special effects in action movies, the audio aspect to be precise. I still remember the exact moment when I realised my passion for the craft – I was fascinated with the sound of the jet engine while watching Jurassic Park at my relative’s home. The pan from the right rear surround speaker across to the front left was fascinating. I’m grateful to have had a few special people mentor me when I was starting out — Belgian and Iranian sound recordists David Thirion and Farhad Katrahmani (both former Dubai-based), production guru Kurt Barretto and UAE-based filmmaker Faisal Hashmi. My first gig was with Media Crew Dubai, thanks to whom I got a chance to be part of the industry. Finally, my mother was also a crucial part of formative years as she invested in my sound gear and education. D KANE RODRIGUES, SOUND ENGINEER, DUBAI 5:00 minutes with.... I’M STEADFAST TOWARDS MY DREAM OF WORKING IN WELL- ESTABLISHED FILM INDUSTRIES LIKE HOLLYWOOD, VANCOUVER OR TORONTO. MEANWHILE, I PLAN TO GET ON BOARD ON AS MANY FEATURE AND SHORT FILMS AS POSSIBLE AS WELL AS EXCITING TRAVEL DOCUMENTARIES. DS: What are three of your most memorable projects and why? I worked on the behind-the-scenes documentary filming of Star Trek Beyond in Dubai (Sept 2015). I was only starting out then and ended up on a Holly wood set for a day. It was quite a crazy and nerve-wracking experience. I interacted with some members of the key crew. I also worked as the head of sound on a massive campaign for Marriott Hotels. I was working besides French director Jean-Pierre Jeunet (Amelie, Delicatessen) and two-time Oscar winning cinematographer Janusz Kaminski (The man behind all of Steven Spielberg’s films) for the Dubai segment of the shoot. Interacting directly with these two veterans on set was overwhelming. One of my best pieces of work was for a shoot that involved plenty of travel for a feature documentary filmed in early 2019 on the Airbus A380. The documentary was directed by John Feist (producer of reality TV series, Survivor) commissioned by PBS. Filming was done onboard the aircraft around four continents. Finally my first ever horror short film Sleight, which I worked on in early 2015 with writer-director Faisal Hashmi, was quite memorable. I fractured my knee a day before shoot which took me nearly two years to recover from. DS: Do the sacrifices of the job outweigh the perks? Sometimes the hours are long and the job can get physically tiring. But I get to do what I love. Work lets me travel around places and meet new people every day. So it’s totally worth it. DS: What are your future plans? I’m steadfast towards my goal of working in well-established film industries like Holly wood, Vancouver or Toronto. Meanwhile, I plan to get on board on as many feature and short films as possible as well as exciting travel documentaries. DS: If not recording the sights and sounds, what are you usually up to? At the cinemas or at home catching up with the latest TV Shows. I love going on late night drives for some karak chai as well. www.digitalstudiome.com42 / FEBRUARY 2020 5 MINUTES WITH...4th Edition ORGANISED BY Book your place now | www.dgcgames.com For more information Mr Habib Chams Dubai +971588152161 Beirut +961 76 704 978 habib.chams@itp.com www.dgcgames.com Connecting the Global Game Industry FOUR SHOWS IN ONE 500+ Companies 100+ Speakers C Level Delegates 35 Countries 1-2 APRIL 2020 Dubai World Trade Centre, UAE The MENA Region’s #1 Business Event for the Digital Games Industry NEW SPEAKERS ANNOUNCED DGC Ads 2020 Press Ad 205x275 V4.indd 127/01/2020 09:51TV PROODUCCTIONN | SSPORRTS PROODUCCTIONN | LIIVE EEVENNTS | COORPOORATTE PRODUCTION MAXIMUM COVERAGE IN 4K AND UHD AROUND THE MENA REGION WWWWW.77PPROODUCCTION.NET enquiries@7production.net +971 4 4415797 | +961 71 182 777 +966 11 420 7777 | For more info please email or call UAE Lebanon KSA or visitNext >