Using ETC Source Four for Broadcast Lighting - Lamp Intensity vs. Color Temperature?

This sounds to me like the lighting spec was written by the video wall vendor. I'm not a video expert and I didn't stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night... but many LED wall processors have color temp settings. Perhaps the wall and processing they've spec'd does not have that ability and they're making this another department's problem.
 
Broadcasting Live Performance is a very large part of my job for a national broadcast network... You are not restricted to a static color temperature from the stage lighting. Period. You may be limited by the technology available to you which typically comes to the table from two sides "video"/"Theater". Video will almost always want it brighter because it's easier and Theater will almost always want it darker because it provides wider range and more emotion. If you have the ability to do a manual white balance of your cameras and the capability to shade/paint them using a vectorscope and calibrated reference monitor there is absolutely no need to achieve a static color temperature or intensity. 5600k at 100% intensity sounds like a nice forced AUTO WB level for a camera.... do you have access to the video side of the information, switcher and cameras? Chances are, and here's the sales pitch to your "bosses", balancing the photometrics correctly for both the eye and the camera should result in a better image for everyone. Don't force the camera/eye to do the work of the other. Adjust the image correctly and it will look great for everyone.

You're absolutely right! I may try to get to a good compromise with the video team. They use Ikegami camera bodies with RCU's for shading, and we also own video chip charts to aid with white balancing. Adjusting to the shading from the video end is alright.

I think the main idea behind wanting 5600K from the Source Four's is that this way, the LED wall will appear the same in person and on camera.
 
Well, the best answer is to just go to Source Four LED Series 2 Daylight HD fixtures or equal - 4000-6500 k. No filters or media now or to replace in future, no lamps to buy or replace, electricity and cooling cost savings. Now or later, you'll end up there. Compare to Chauvet Ovation E-930VW (or others @Ford ?) which by specs has a broader range. Elation CW Profile HP - fixed 5600k. Maybe others I'm not familiar with.
 
Hi Bill,
thanks for the shout-out. We do indeed have several customers who use the Ovation VW (Variable White) series for this very purpose.
Many of our larger House of Worship clients like them because they can easily change CCT on the fly. So, they start the room warm, and gradually raise the color temperature as show time arrives. Then they settle in at between 4200k and 4500k for their shows. I'm not sure why they landed in the 4200k range as opposed to 5600k... I believe they feel this gives the right balance between the live audience, and the video (really their larger concern). This way, when I-mag shows up in the shot, the colors match well between the stage and screen.

They specifically say they like the ability of the Ovations to match across fixture types (Elipsoidals, Fresnels, Battens, Cycs, and Pars), and that the VW fixtures can be used to mix colors (they're a custom 6-color system).

You can see some examples of how they use these at Life Church, and Church on the Move (I think).
 
When I was doing Pay Per Views and broadcast TV I made sure i was on good terms with the person shading the cameras. They can make or break the visual.
 
I do a lot of small corporate meetings that are video recorded, i-mag'ed and webcast, with a live audience. I use some CTB to get a "whiter" light, but the levels are anywhere from 30% to 60% depending on distance, how good the fixture is, etc. I could go brighter, but the people on stage are always complaining that the lights are too bright. The video people don't have a problem with the color or intensity. And there is usually a rear projection screen, not a LED wall, in the middle of the stage. You just need to all work together to reach a happy medium.
 
Also, Pay close attention to your Top/Back light.
You'll need to have a decent amount, to help your talent stand out from the background.

When we were lighting to 32-3500k, i used a lot of R54 (pale lavender) or it's LED equivalent, as it looked good to both a live audience, and great on I-mag. I'm not sure what color would be appropriate for Key-ing at 5600k.
 
Perhaps...a few ideas from an old TV lighting designer.
there are some pretty good ideas here.
Video walls color balance can be corrected easier that it will be to maintain tungsten lights using gel to get to 56k. I would highly suggest you try to convince them to at least dial down the video wall color temp to 35k if possible. I know this might be a non starter. but this will allow you to really have a lot more flexibility if you can adjust the wall and not the rest of the rig. It will be a balence of wall and what you are doing on stage for Imag always.
You will have to white balance your cameras anyway. To get them to match and to balance the resulting color on stage front light.
Also, make sure you can adjust the level of the video wall. the Luminance. If the wall is too bright, you will have to raise your light levels to meet that exposure on camera. Then the entire room is going to look dark. I ride my walls about 25%.
so what if you can't get them to touch the wall? okay
Instead of a bunch of tungsten lamps, have you all considered using 5600k LED ETC Source4 fixtures, Source 4WRDII's , or another brand of Daylight lekos for people's faces? Using Gel in tungsten light will require gel changes every week to maintain a daylight balance is a maintenance nightmare. Gels fade quickly and are considered a temporary color correction.
You could also do dichroic glass gell, but remember, gel really sucks luminance (how bright).
As for using different wattages for different luminance levels< well? yeah. that's what dimmers are for or in LED, dimming control on your console is for.
good luck.
 

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