13.09.2017 | Elation Platinum FLX and SixBar Light Major Product Presentation for Broadcast

TV format presentation lit by top German LD Thomas Gerdon. Lighting, sound, video and stage furnished by satis&fy.

When one of Germany’s top lighting designers for broadcast, Thomas Gerdon, needed a multi-purpose luminaire to fulfil a number of roles for a major product presentation in TV show format, he looked no further than Elation’s hybrid Platinum FLX™ luminaire.

“It was a quick decision to choose the FLX for the job,” says Gerdon, who has called the luminaire one of the best hybrids on the market and is well familiar with its multi-functional abilities. “I have used them on several television programs over the past two years, like “Verstehen Sie Spass,” and they have worked out perfectly. For this show, I needed a strong beam light but also a multi-faceted light that could be used to produce different effects for transitions to video and for guest entrances.”

The exclusive product presentation took place at the Ballhausforum conference center in Unterschleissheim, Germany, near Munich. Commissioned by American communications agency Drury Design Dynamics for a renowned US-based IT and consulting company, the TV format presentation featured a professional news show setup and was moderated by a prominent broadcast journalist.

German production company satis&fy supplied the Platinum FLX™ hybrid moving heads along with Elation SixBar 1000™ battens and other lighting for the event. satis&fy supported with sound and video as well and also furnished the stage setup, which was designed by Drury Design.

Streamed live and replete with panel discussions, addresses and presentations, the show was relaxed but strictly business professional. “There was to be no flashy looks but instead a clean TV studio feel,” Gerdon explains of what was required. “I wanted to create a ‘roof’ of light to hide a rather ugly ceiling so made a cover of light beams over the set using the FLX’s, which looked good on camera. I also needed some effect lighting when transitioning to video and for host and guest entrances, so the fixtures fulfilled several roles on the show.”

The Platinum FLX, a PLASA Innovation Award winner from 2015, is a spot/beam/wash moving light with 470W lamp and 20,000 lumens of power. Gerdon comments, “In terms of brightness and color mixing, it is one step beyond. On this show, I used it mostly in beam mode for the roof cover during the talking elements but it also gave me a lot of options for entrances and video changes. I used the spot mode with breakup gobos on the floor and effects in the room. I used the prism with multiple beams or colored the fades when transitioning to video.”

Gerdon also required a superior LED bar light to provide light from a floor position and give ample color to the set. The choices on the market may seem quite extensive at first but when light quality is a determining factor, the number of fixtures to choose between is actually quite minimal as Gerdon explains. “When you’re looking for a very good LED bar, the choice is limited. There are really only two or three good ones out there and the SixBar is one of them.” The one-meter long color-changing LED batten houses high-power single-lens 6-color LED multi-chip LEDs for an impressive palette of colors, including ambers, true whites and even an ultraviolet effect. “Having a bar light with a single source chip is really satisfying,” he continues. “It doesn’t have that pizza look but looks good on camera. It also has awesome color mixing, great for an LED, and is one of my favorite bars. It also has integrated the tungsten light look mirror which gives an interesting look when viewed straight on.”