To light the auto interiors in the new KIA hybrid vehicle, Emmy-winning DP and DGA-nominated director and cameraman Jody Eldred tried out the Sola ENG LED fresnel light from Litepanels (www.litepanels.com).
Eldred's client, Source Interlink Media, is the largest provider of media content to enthusiast communities interested in automotive, action sports, marine and other niche activities. For such small spaces, small light fixtures are essential. Soft lights that generate little heat are required.
The Sola ENG was designed as an on-camera, 5600K small light for newsgathering applications, and its functionality far exceeded Eldred's needs, the veteran DP said. The compact Fresnel measures 4"x4"x5," it gives off virtually no heat and uses little power (30W). It is dimmable and has both spot and flood capabilities. It has a 10-to-70-degree beam angle and 100 percent to 0 percent dimmer.
The Sola ENG comes with barndoors and 1/2 and full CTO gels plus a frost diffuser. Eldred hid the Sola light on the floorboard, dimmed it down just right to give a little glow in what would otherwise have been a black hole. He then turned it around to bounce it into a small white card to give a little illumination on the dark steering wheel and dash area.
For interviews, he mounted the light on a stand with the included stand adapter and used it as a controllable hair light on the talent. Eldred called the Sola fixture multifunctional, quick and easy to use, easy to control and reliable.
