ROUND-UP•EURO CINE EXPO 2023

Gaffers Control By Spots Unlimited

Founded in 1999 by a group of four gaffers, Spots Unlimited creates tools that make life easier on a film set. With the development of Gaffers Control, they addressed various challenges in the changing industry. LED lighting offers more options, so small crews need a simple control device because more departments are using wi-fi networks on-set.

“We developed this tool because it saves gaffers time and labour”, said Bert Reyskens, Owner of Spots Unlimited.

Grip Factory Munich

Grip Factory Munich premiered its brand-new dolly base, the GF-Primo Ultra, with an all-new and improved base for the centre columns, a perfect steering geometry, and a new steering selector, allowing enhanced manoeuvrability.

COO Henning Magee commented, “The reception to the GF-Primo Ultra here at Euro Cine Expo has been fabulous. We knew people had been waiting for it and they like it a lot. It gives operators perfect steering on the centre column, and we envisage it will be super-popular on all productions including in studios and on feature

IB/E Optics

IB/E Optics has provided high-quality lenses to the industry since 1992, including designing and producing the Tribe 7 lenses, as used by Oscar-winning DP James Friend BSC ASC on All Quiet On The Western Front – all night work was shot on the Tribe7 Blackwing7 T-Tuned lenses, due to their speed.

Based just outside Munich, IB/E showcased its Raptor range of macro cine lenses that include 60mm, 100mm, 150mm and 180mm

K5600

French company, K5600, began supplying the film industry with professional lighting equipment in 1992, and is internationally-recognised for its Joker HMI fixture, featuring a parabolic reflector with a set of lenses. In 2018, K5600 addressed advances in technology by introducing the popular Joker 300, which is colour temperature tunable from 2700K to 6500K and accurately dimmable from 1–100%.

Marc Galerne, co-founder of K5600, is going to hand over the management of the company to his son Kenny Galerne, who will carry the family business into its third generation.

KINO FLO

The company presented Mimik, an image-based lighting system with extended spectral bandwidth that can mirror video content, optimised for virtual production in LED volumes.

Mimik consists of a newly-developed light panel that combines five LEDs per pixel. In combination with the Helios processor, the Mimik light panel solves several technical challenges when setting light in virtual production with LED volumes. At the same time, the system also enables more creative and more realistic light placement in an LED volume.

Looking first at the Mimik panel, it consists of a newly-developed light panel with a carbon fibre frame. The panel has an area of 120 x 60cm and can produce very natural light because of the underlying technology. Individual panels can be combined to form larger clusters. The Helios processor that controls www.gafferscontrol.com films. We have loved the mood here at Euro Cine Expo, very professional yet relaxed with many international visitors in the great venue of Motorworld.” www.gripfactory.com focal lengths. The company’s whole range of lenses, precision crafted filters and measurement equipment was also available to view on its stand and CEO Klaus Eckerl said he was pleased to be soaking-up the atmosphere of the “local show”. www.ibe-optics.com

Gaffers Control is a one-size-fits-all solution –comprising of a cable-free DMX control device that is stored in a compact hardshell case. The DMX settings can be made either via touchscreen or encoder knobs, if precise values are required. All different kinds of lights can be integrated in the DMX library so that they can be called-up as needed. For every light, multiple options are available to control set dimming, colour temperature, RGB and filters – this is how a green or magenta filter can be precisely defined via DMX.

K5600 Lighting Europe announced the launch of One Stop, a sales and a subrental company of K5600 products, as well as kit from other manufacturers. “It’s more than a simple subrental. We want to develop a partnership with these outlets,” said Marc Galerne. “It will now be possible to request our equipment from your local rental companies, which will also be able to order equipment directly from us at competitive prices if they don’t have the items in stock to fulfill your request.” www.k5600.eu www.onestopcine.com the panels can control up to 2,100 panels, and this can be done in such a way that the processor dynamically detects either the moving image content of the LED volume, i.e. its background image, or any other image signal and transfers it to the lighting mood of the panels.

As a result, you can create an absolutely realistic lighting situation in an LED volume, ultimately creating a much more natural overall image. But, not only can you mirror the video content of the LED volume with Mimik, you can also intervene very creatively in the lighting design, just as you would with a very powerful lighting mixer.

The Mimik panels can display a wide colour spectrum dynamically and with high precision. In addition, the panels are fully-synchronisable (at up to 30Hz) and also support advanced VR technologies. They thus ensure that no flickering or other

LCA (LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION) EUROPE

LCA, which is headquartered in the UK and now has offices in Berlin, Germany, and Aubervilliers, France, showed various popular products from Creamsource, DoPChoice, Gaffers Control, LiteGear

Leitz

The company presented high-quality lenses from its Hugo and Elsie series, both with an eye-catching gold finish. The Hugo full-frame lenses are among the most compact and fastest optics for cinematography. Ernst Leitz Wetzlar considers and describes the Hugo series as a contemporary interpretation of the Leica M lenses that are highly-valued by many users. But, the Hugo optics are full-frame precision lenses that have a modern, production-ready body, with extended focus and aperture scales, an LPL mount, and a continuous T1.5 aperture – with the option of an additional 50 mm T1.0 lens. The character-rich, centre-weighted

LICHT-TECHNIK

Customer requests often inspire Licht-Technik’s award-winning product developments. Located in Feldkirchen near Munich, the company has a 40-year track record of innovation. This includes the Bag-oLight, which provides soft and shadow-free light for shooting automobiles. The light diffusor is constructed from a white, air-filled bag, which is mounted in front of a PAR (parabolic aluminised reflector) lamphead. Another solution designed for automobile shoots is the Sky Light, which consists of DMX-dimmable light modules that have a total power output ranging from 4.32 to 43.2kW.

and Rosco/DMG. See separate entries for these companies. www.lcaeurope.com image is reminiscent of older optics, but with modern coatings and greater reliability, the manufacturer explains.

Leitz also showed the Elsie full-frame lenses. They cover a focal length range of 15mm to 150mm and feature T2.1 almost throughout. The lenses are available with LPL mount. These premium cine lenses feature a noticeable but gradual drop in resolution and speed in the image corners. This creates a more vivid impression that gently draws the viewer’s eye to the centre of the image which many users find creatively and visually appealing. www.leitz-cine.com

The Click & Move system provides a fast way to motorise a lamphead to pan, tilt and focus. Studios and theatres throughout the world are using motoryokes to move lampheads, displays and beamers, which can be controlled wirelessly by the LT-Pilot.

Gaffers Uwe Hagenbach and Bernhard Grill, managing directors of Licht-Technik, always incorporate ideas developed from their hands-on work in their devices. One of their latest developments is the LT-rain cover, which is available for the Cineo Standard 410 as well as for the ARRI SkyPanel S60 and S360. www.licht-technik.com

Light Bridge

Light Bridge has reflectors and diffusers in its range that can be used to create very special lighting situations on-set. A central product is the C-100 reflector, which can now be assembled into a grid system thanks to new accessories. Its special feature is that the reflectors can be moved and locked in-place, and, according to the manufacturer, it is very easy

Litegear

LiteGear’s LiteMat Spectrum 8 complements the Spectrum family of LED fixtures. Full colour-changing capabilities make LiteMat Spectrum 8 the most powerful and versatile LiteMat to date. Also new are the LiteDimmer Spectrum AC/DC 200 & 400, which feature improved housing and integrated

Nanlite

Nanlite, was launched in 2019 as a new brand by Nanguang, a leading manufacturer in the LED lighting industry. Whilst the China-based parent company Nanguang, which was founded in 1992, concentrates on lighting design and development, Nanlite, along with its Nanlux and Nanlink spin-off companies, is a new player that diversifies content creation by providing more possibilities for video and lighting control. Michael Fischer and Andreas Härlin from Kaiser Fototechnik are the German distributors of Nanlite products.

Nanlite offers a broad, versatile range of LED lights and accessories designed to help image-makers

P+S TECHNIK

For more than 30 years, Munich-based P+S Technik has been developing and manufacturing innovative products inspired by the specific needs of the camera team. The invention of the Skater Mini Dolly earned engineer/company founder, Alfred Piffl, an Academy Award for Technical Achievement. His inventions also included the single-chip SI-2K camera that enabled Anthony Dod Mantle DFF BSC ASC to shoot Slumdog Millionaire (2008), for which the DP won the Best Cinematography Oscar. Alfred also designed a modern version of the Technovision

1.5X Anamorphic lens system that covers the larger

Power Gems

Designing and manufacturing electronic power supplies for HMI and LED Lighting, with 25 years of experience in the field Power Gems, with their highspeed ballasts for film location lighting, TV production and studio filming, have built up an enviable to slide the yoke off the C100 and also mount the reflectors on trusses or cranes.

A proprietary grip mounts on the profiles on the reflector, and grid clamps, pins or a yoke, can be mounted to the frame. Also new from Light Bridge is a flight case for four reflectors, including accessories. www.thelightbridge.com antenna. Custom-designed hardware with AC/DC power options, integrated power supply, advanced processing power, Ethernet switch, expanded memory, and a faster processor all enable easy operation and state-of-the-art software features. An integrated USB-A port allows for easy updates. www.litegear.com realise their vision. Among its recent releases is the Nanlite Forza 60C, a professional, palm-size LED light with a 60W output for film production and still photography, whether in the studio or on location. Its lightweight lamphead weighs just 1.08kg, but outputs a high illuminance level when paired with its reflector. The Forza 60C adopts the advanced RGBLAC six-colour mixing technology by integrating additional Lime/Amber/Cyan LED beads into the RGB light source. The Forza 60C also offers flexible professional options with HSI / RGBW / XY modes for colour calibration. On-board, App and DMX controls dial-in the desired colours. www.nglbg.com sensors of cameras, namely, the Sony Venice, the Red Monstro, and the ARRI Alexa LF. www.pstechnik.de reputation supplying to major lighting companies around the world. Patrick McGuane, head of sales, expressed his satisfaction at the quality of leads from the show, if not the quantity. www.powergems.com

In 2017, the P+S Technik chief handed-over management of the company to his daughter, Anna Piffl, who keeps Anamorphic vintage lenses up-todate with modern re-housings that stand-up to today’s rugged conditions on-set. Built on the success of the legendary front Anamorphic Kowas, the Evolution 2X is the smallest, most set of lenses compact cine Anamorphics on the market that perform with S35 cameras as well as from 75mm on up to Full Format (36 x 24mm). Süss!

Quasar Science

Quasar Science was located on the Teltec stand, and focussed on virtual production, where the whole workflow was demonstrated using a video wall with images generated by Unreal Engine. The lighting rig above the wall was controlled via Unreal Engine to light realistically through various scene changes and camera parallax movements in real-time. Just six months ago this wouldn’t have been achievable, but now the fixtures themselves have the capacity to ingest data generated by Unreal Engine via streaming www.quasarscience.com www.videndum.com

ACN, using DMX as a control structure across an ethernet network, with each lighting element having its own IP address. Sehr cool.

Red

Equipment distributor Teltec, had several Red cameras on display, including the recently introduced Komodo-X, a new version of the Komodo camera series. It is slightly longer than the original Komodo and the biggest new feature of the Komodo-X is the sensor. According to the manufacturer, it offers 6,144 x 3,240 effective pixels with an active image window of 27.03 x 14.26 mm. The Komodo-X enables recording in 6K at up to 80 fps, and in 4K it manages up to 120fps. Komodo-X is equipped with an RF mount with locking mechanism. The camera can also be used with PL-mount lenses via an optional mount adapter.

ROSCO/DMG

The company showed a prototype DMG Lion, a 13-inch Fresnel luminaire. A special feature of the Lion is that it is available with two LED engines, which can also be changed/replaced separately if necessary, and later upgraded if and when new engines are developed.

Currently, there is a bi-colour RGB engine (2,700 to 6,500K) and an RGBLAW engine (Lime, Amber, White) for full colour flexibility (1,700 to 10,000K). The power supply unit is integrated into the lamp in the Lion, and the power consumption is 1.5kW.

Sony

Products on display at Sony’s stand included the Venice Extension System 2, often referred to as Rialto 2 in the industry. Rialto is an extension system that allows the sensor block to be detached from the rest of the camera. For this purpose, a stable and robust, yet comparatively soft and flexible fiber optic cable, is available, which has a length of 12-meters.

Unlike its predecessor, Rialto 2 does not require a repeater, which greatly simplifies handling.

Rialto was already available for the original Venice. The most important difference with Rialto 2 is that it supports the new 8.6K of sensor of the Sony

Sumolight

The company spotlighted the SumoMax at the show. This powerful LED light has 19 hexagonal pixels and passive cooling (no fan). The modular and versatile light can be used as a keylight, hardlight, punchlight, spacelight or softlight, and also is suitable for use in virtual productions because it offers pixel mapping.

Special features of this RGBWW light, which is built in Berlin with predominantly regional suppliers, are its power output of 650W (1,350W in burst mode), and 20° beam angle, which can be extended to up to 12° with magnetically-mountable attachment lenses.

The hexagonal LED light can be combined in

ZEISS

Zeiss exhibited its various lens series at the show. The focus was on the Zeiss Supreme 15mm. At T1.8, it is fast and completes the series, whose individual lenses are known for their versatile looks and light physical weight. Zeiss highlighted the cinematic image look of the lens family, which is characterised by a subtle and harmonious focus gradient, as well as a warm and soft bokeh.

Interested visitors could also take a look at CinCraft Mapper. This is a digital service from Zeiss that provides quick-and-easy, frame-accurate lens distortion and vignetting data for the VFX industry. This data simplifies and accelerates post workflows www.red.com www.teltec.com www.rosco.com www.sonycine.com frames using a quick-coupling system. Then it is possible to control the LEDs individually or as a package. The power supply of the lamp is integrated, and there are touchscreen or DMX/Lumenradio controls. www.sumolight.com for digital compositing and match-moving – you can use the individually determined data from Zeiss to achieve a realistic and precise compositing result much faster. Usually, lens grids have to be recorded and processed to obtain such data. CinCraft Mapper instead provides this data directly based on the metadata (lens type, focus distance, aperture) of the respective shot. www.zeiss.com www.videndum.com

Red Digital Cinema lists 16.5+ F-stops as the dynamic range for Komodo-X. For recording, the camera offers Redcode HQ, MQ, LQ and ELQ at 6K and 17:9 at up to 80fps. Built-in interfaces include 12G-SDI, USB-C, and there are also lockable audio interfaces with phantom power. Also integrated are wi-fi remote control and cloud upload functionality. Also on display at the Teltec booth was the Red V-Raptor XL 8K VV, which was new at Euro Cine Expo a year ago and created a lot of buzz.

The Lion’s Fresnel lens is adjustable by motor, with a range of 15° to 70° possible. Thanks to the M18 Mount, appropriate accessories can be used with the lamp. Wireless control via DMX or Rosco app is also possible. There are additional control ports on the back of the lamp, Lumen Radio is possible too. The fixture is liquid-cooled and weighs about 27kg. It is expected to go on-sale in early 2024 and should be in the €8,000 price range.

Venice 2, and offers additional functions and control buttons. However, Rialto 2 can also use the 6K image sensor block of the original Sony Venice, which can be used alternatively on the Venice 2.

Another key attraction at Sony’s stand was the Creator’s Cloud. This is a platform designed to support efficient content production, sharing and delivery. The whole thing is a further development of the cloud technology and services that Sony has established in previous products.

The manufacturer showed an special IP65 version of the SumoMax, which can not only get wet, but can also actually be immersed in water, as Sumolight impressively demonstrated at the booth. With SumoLaser, the manufacturer also announced another future product in which a laser allows an extremely narrow beam of light (6,000K) with a beam angle of 3°degrees and with enormous range.

Compositing and match-moving artists can thus significantly speed up their work process. Zeiss offers this service online for a fee.