SEATTLE—As a seasoned broadcast and news cameraman, my workday can take me anywhere from pitch-side reporting for the NFL to corporate interviews and everything in between. In a fast-paced environment where things can change in an instant, having reliable and versatile equipment is essential.
I think the most challenging thing about being a broadcast and news cameraman is having all your ducks in a row in order to work quickly and anticipate what the client expects. On one hand, you have to interface with the client, subjects, and people involved with the production and story as a human being, but you also have to be deliberate in order to achieve what you want to accomplish.
You have to clear the list quickly, whether it’s talent lighting, making sure your camera’s set perfectly, accounting for variables in the background and ambient lighting. There’s lots to consider in limited time and you have to understand what needs to happen in a certain order.
The Right Tools
I’m always interested in the build quality of my lighting instruments and the Litepanels Gemini 1x1 Hard is built for the field. It’s a solid panel, with easy controls, that punches out daylight and tungsten temperatures that are as close to natural as you’ll find.
I also need something that’s easy to use, that doesn’t demand a lot of external ballasting or lots of cables running here and there. I want a light that’s self-contained, easy to pull out of a case, pop on a stand, add a battery or AC and I’m off and running. But most important is light quality.
I like going into a shoot, knowing the Gemini 1×1 Hard will give me a punch-through quality. The fact that you can add diffusion, remove diffusion whether it’s on the light itself, or shoot through a softbox or other add-on diffuser, provides flexibility. You’re going into any situation knowing you have the power of an HMI in an LED source.
Covering news and sports can be challenging in many ways for a TV cameraman; space, ambient light, and the availability of power all play into it. The Gemini Hard fixture gives me the punch to tackle any ambient light condition, usually with power to spare.
Easy to Use LED
The number one thing I found after going 100% LED and ditching my HMIs, was the ease of use. For almost any situation, with RGB LED panels, the speed, and convenience with which you can dial in the color is amazing. Depending on the event, the footprint of your setup can be limited by other crews right next to you.
The ability to power the Gemini 1×1 Hard with battery power—and retain the same output—is a massive plus on location. This wasn’t always an option with HMIs where I was always worried about power draw and if I had enough battery power for live shots.
These days we’re being asked to shoot more interviews—even single person interviews—with multiple cameras…a wide shot, a tight shot, another camera on a slider, perhaps. In my case, I use matching cameras and I want the light to look the same from all angles. There’s no time to deal with color issues coming out of light fixtures. With Litepanels I know that when you set the temperature that you want, you’re going to get it.
The Gemini Hard is just as at home pitch side with the NFL as it is inside doing a corporate interview. It’s just a great light, either as a harder source or through diffusion, to create that soft look. It’s a great fixture.
More information is available at www.litepanels.com/.
