The K5600 Joker 1600 LOS ANGELES—Power (electrical, that is) is a problem those in my profession often face when shooting sit-down interviews for national news-magazine programs. As these are frequently shot in private homes or hotel rooms, this means 15 amp electrical circuits. Now that’s fine if you’re lighting with fluorescents or LED fixtures, but when you need some real “punch,” there’s nothing like K5600 HMI instruments to add that. If you go beyond an 800 Watt fixture, you run the risk of popping circuit breakers and watching time slip away while you try to find the breaker panel to get everything up and running again. This is where K5600’s Joker-Bug 1600 really helps out.
BIG ILLUMINATION REQUIREMENT
One of our recent shoots took place in a hotel suite overlooking Hollywood and the iconic Capitol Records building. The producer wanted the building to be in the shot so there would be no mistaking where we were. While the hotel suite was perfect to the eye, it was a different story for the camera. Once I saw the massive wrap-around windows, I knew we were going to need more than our two Joker 800’s and two Joker 200’s.
We were fortunate in that K5600’s headquarters was close by, so we called Ryan Smith who provided us with a Joker 1600 that I knew would provide the beautiful light we needed for the three-camera shoot. I also knew that this fixture could be powered by a standard 15 amp circuit. With a medium-size Chimera out in front, the 1600 was connected to its own circuit in the suite and it fired right up and stayed up throughout the shoot. The light it produced was soft, smooth and even, and was so powerful enough that it could be placed far enough out of the frame to allow the third camera to be used on a slider for a beautiful, panoramic two-shot that clearly showed where we were shooting.
While I would have loved to have had the time and resources to gel the windows, such an approach really isn’t practical when you’re doing network news and have to move fast to deliver a high-quality product. However, the Joker-Bug 1600 really made gelling unnecessary.
We added the two Joker 800’s for keys and used the Joker 200’s for backlights, but the 1600 really stole the show.
NO 15 AMP WORRIES
Honestly, I don’t know how I could have done it any other way, given these particular demands and this specific shooting location. Having the ability to fire the 1600 on a regular 15 amp circuit and get that beautiful Joker light that we’re all used to let us focus on making everyone look great without wringing our hands and waiting for breakers to trip. It’s really an incredible tool.
Brian Young is the owner of Flaca Productions He may be contacted atflacaproductions@mac.com.
For additional information, contact K5600 at 818-762-5756 or visitwww.k5600.com.
