What type of tubes

[neilwf]

If you can bear to look at this video

It's a live performance, there are obviously some tubes built into the the floor and back wall of this set. To me they look like some form of LED fitting, if you look carefully you can see the joins. Does anyone know exactly what type and who makes them. They may be custom built which would make it a very expensive set. Some one I know is convinced they are fluorescent tubes but I don't see how florescent tubes can be controlled that precisely.

Anyone have any thoughts?

[Dave m]

Aren't they just RGBW led tape with a diffuser? Then run through DMX?Normally. You would see the individual LED's but with a diffuser they might merge?

[Young Johnstone]

Could probably be Martin Sceptron. I didn't study the video, but it's the one fixture I'd expect it to be.

[neilwf]

Could probably be Martin Sceptron. I didn't study the video, but it's the one fixture I'd expect it to be.

 

Thanks mate, These are certainly the best candidate I've seen. I just wonder whether or not you'd get that brilliant white with RGB.

 

Aren't they just RGBW led tape with a diffuser? Then run through DMX?Normally. You would see the individual LED's but with a diffuser they might merge?

 

This is the custom built idea I had though of, but I wonder if you'd get that level of intensity and control.

[timsabre]

This is the custom built idea I had though of, but I wonder if you'd get that level of intensity and control.

 

You can't really tell how intense it is from a controlled video situation like that, if you use the right camera settings you can make anything look bright. WS2812 pixel tape with diffusion tubes could definitely do that.

[neilwf]

This is the custom built idea I had though of, but I wonder if you'd get that level of intensity and control.

 

You can't really tell how intense it is from a controlled video situation like that, if you use the right camera settings you can make anything look bright. WS2812 pixel tape with diffusion tubes could definitely do that.

 

So the bright white flashes are as much to do with the camera as the tubes, Interesting! thanks for the info.

[ImagineerTom]

In any pop video or movie you can safely assume that every single frame of footage has been retouched / processed / enhanced / recoloured extensively. For drama / soap / entertainment shows you can assume that some processing / retouching / enhancement has been done to parts of what you're seeing - certainly in that clip they are deliberately over-exposing the cameras to heighten some of the effects the tubes generate and I’m fairly sure there’s some pick-up shots inserted in to the “live” broadcast

You should also remember that for movies / commercials / pop videos it's the industry norm to Average only 1min of broadcast footage for ever full day of filming so we say say with almost absolute certainty that even the people in the room when it was being filmed didn't see that many effects, transitions and seamless synchronisation in real time. In real world situations you could get a good approximation of this effect with several different brands of tube light or ws2812 type addressable pixel system and a good meaty controller with pixel mapping but it will be surprisingly expensive and time consuming relative to the impact it will have on the audience.

[kitlane]

Perhaps the LD can tell you? Worth a go.

 

Fredrik Jönsson

Eyebrow Designs

 

Blog

[timsabre]

Also note how the person is very subtly lit from the sides only, this helps with the contrast on the back tubes as there is no light scatter onto them.

[neilwf]

In any pop video or movie you can safely assume that every single frame of footage has been retouched / processed / enhanced / recoloured extensively. For drama / soap / entertainment shows you can assume that some processing / retouching / enhancement has been done to parts of what you're seeing - certainly in that clip they are deliberately over-exposing the cameras to heighten some of the effects the tubes generate and I’m fairly sure there’s some pick-up shots inserted in to the “live” broadcast

You should also remember that for movies / commercials / pop videos it's the industry norm to Average only 1min of broadcast footage for ever full day of filming so we say say with almost absolute certainty that even the people in the room when it was being filmed didn't see that many effects, transitions and seamless synchronisation in real time. In real world situations you could get a good approximation of this effect with several different brands of tube light or ws2812 type addressable pixel system and a good meaty controller with pixel mapping but it will be surprisingly expensive and time consuming relative to the impact it will have on the audience.

As I said in my post this was live, broadcast live on SVT 1 in Sweden, part of Melodifestivalen.

Neil

 

 

[ImagineerTom]

Real time video adjustment to heighten “live” broadcasts has been available for 20 years and is readily used in the ESC in recent years.

We can also see that AT THE VERY LEAST the exposure / white balance of the cameras has been messed with to heighten the effect. If you were stood there watching it live you wouldn’t be seeing as clean an effect as the people watching through a camera would - this is of course an important part of the skill and tools a tv lighting director uses because his job is to make the performance look amazing for the people at home often at the expense of the live viewers.

 

I agree this video hasn’t been framed by frame retouched in post but it definitely has been messed with to the extent that you won’t be able to create the exact same effect “live” and it definitely is the result of around 100 highly skilled professionals working flat out for several weeks just to create the 2:30 pop performance. As I also said you can get a good approximation of the effect using addressable pixel tape but you’re going to be surprised just how expensive and complicated it gets scaling the stuff up to stages of this size. I’ve recently worked on a show that had a set using a couple of hundred meters of addressable pixel - there were 3 people working on nothing but installing / maintaining / operating the stuff and we still had a lot of down time as they reprogrammed changes.

[neilwf]

Perhaps the LD can tell you? Worth a go.

 

Fredrik Jönsson

Eyebrow Designs

 

Blog

 

thanks I'll give it a go

 

Real time video adjustment to heighten "live" broadcasts has been available for 20 years and is readily used in the ESC in recent years.

We can also see that AT THE VERY LEAST the exposure / white balance of the cameras has been messed with to heighten the effect. If you were stood there watching it live you wouldn't be seeing as clean an effect as the people watching through a camera would - this is of course an important part of the skill and tools a tv lighting director uses because his job is to make the performance look amazing for the people at home often at the expense of the live viewers.

 

I agree this video hasn't been framed by frame retouched in post but it definitely has been messed with to the extent that you won't be able to create the exact same effect "live" and it definitely is the result of around 100 highly skilled professionals working flat out for several weeks just to create the 2:30 pop performance. As I also said you can get a good approximation of the effect using addressable pixel tape but you're going to be surprised just how expensive and complicated it gets scaling the stuff up to stages of this size. I've recently worked on a show that had a set using a couple of hundred meters of addressable pixel - there were 3 people working on nothing but installing / maintaining / operating the stuff and we still had a lot of down time as they reprogrammed changes.

 

Hi I'd almost discounted the idea of a few hundred metres of addressable pixel tape because it would be prohibitively expensive to install and program. I'm increasingly coming to the conclusion that it's probably the only way. I'm now sure you're right about a lot of the effects being "in Camera" for the want of a better phrase. While there may have been 15,000 in the arena there there where several million watching at home, who will take precedence.

Thanks for your input.

 

Also note how the person is very subtly lit from the sides only, this helps with the contrast on the back tubes as there is no light scatter onto them.

 

Yeah I'd clocked that there's some sort of "shinbuster" at either end. though it's certainly not a wide angle Source Four profile!

[the kid]

Mello is kinda a big hairy deal. 1/3 of the population watches.

 

IF you get no luck let me know, I am sure I have some contacts who worked the show or know someone who does. But having seen them at prolight and knowing Sweden I would more than a little hazard they are Sceptron units.

[neilwf]

I've had no luck contacting the LD, but he's obviously a busy man and it's not that important. I may not know the "nuts &bolts" of it but, I now know the method. Thanks Guys.