To aid the filming of the feature documentary, The Mountain Within, Rosco provided the crew with 6 units of Rosco LitePad HO 12" x 12" and 6 units of 6" x 6" as well as accessories. The thin light source generates a soft even illumination which is dimmable - a feature which proved invaluable during the expedition as it enabled the film crew to work in low light situations during the night and in adverse weather conditions.
The LitePad allowed the crew to conduct interviews in the dark, cramped condition of their tents late at night simply by slipping a pad into a tent pocket or, due to the fact that they generate very little heat, simply by holding it. Gregory Rinaldi, multi-media project manager and producer, said: "For this kind of project the pads were vital for getting reactions at night before the climbers went to sleep but the LitePad was also incredible for wilderness shots."
During the filming of the documentary the LitePads made night shoots possible and as Kate Coggins also noted: "They enabled us to film interviews at night in the tents but also meant we could have meetings at night and also, as we brought two laptops with us to edit and make podcasts, they provided background light to help so we had a mobile cutting room with us!" As well enabling Kate to edit the film on location on the mountain using the LitePads, multi award winning composer Michael Price scored the soundtrack along the way and was able to work in his tent at night using the lights.
An important issue for the documentary crew was to film in an environmentally friendly way and that for the expedition to be completely self-sustainable. The LitePads run off a DC adapter but also have a battery pack accessory, so the documentary crew used some small solar panels to charge the batteries on the pads. Due to the low wattage of even the largest pads, the crew were able to simply hook the LitePad up to any 12V battery such as those in their cameras.
Perhaps the main attraction of the LitePads is their compact size and the consequent ease of transport. The crew's 11 porters must have been delighted to find out how easy the pads were to pack, with each unit measuring only 0.3" (8mm)! Cinematographer Gordon Brown says: "As they take up so little room you can take them virtually anywhere, they literally fit in the pockets where you store your headlamps and reading material. They are robust, efficient, easy to use, and the fact that they fit my existing portable package perfectly is a huge plus when weight and space is so valuable in remote environments".
(Lee Baldock)
