A new studio and the show's switch to HD entailed a new concept in lighting. Camera operators at the 600sq.m studio at MDR's headquarters laid down a stringent specification for lighting the huge cyclorama - which has a curved base with a 1m radius that merges smoothly with the floor to avoid a hard lighting transition. This stipulated a maximum variation in lighting of +/- 70 lux across the cyclorama, within the cameras' operating range on Kika of between 300 and 500 lux.
Thomas Jacobs of ADB Germany, which supplied the new luminaires to MDR, said, "The existing facilities, with 90 kilowatts of light, were no longer acceptable as the standards of illumination intensity and uniformity have changed greatly with high definition television. There is a much higher demand on the uniformity of the light and the differences in light levels created by using Fresnel lens spotlights would not deliver that uniformity."
After a series of tests of LED cyclorama lights, the Kika lighting team found ADB's ALC4 as the only luminaire that met its uniformity demands.
The 28 ALC4s, each fitted with an asymmetrical reflector, are hung above the camera view area at around 3 m high, spaced apart by 2.4m, filling the cyclorama evenly down into the floor curve.
Toni Schulz, lighting director of MDR, said, "The ALC4s deliver the uniform and easily controllable light that we require, and are also light in weight, consume much less power than conventional lights and had lower installation costs because they don't require dimmers or as much cabling. They are an excellent addition to our HDTV lighting setup."
(Jim Evans)
