PROVIDENCE, R.I.—The Boston Media Center (BMC) is the definition of “bleeding-edge technology” for all that is broadcast news and sports. It includes affiliate locations for NBC and Telemundo, and serves as broadcast facilities for New England Cable Network (NECN) and Comcast Sports.

We recently hired Spectum401, a Rhode Island-based lighting design firm, to design and install lighting for NBC, Telemundo and NECN, as well as several specialized sets in the facility. Spectrum401 had previously worked with BMC to convert their original studio location to the NBC Boston station. We wanted the design for the new center to be flexible and adaptable with the ever-changing style of each brand as well as take advantage of the versatility of full-color lighting products as a key technology.

LIGHTING THE WAY

The BMC wanted to be able to move around their studios with ease to create new shots on the fly, and in addition to using full color fixtures, we needed a great soft light that would help fill the space and be flattering to the talent. There were many options on the market for fixtures, and after testing numerous options we found that Cineo’s LightBlade technology had a very versatile fixture lineup that could work in each application.

All three studios have their individual identity, but they are all based on the same similar lighting design concept. The talent’s face is wrapped with soft lights while firm back and side light fills in their figure. To do this, we specifically used the full Cineo LightBlade family to wrap the talent while using the ETC ColorSource family to add the firm back and side lighting.

The decision to use the LightBlade products as the source that would wrap the talent was an easy one to make because of the variable CCT with +/-plus green and the full range of an RGBW fixture. This allowed us to be flexible, subtly altering the lighting depending on the individual skin tones of each talent. Fixtures such as the LB800 gave high output from a great distance, enabling us to use less fixtures in a smaller footprint. We supplemented the rig with Cineo Standard 410 to fill in the rest of the lighting plot. The quality consistency of the various fixtures made it easy to mix and match.

CRAFTING UNIQUE LOOKS

Using Cineo fixtures for most of the lighting design while supplementing with the ETC ColorSource family made the entire rig extremely flexible; having it composed of full color spectrum fixtures allowed us to give each studio its own unique identity.

We were able to create an everyday base look in each studio. Then, without having to hang or refocus additional fixtures, we were able to create moody and edgy light for Breaking News, Special Election Coverage and Special Report broadcasts. This also allowed the rest of the BCM programing to use these studios while maintaining each program’s own unique appearance.

By using high-quality and fully versatile fixtures in our design, we were able to adapt to all the client’s needs.

JM Montecalvo is the CEO/president of Spectrum401 Inc., a bi-coastal lighting design firm specializing in themed entertainment and broadcasting. He can be contacted at jm@spectrum401.com.

For more information, contact Cineo Lighting at 818-777-1814 or visit www.cineolighting.com.

UNIVERSAL CITY, CALIF.—A partnership between NBC Universal and Cineo Lighting has resulted in the development of a new LED production lighting system, the LightBlade.

The LightBlade series of lights are available in three configurations: the LB50 stand-alone linear source; the LB1K, an integrated 4x4-foot soft source; and the LightBlade Ladder Light, which is based on NBC Universal’s backdrop lighting system. The 50 W, 1.5x48-inch light engines can operate in a variety of physical layouts, including stand-alone operation.

Additional features of the LightBlade products include reference-quality variable white light from 2700K to 6500K; color rendering with CRI>90, R9>95, and a saturated color engine that works with high-CRI white light.

More products are currently be developed for use on location and on stage.

NBC Universal and Cineo Lighting are showcasing the new LightBlade lights at Cine Gear Expo in Stage 14 at booth S126.