A Little Bit of Lighting (and why it's a bright idea)

Lighting (or lack of) is one of those things that can make or break a video production. Whether you're live on air or working in post-production, getting your lighting right in advance will save all parties involved a lot of time, effort and frustration. With this in mind it pays to be switched on, and is a subject which is well worth giving some careful consideration.

 

Lishaui LS-255A

 

Fluorescents or LED's?
 

Here at Planet PC we sell a range of lights but recently we've been getting a lot of questions about fluorescents vs. LED's. Continue reading and hopefully we'll shed a little light on the topic.



One of the main benefits of fluorescents is cost. Although cheaper than their LED counterparts they do give out more heat (although less than halogens) and generally offer a decent level of dispersion. This means that fluorescents are ideal for lighting a bigger space and for anyone on a budget. Why not check out the Lishuai LS-255A if you're looking for a great value for money fluorescent with some great features (did we mention they're dimmable too!).

 

LED's on the other hand tend to be more expensive but are generally more efficient and give out virtually no heat which means they're great for use in confined spaces and for long shoots where heat might be an issue (we all know how hard it can be keeping the talent happy).

 

If you like the sound of a dimmable bi-colour have look at the Datavision LEDGO 600BC. Featuring a V-Mount battery plate, built in barn doors and with a range of filters included this would make an excellent addition to any professional kit.


  



Datavision LEDGO 600BC

Portable or Studio?

 

Whether you choose a portable kit or a more permanent solution will ultimately depend on you and the work you do. If you're on a budget and looking to do chroma key work in a studio then fluorescents such as those by Lishuai would be ideal. Alternatively if money is no option and you need a portable solution have a look at Ianiro's Redhead kits.  One thing to bear in mind is that it's often easier to use a portable solution within a studio than the other way around, especially once you start to factor in things such as lighting bars and stands. Many of the lights on our website come as kits, complete with cases which means they're easy to transport and carry around, ideal for anyone who isn't purely studio based. 

 

 

Lishuai  LED144AS

For those of you who need the ultimate in portability why not consider a camera mounted option? Here at Planet PC we like the Lishuai  LED144AS. Complete with  clip on Diffuser, adjustable cold shoe mount, Sony NP-F Style Lithium Ion Battery pack, Single Channel charger and soft carry case this little kit is a bargain at just £85.00 (ex vat) and well worth considering if you're a one man band. 

 

So whatever your lighting needs whether it's portable or studio lighting you require, here at Planet PC we provide a wide range of lighting and accessories for a multitude of requirements whatever your budget.

 

Check out www.planetdv.net for the full range, or why not give our sales team a call on 01274 713400.

Adobe Cloud (And the Silver Lining behind It)

If you haven't been hiding under a rock for the past few months you might have heard about a not so minor change a certain software company is making to the way we use one of it's most popular software packages.

Originally launched in 2003 and quite possibly the most popular software package used by creative professionals to date, Adobe's Creative Suite has long been a key tool in the arsenal of web developers, graphic designers and videographers to name but a few. For nearly a decade customers have been able to purchase a boxed product either online or in store.

Until now.

Adobe's Creative Suite has now gone Cloud based and will be now known as Creative Cloud. Creative Suite 6 (CS6) released earlier this month signals the end of an era for Adobe software as we know it. Any future versions will now be known as the "Creative Cloud" and form part of a subscription based model.

The old adage "If it ain't broke don't fix it" comes to mind and understandably Adobe's announcement has caused one or two ripples in the ocean, so to speak.

While some have compared it to when Dylan went electric, here at Planet PC we can appreciate the benefits.

Adobe want their customers to have access to the most up to date software as soon as it becomes available and one of the great things about the Cloud is that thanks to the internet this is now possible. From a creative point of view this means there's no getting left behind, no additional cost, and no competing with the future using tools of the past.

Warming to it yet?

By going Cloud based Adobe have also made what is undoubtedly excellent software affordable to anyone. No longer do creative professionals need to fork out a large sum of money upfront in order to allow them to get to work. Users can instead now pay on a monthly basis which is great news for anybody just starting out or those with limited cash flow.

Did we mention you get storage?

That's right folks, part of the Cloud is storage (20GB-100GB depending on your subscription) along with access to Behance, which is an online community allowing you to share your portfolio and network with like-minded creative professionals and potential employers.

Synchronisation and cross platform publishing.

Adobe Creative Cloud lets you create work on a range of platforms which can then be viewed on a range of platforms. In a world where so many different devices exist for absorbing media compatibility if of paramount importance. Adobe realise this and have made it as simple as possible to share your work how you see fit.

For more information on Adobe's Creative Cloud check out the link to the Adobe website below.

http://www.adobe.com/uk/products/creativecloud.html

Alternatively visit www.planetdv.net or call one of our sales team on 01274 713400.

Working with Green Screen (and the key to getting it right)

Here at Planet PC one of the things we get asked about on a regular basis is green screen work, or chroma keying. Whether it's a customer who wants to integrate virtual sets into a production, or someone who wants to give the impression of location filming, there's a range of solutions to cater for all budgets.

 

 

 

The most obvious option which most people are familiar with in terms of chroma keying is green (or blue) screen. The colours green and blue are used mainly due to the fact that they provide the best contrast to human skin tone and the green ‘screen’ can consist of anything from a green curtain to a painted background. The key to achieving effective results (pun intended) often comes down to, not so much the background itself, but to the lighting surrounding it. The reason for this is that, in order for the key to look effective, the background needs to be flat and of a uniform shade with no shadows, which is harder to achieve than it sounds. Good lighting along with knowledge of how to use it is also of paramount importance and, when using multiple cameras/lights, it is inevitable that shadows, creases and reflections start popping up all over the place (and that's before your presenter turns up late wearing a green outfit).

 

An alternative option to the traditional green screen is to use a reflective background in conjunction with a light ring, such as those manufactured by Reflecmedia. These light rings consist of a ring of LEDs attached to a camera via a lens adapter/filter thread. The reflective background consists of millions of interwoven microscopic glass beads which act like cat's eyes in the road. These reflective glass beads allow the light emitted from the light ring to bounce back in multiple directions meaning that the camera then sees green (or blue).

 

Pros and Cons

 

Many people like traditional green screen because of its initial affordability (note we said "initial"). Procuring some sort of green fabric/reflective green paint is fairly cost effective and with technology such as Wirecast, the ability to product a professional looking production on a budget is becoming more accessible every day. Where traditional green screen gets expensive is when you take into consideration all the extra factors needed to make it work well and look good. As we mentioned earlier lighting is important (not to mention expensive) and, unfortunately, when it comes to lighting a green screen it's not just a case of turning lights on and pointing them in the right direction. Even after you've spent all that time learning about light placement and lighting your background, foreground and subject, there's the amount of space all that lighting takes up combined with the amount of heat it gives off and overall running costs.

 

 

 

 

The light ring/reflective background combination is a much easier (and much more forgiving) solution to work with. Although initially more expensive this solution means the user can get away with using less lighting and ultimately less space. Reflecmedia also produce a range of pop up screens which make this solution ultra portable and easy to set up. The Chromatte fabric itself is also flexible to the point where it can be folded/scrunched without affecting the key. The light rings (or LiteRings if we're talking Reflecmedia) are also adjustable, meaning that the intensity can be increased/decreased and also feature the ability to switch between green and blue light at the flick of the switch.

 

 

Ultimately the choice you make as a customer will come down to your budget and your requirements but, whatever they are, our website is a great place to start.

 

Visit www.planetdv.net to check out the full range of Reflecmedia kit available along with an ever increasing selection of professional broadcast kit. Alternatively give one of our sales team a call on 01274 713400 for more information.

BBC and Sony team up to offer Wimbledon in 4K

As if strawberries and cream weren't enough to get you in the mood for Wimbledon, you can at least be safe in the knowledge that this year there's a good chance you'll be able to sit back in the comfort of your own home (or pub) and enjoy this year's tennis in full 4K.

 Sony and the BBC have teamed up to trial the newest addition to the world of ultra-HD in a live broadcast environment, with Sony handling the tech side of things and the BBC handling the filming.

 From what we hear Sony have been busy kitting out their OB trucks with the most up to date equipment available and, with hi-resolution monitors becoming more affordable every day, it's only a matter of time before we start seeing a lot more 4K content appearing on our screens. With this in mind it was always only a case of when for the BBC and has only recently been made possible thanks to the introduction of the new HEVC codec, which allows 4K to be compressed to  a much more manageable bitrate. 

For those of you who can't wait until Wimbledon to get your fix, why not check out some of the newest 4K ready kit below.

 

 

Sony NEX-FS700E Large Format Sensor Camera

Blackmagic Design UltraStudio 4K

  

 

AJA Ki Pro Quad Solid State 4K Recorder