GMTV, the popular British morning show that airs live, recently underwent a set redesign. i-Vision supplied two different fixtures from its new Lumos LED range to light the set, marking the first time in the UK that architectural Luxeon LED lighting has be permanently installed into a TV set to perform color-changing facilities.
GMTV, which attracts 6 million viewers each morning, is the longest live broadcast currently on UK TV. Therefore, the look of show must be eye-catching and stimulating to draw viewers back each morning and keep them interested throughout the three and a half hour program. Since it is live television, the ability to change the color and feel of the set at the touch of a button is also very necessary. Unexpected events, guests, or performers pop up every day and the lighting department is constantly on standby to "rock ‘n’ roll" if necessary.
GMTV's long-term lighting director John Allard specified i-Vision's Lumos LEDs to meet his needs. Allard chose 51 Lumos 3 down-lighters and 12 Lumos strips. Allard was keen to utilize LEDs because of their rich color range and diversity, their energy efficiently and robustness, but also because it is a new concept for installed TV sets.
i-Visions LED lighting is used to create different color hints and identities for the three different sections of the show–the News, the main magazine program, and the women’s section, LK Today, which has its own separate set. The News program is hinted with blue, the main program with orange and LK Today with a glorious, rich, feminine purple (all interchangeable by request).
The Lumos Drive 36 is a recent "TV friendly" driver system addition to i-Vision’s Lumos range of LED products. Using PWM (pulse width modulation), LED’s are pulsed at a far greater frequency than previously available (2500-4000Hz as opposed to 50-60Hz). This enhances the smoothness of the RGB color change so it interacts with modern TV cameras without flicker.
Allard is delighted with the results. "It’s meant a vast reduction in the amount of fixtures I need to achieve the same result–a huge asset when working in a small studio like this," he says, "and it’s a huge leap forward in terms of being able to stretch the imagination and dynamics of the show’s lighting."
The Lumos fixtures were installed and rigged by Allard’s LX team of Jon Harris, Jo Hornagold, and Matt Covely.