In anticipation of the Canadian launch of the Canon EOS C700, Canon hired Cinematographer Carlos Esteves CSC to demonstrate the capabilities of the C700 to invited guests in the motion entertainment industry at Canon’s corporate headquarters in Ontario, Canada. What normally serves as part of the lobby area for Canon’s office was transformed into a live set. In place of a standard corporate-branded backdrop, Carlos went searching for an urban background with more curb appeal. While sourcing a cityscape SoftDrop for the event, his Rosco representative Steve Megaffin offered Carlos the chance to test out the Rosco Silk™ 110 and Rosco Silk™ 210 LED soft lights as well. Taking into account both his desired aesthetic as well as his limited space, the Silks fit the bill for a lighting package that was nimble, durable and capable of the output he needed.
Right out of the box, Carlos was impressed that the Rosco Silks delivered in a big way. “In all my years working as a cinematographer, I’ve come to appreciate the quality and dependability of lights that work as soon as you unbox them." He used a Rosco Silk 210 as his key with a Silk 110 as front fill and another as a kicker.
Since Carlos couldn’t control the greenish ambient light spill from the fluorescent fixtures in the side hallway, he needed to offset it with a warm fill and kicker. He set the Silk 210 key and Silk 110 fill to 3000K. The kicker was a little warmer at 2800K, and the white balance on the Canon C700 was set to 3200K.
“The color temperature of the Silks remained accurate throughout the full dimming range and helped me dial in the talent’s skin tones,” said Carlos. “These lights were very fluid and allowed me to light quickly and accurately to achieve my final shot.”
The Rosco Silk accessories performed equally as well for Carlos on set. He chose to use the Silk 110 Softbox and SnapGrid Fabric Louver on the front fill and the 45° Egg Crate Louvers on the Silk 210 key and Silk 110 kicker. Carlos complimented the advantageous design of the Silk SoftBox, which positions the diffusion farther away from the light fixture to provide a beautiful soft light with appealing shadows. The softbox coupled with the fabric louver helped Carlos direct and control his fill light in the confined set. He also appreciated the magnets on the Silk Egg Crates, which allowed for quick-and-easy installation and removal as needed.
Carlos was there to help demo the C700, but he also ended up fielding questions and interest about the Silks. He noted that the technical advantages and price-point of the Rosco Silks make them a smart and economical LED frontrunner – especially for “one-man-bands.”
“Cinematographers can expect a lot from the Silk 110 and 210, which deliver flexible lighting options in a variety of ranges,” said Carlos. “Because these units are battery-powered, portable, and contain the full color temperature range, you can dial in your shots faster.”
Thanks to cinematographer Carlos Esteves CSC for sharing his expertise and opinions about our Silk LED soft lights – both with us and with the attendees of the Canon C700 event in Ontario. Visit the Rosco Silk web page to learn more about all of the features and benefits of our Silk range of LED soft lights.
Sara Leeper March 07, 2017 Questions?
Sara Leeper is founder & owner of Walk the Moon Media, where she serves as storytelling consultant, writer, producer and video strategist. Sara transitioned into video production after more than a decade in Public Relations working both in-house and on the agency side with a focus on content development. Her career portfolio includes strategizing for companies including Red Bull, Disney Store and Nestle Crunch. Most recently, she was a communications manager at General Motors and oversaw media relations, social media and events for the western US.