"In addition to 4K cameras, gigantic video walls, and multi-function control rooms, what sets ViuTV’s newly completed studios apart from the rest are their unmatched lighting capabilities. “The primary requirement in selecting the lights was to choose the best ones for color rendering,” said Lau. “We replaced the tungsten and opted for LEDs in a deliberate departure from traditional TV lighting, enabling us to achieve more artistic effects with varying color temperatures. Bearing in mind the modern style of TV production, we had to choose fixtures that would be on par with our 4K cameras.”
With more than 250 ARRI LEDs – including 100 L7-C and 120 L5-C lamp heads plus 40 S60-C soft lights – available to them, ViuTV is making good use of their new full-color LED studios to create flagship shows like King Maker 2 and Chill Club. When asked why they chose ARRI, Lau listed ease of use, tuneability, and color fidelity as the main factors in their decision.
“Having used a lot of ARRI tungstens in the past, our lighting staff are quite familiar with Fresnel lights,” revealed Lau. “They were pleased to find that the L-Series fits perfectly into their already established work practices and techniques. There was no need to adapt to new lighting.” But it’s a slightly different story for SkyPanel: Lau’s staff soon discovered, to their delight, that the revolutionary soft lights require much less effort to manage. “The lighting guys realized they won’t have to climb anything to change the filter or to adjust the effects. Every lighting set-up can be programed and queued within the controller,” he continued.