Jody Eldred Lights Auto Interiors With Litepanels

Litepannels have squeezed inside a new car with an award winning cameraman and director for their latest job.
To light the auto interiors and related interviews for content about a new KIA hybrid vehicle, Emmy-winning DP and DGA-nominated director and cameraman Jody Eldred tried out the Sola ENG LED Fresnel light from Litepanels, a Vitec Group brand.
The client, Source Interlink Media, is the largest provider of media content to enthusiast communities interested in automotive, action sports, marine and other niche activities.
"Having worked on SIM’s beautiful stage already, I had a good idea of the tools required to shoot in the cramped interior of any vehicle and make it look beauti-ful”Explained Eldred.
"Soft lights that don’t generate heat are important, because it's pretty much me, my camera, sticks and the lights inside the vehicle. In those tight spaces, small instruments are a necessity as is light control in terms of intensity, color and spill. With a wide array of Litepanels fixtures already in my toolkit, I knew the new Sola ENG would be pretty handy for this shoot."
"The Sola ENG was designed as an on-camera, 5600-degree Kelvin small light for ENG applications and its functionality far exceeded that" he adds.
"The form factor is that of a tiny Fresnel; only 4" x 4" x 5" (10cm x 10cm x 12cm) and like all Litepanels it is LED, so there is practically no heat, and very little power needs (30 Watts). I also love that it is dimmable (with no color temperature change) and has spot/flood capabilities. It also has a 10 to 70 degree beam angle and 100%-0 dimmer. All these features make for an incredible amount of control. All you have to do is choose how much punch you want by turning the two dials on the back, and you're off to the races."
"The Sola ENG comes with barndoors, 1/2 and full CTO gels plus a frost diffuser", he explains.
"It is a great tool. I hid it on the floorboard, dimmed it down just right to give a little glow in what would otherwise have been a black hole. I then turned it around to bounce it into a small white card to give a little illumination on the dark steering wheel and dash area. I had no worries of setting it on the seat or on carpet; no way it would burn or harm anything with its cool LEDs! Perfect. When it came time for the interviews, we mounted it on a stand with the included stand adapter and I used it as a beautiful, controllable hair light on my talent.
"I love tools that are multi-functional, quick and easy to use, easy to control and reliable. I like lights that are cool, have a lot of punch when I need it and can provide a beautiful glow at the twist of a dial. The new Sola ENG fires on all those cylinders. It is a very well thought-out system and I love it. Welcome to my toolkit!"
www.litepanels.com
(LB)