K5600 is certainly no 'Casualty' on set!

Jaz Castleton, the lead DP on BBC's long running 'Casualty', spoke to LCA about his choice of K5600 lights on the set of Casualty and how they have lived up to expectations. 

"I was first introduced to the K5600 product line by Nick Shapley from LCA, the UK agent for K5600.

At that time I was working on a project to move the long running BBC Drama “Casualty” from its home in Bristol to a brand new studio facility in Cardiff.

Part of the brief was to change from a “Tungsten Set” to Daylight sources, this was to facilitate the combining of the interior and exterior sets and also to explore the possibilities of more energy efficient lighting. This combined with moving over to HD on the light sensitive Arri Alexa camera meant we could look at lower powered light sources.

Nick was keen for me to meet with Marc Galerne MD of K5600 and felt Marc had a range of lamps that would fit my needs.

Well I wasn’t disappointed; little did I know that they had a range of Par and Fresnel HMI lamps from 200w to 18k with a very useful array of accessories, I was previously aware of the Joker Bug range but not of these accessories, they really enhance the versatility of the lamps.

Ultimately we specified a range of Joker Bugs of 200w, 400w and 800w with soft tubes and the Big eye attachments. They have proved to be the right choice with 5 months of service behind them they have lived up to my expectations.

They are compact, have great light output, have proved to be reliable and of excellent quality construction and even the Sound Dept like them, as they are silent!!!!

For Location Filming we also went for the Alpha range of 2.5K/4K and 18K Lamps. I particularly liked the innovative Quartz reflector technology this has led to a very light weight compact lamp head that competes directly with the competition, but with a couple of tricks up their sleeve’s, how about mounting an 18k vertically down with a 160 degree beam angle and a ¼ stop difference across that beam.

With the clear glass lens the Alpha lamps produce a stunning quality shadow due know doubt to that special reflector.

I’m really happy that I went with K5600 they delivered on their promise and turned around a large order in just a few short weeks, both Nick and Marc have been a pleasure to deal with and Marc’s passion for his product is clear to see, constantly on the lookout to improve and innovate.

I look forward to the surprises that K5600 will produce in the future."

 

 

  

 

Spotted at BSC!

The great and the good took the time to visit the LCA stand at the BSC show last weekend and all seemed suitably impressed with the new equipment on show - but perhaps not Nick's green jumper!

Marc Galerne from K5600, Nick and DoP, Dick Pope BSC (Me and Orson Wells, Angis, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging and Bernie featuring Jack Back, Matthew McConaughey and Shirley MacLaine)

Marc Galerne with Dick Pope checking out the K5600 Big Eye

Eddie Knight (left) Gaffer, Rigging Gaffer Dave Ridout and Paul Sullivan from Warner Brothers

Toby Newman, Barney Newman (back to camera) from Pixi Motion chatting with Stephen Murphy DOP

DoP David Higgs BSC chatting to Nick and Marc Galerne (hiding behind the Alpha 4kw)

Harry Higgins - Gaffer checking out the K5600 Big Eye

DoP, Mike Southon BSC (Air Buddies, The Nutcracker in 3D, TV Series The Little House)  looking at the Compact size of the Alpha 18kw.

LCA were proud to be showing a fantastic selection of new lighting products at the latest BSC Show held at the George Lucas Stage, Elstree Studios.

On show was the the new K5600 Alpha 1600 and Joker 1600 - the Alpha 1800 was used to light the stand from above, the innovative CineMagic Tube, Briese 330, H5 and globes, and the Litepanels Hilio, Sola 6 and 1x1.

Check out our stand, lights and equipment exhibited at the show. All lights are available at LCA - give us a call on +44 (0)20 88337600 if you would like to find out more or email us at sales@lcauk.com

Outside the George Lucas Stage

LCA Stand

Aerial shot of the stand

K5600 Alpha 18kw rigged pointing straight down

The K5600 products on display

The new Alpha 16kw from K5600

K5600 Big Eye

The Alpha 16kw with it's big brother
the 18kw behind

Briese H5 (5kw) tungsten on display clearly 

showing the 4 x 1250w bulbs

Briese 180 fitted with the brand new H5 (5kw)
tungsten lamp head 

Briese 330/Briese 90 cm Chinese lantern/
4x4 Dop choice snap on grid 

Briese 77, Briese 140, Briese 330 on display

Briese 90cm Chinese Lantern fitted
with a 2.5kw HMI suspended on a boom arm

Briese 90cm Chinese lantern and the Big Softie

The CineMagic Tube

Litepanels sola 6, 1x1 with chimera, sola 4 and Helio
 

The Litepanels Display

Kenny Galerne and Stuart Russell

Jurgen Thiele, Kenny Galerne, Stefan karle from Dop choice 

Daylight and Tungsten from the same tube! The new Cine Magic Tube is here

LCA – Lights, Camera, Action will be presenting the latest innovation in lighting equipment at this years BSC Show and at BVE London. The Cine Magic Tube (CMT) is a 32watt 60cm Plasma tube available in daylight or tungsten - from the same tube! The units can be AC or DC driven, DMX Controlled and either mounted and rigged individually or in 1,2,4,6 or 8 bank housings.

Designed and constructed in Germany by Cinesphere, LCA will be sole distributors of the CMT in the UK.

Key facts:

Dimmable to 30% 
With the external ballast, the CMTs can be dimmed to approximately 30% of their maximum output with a minimum change in the colour temperature (approx. 100° Kelvin). Operating at 40 - 70kHz all ballasts are flicker-free and camera speed and shutter angle can be adjusted freely. The ballasts can be switched from 18W to 36W which enables the utilisation of either 60cm (2ft) or 120cm (4ft) CMTs.

Compatibility 
The CMT is fully compatible with other systems. With mechanical and electrical adapters tubelights or ballasts of other manufacturers can be used.

Squashed Grids 
With two different coloured grids (silver or black) the light can be directed as desired. The grids are being fastened to the lamps with Velcro straps and are secured by two safety clips. 

Sturdy Design 
The design with a flexible shaft increases the lifetime of the foldable wings considerably. The wings serve as reflectors or barndoors and also protect the tubes during transportation. Metal edges reinforce the black housing. The inner wings are white.

Quick Release 
A quick release ball-socket bracket plate slides into an interlocking plate on the housing to speed up installation. The plate is secured by a screw. Two versions of the mounting plate are available: spigot or socket.

Security 
Each singular tube or the complete unit can be disconnected and reconnected from or to the ballast at any time without damage to electronics or the tubes. All tubes are covered with a splinter protection for more security in transport and handling.

Also available with the CMT is a range of flicker-free electronic ballasts, capable of dimming to 30% of the maximum power without any significant shift in colour temperature. The ballasts are capable of dimming T-8 tubes (18/36W) or other standard T-12 tubes (20/40W) and are therefore directly interchangeable with other fixtures.

For each bank-size there is a dedicated ballast. The Eight Bank version can alternatively supply two Four Banks or one Eight Bank fixture. The toggle switch allows for switching from 18W to 36W enabling you to have one ballast for either a 60cm (2'-0") or a 120cm (4'-0") fixture. On request all ballasts can be ordered with analogue and / or digital DMX interface for lighting consoles. 

With the additional mounting clamp the ballasts can be attached to a stand. This keeps the ballasts off the ground and protects them against damage. The CMT comes with a range of accessories including a range if different size bags, squashed grid in silver or black and a quick-release ball-socket bracket plate with 16mm spigot or socket.


Contact LCA on +44 (0)20 8833 7600 for more information or email sales@lcauk.com

No stage fright for the Joker Bug!

On a recent shoot, Stephen Murphy, DoP, had a very specific lighting brief from the BBC and Royal Shakespeare Company. Following a recent demo of K5600's Joker Bugs at LCA, Stephen decided to utilise these lights with a pleasing outcome:

"When I was asked to shoot the second season of "Shakespeare Unlocked" for the BBC and the Royal Shakespeare Company I knew I'd need a very particular kind of light to help me. I had seen the Joker Bugs at a demo by LCA-  Lights, Camera, Action in London and quickly realized that their compact size, powerful output and incredible range of accessories were the perfect combination. My creative remit was to deliver cinematic images while showcasing the existing lighting design at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. With limited time and multiple lighting styles to work within I used Joker Bug 400 and 800's direct and with both Soft Tube and Chinaball accessories, mixing both hard and soft light in a variety of rigging situations. Their flexibility and ease of use kept us on schedule and the beautiful quality of light gave us results we are all extremely pleased with"

For more information on the Joker Bug range, contact LCA +44 (0)20 8833 7600, sales@lcauk.com or www.lcauk.com.

For bookings for Stephen Murphy,  please contact Suz Cruz on +44 (0)1932 252 577 or visit
http://www.Stephen-Murphy.com to see his award winning Showreel

K5600 completes the Alpha and Joker Bug range.

Recent blogs have shown you the versatility of K5600's Alpha with the very helpful insight from DoP David Procter and Gaffer, Reuben Garrett. To complete the range of Alpha 2,5/4Kw and 6/12/18Kw, K5600 have launched the Alpha 1600w.

The Alpha 1600w features a new MSR 1600w UV-block bulb produced by Koto/G.E, and a G22 socket to reduce the size and weight of the head (less than 10Kg). The ballast is very compact (same size as the 800w ballast) and allow the system to be integrated in a Fly case. It can also run with 100Hz, 300Hz or Silent mode.
As the other Alphas, the 1600w can be used pointing straight down and offers the same versatility of use with its own Spacebeam and the open-eye mode (with just a clear lens for a 160° angle beam and sharp shadows).
The Alpha 1600w complete kit includes a head with bulb, electronic ballast, a 250mm Fresnel lens, a 10m extension cable, a barndoor and a fly case.

The Joker Bug 1600w will be available soon to complete the logical range of 200w, 400w and 800w.
Two types of reflectors will be offered: a traditional PAR beamer and a new lens-less zoom beamer,
offering a 10 to 60° powerful and clean beam.

Pictures below: Joker bug 800 vs Joker bug 1600

Ed Lachman visits DoPChoice at Camerimage

DoPChoice welcomed on to their stand at Camerimage, Cinematographer Ed Lachman.

Lachman has worked on numerous movies and TV series including Erin Brockovich, The Virgin Suicides, Far From Heaven and I'm Not There. He has recently worked on a TV mini series, Mildred Pierce and biographical movie of Allen Ginsberg, Howl.