Italian broadcaster Sky Italia is using space in an office building with expansive windows looking out on the Canadian city’s skyline for its coverage of the Winter Games in Vancouver. Due to the building’s low ceilings, the network is using Litepanels fixtures for lighting.
The studio space provided the live background that Sky Italia was looking for, a striking cityscape both day and night — but both rooms were relatively small (25ft x 25ft and 20ft x 20ft), with 10ft ceilings. They would be a challenge to light, provide power for and ventilate.
Litepanels LED Bi-Focus fixtures were chosen for the job. The network liked the lamp’s ability to vary the beam angle from flood to a 30-degree spot, and dimming from 100 percent to zero, with no noticeable change in color temperature. Plus, they generate no heat. The Sky Italia crew controls both focus and dimming via DMX control with a Strand Lighting MX console.
To allow use of their studios 24/7, Sky Italia installed Rosco View polarizing sheets to the window behind the presentation desk. This allows them to control the outside light the camera sees by rotating a Rosco View polarizing filter. Because the background behind the windows is outdoors, Sky Italia chose daylight Litepanels fixtures to color balance with that exterior.
The Litepanels fixtures in the larger studio draw a total of 600W, while the smaller studio’s lighting package draw just 300W. In either room, the lighting package will require less than a quarter of the capacity of a standard 20-amp wall circuit.