HANOVER, NH, NOVEMBER 21, 2017 - When the Media Production Group at Dartmouth College built a studio to produce educational content for students, it had the opportunity to custom design the space - from the lighting to a control room. Cineo Lighting, a leader in the production of lighting systems for the motion picture, television and photography industries, quickly made the grade to become the college's lighting choice on set.
In 2015, the Media Production Group was approved to build a studio that would support the in-house video production department at Dartmouth College, providing custom video support to help departments create promotional, documentary or instructional video programs. Going into the process of choosing the right equipment for the new studio, Senior Producer Jay Beaudoin knew that the size and layout of the studio would impact the design. Located on the second floor, the space measures 35x26 with an 11' grid height, with two walls of windows that view the north side of the campus. Beaudoin knew early on that they would want to use the windows as a set background, requiring a daylight balanced lighting package.
Given the characteristics of the studio, the group agreed that LED fixtures were a necessity. The benefits of low power consumption, low heat output, integrated DMX control and the ability to utilize the studio's less than ideal grid height were all contributing factors. Knowing that, Beaudoin and his team set out to find the leaders in the LED lighting industry through online research and observing the usage trends of some of today's top gaffers. This is when they learned that more and more professionals are choosing Cineo Lighting, due, in part, to its Remote Phosphor Technology (RPT). Cineo and its RPT technology has reduced the major headaches that were common with the first generation of LED lights along with an increased output.
After a demonstration with Cineo, Beaudoin and his team were impressed, so they decided to move forward with the reputable fixtures. The team installed three of the high-power HS2 Wave and six of the mid-power Maverick fixtures. The HS2's were chosen to create a daylight balanced lighting package, fulfilling their request to have the windows as a background option, and taking full advantage of its output capacity to balance a sunlit exterior. Additionally, the HS2's ability to be wirelessly controlled via DMX allows for remote controlling via an iPad app.
The Media Production Group frequently uses chroma keying with its projects. The department uses Maverick with its chroma green phosphor panels to light a 14x10 green curtain. "The Mavericks provide a wide, even spread and the green panels create a really saturated background," he says. "Often a single sample of the background in Premiere will result in a near perfect key."
This set-up has helped efficiency, saving crew members the time of adding tracking masks or secondary keys for hair and other problem areas. The portable lighting fixture is known to be an indispensable tool for motion picture and television professionals.
"Cineo Lights have proven to be an excellent addition and highly beneficial for the Media Production group," says Beaudoin. "Not only has it provided students with access to high-quality products, they've also been able to learn the proper use and set up thanks to Cineo's great ease of use."
About Cineo Lighting
Cineo Lighting, Inc. was founded to produce the highest quality lighting systems available for the motion picture, television, and photography industries. By pioneering cutting-edge technologies, Cineo creates high-output, compact light sources for image capture, in all power ranges, which exceed the capabilities of traditional lighting tools. For more information, please visit www.cineolighting.com.
