Cinematographer and Rosco Ambassador Vance Burberry ASC, ACS recently took the Rosco X-Effects LED Projector for a spin with a goal to create a couple of simple but stylized music video lighting setups. The X-Effects features two rotating glass gobo slots where the gobos are off-center of each so that the beam is shining through just the edge of the gobo.
The fixture is available in a color-mixing RBGW unit, but Vance kept his lighting setups simple and lit his scenes with the X-Effects HO 5500K white light fixture. While this model can be controlled via DMX, the fixture also has easy-to-use manual controls, allowing set lighting technicians to easily create “moving light effects” without all the additional gear and cabling that actual moving lights require.
Take a look at the three dreamy music video lighting setups that Vance created below.
For the first setup, Vance staged the X-Effect Projector with a cyan filter in the background and combined it with a very soft key light. The flares coming from this ethereal backlight added layers of dimension to the shot as they shone through the actor’s dancing and arm movements.
For the second setup, Vance aimed the X-Effects Projector directly at the talent and used it as a key light with motion. By using the X-Effects as the only light source, he created a fantastical effect that made it feel like the talent was underwater.
Vance kept the X-Effects Projector as the key light and added a hard light shining through a window to add more depth to the overall image. Layering the X-Effects Projector with other fixtures can create an array of stylized and atmospheric lighting setups.
Watch this video to see how the X-Effects works, then click here to see a library of other effects.
The X-Effects Projector can create a variety of different cinematic lighting effects simply by changing its location on set, combining it with other fixtures, or by adding color. An entire world of other effects can be achieved by swapping out the rotating Dynamic Gobos inside the fixture with other Rosco Image Glass or ColorWave Gobos. With a little testing and imagination, you can create virtually any lighting effect your shot might need and build a uniquely layered lighting setup for any genre.
Vance Burberry ASC, ACS has countless commercial, feature film, and music video credits to his name. To see more examples of his work, visit vanceburberry.com or follow @vanceburberrydp on Instagram. If you would like to learn more about the fixture Vance used in the above lighting setups – please explore the X-Effects product page on the Rosco website and be sure to ask for the Rosco X-Effects Projector at your local rental house.