The Society of Television Lighting Directors (STLD), Blitz Television Services of Elstree, UK, and LED screen manufacturer Lighthouse joined forces to demonstrate the newly installed Lighthouse LVP0630 screen on the BBC children’s television show The Saturday Show, which includes a special Saturday edition of Top of the Pops.
Presented by Lighthouse International sales and marketing director Graham Burgess and Saturday Show LD Rod Litherland, with Guy Horrigan, Dave Gunn and Blitz’s Scott Burges also on hand, the presentation aimed to explain the characteristics of LED technology and explore its creative possibilities. Topics covered included colour balance, contrast, camera angles, viewing distances, and practical issues such as rigging and power consumption. Burgess explained why the latest generation of LED technology, exemplified by the LVP0630, is highly suited to the demands of TV set design and lighting thanks to a combination of close viewing distances, image quality, colour uniformity and fast, two-person rigging. He also showed the audience how the fine pixel pitch of the screen eliminates the moiré effect caused by the larger pixels of lower resolution screens interacting with the CCD pixels in TV cameras.
The lively, 20-minute question-and-answer session that followed saw the Lighthouse/Blitz team field a wide range of questions about the workings of LED technology and specific operational issues, while guests were invited to take a closer look at the screen for themselves.Graham Burgess said: "The level of interest in LED is enormous as the development of the technology has made it much more TV-friendly. Both ourselves and Blitz are very grateful to Bernie Davis, Chairman of the STLD, for making it happen, and to the BBC and the Saturday Show crew who opened the studio to us."
The Saturday Show makes full use of the lightweight and compact panel size of the LVP0630s, which were supplied by Blitz. The screens are combined to form a giant six panel wide by five high videowall backdrop to the main TOTP stage and then split into three separate columns for creative effects. A custom built stage was designed to be easily pulled apart to achieve the screen moves. Those in attendance were also treated to a demonstration of the RADlite DMX-based video controller and heard a talk by Mike LeFevre, lighting director of the Sports Personality of the Year Awards.
Bernie Davis, organizer of the event, commented: "It was exactly what the STLD is there to achieve - to promote the exchange of information and ideas between members and companies, and this did exactly that. It was informative, entertaining and social. It was also a very timely event, as LED suddenly seems to be everywhere you look on TV."
(Ruth Rossington)
