We recently announced Rosco’s exciting acquisition of the French LED lighting company DMG Lumière. Now that they’re officially part of Rosco, we thought we’d give you a closer look at the family affair that is DMG Lumière.
DMG Lumière's story began in Lyon, France in 2011 when Director of Photography Mathieu de Montgrand and his Gaffer Nicolas Goerg approached Mathieu’s LED-specialist brother, Nils, to see if they could create the LED soft light of their dreams.
For more than a decade, Nils had created lighting for the medical industry, building flicker-free LED panels used in operating rooms. Mathieu admired the quality of his brother’s LED light fixtures, and together they set out to engineer a slim, lightweight fixture for the film & TV industry. Nico, Nils, and Mathieu arrived at their initial meeting full of ideas and by the end of the meeting, their ideal LED panel was drawn on a piece of scrap paper. This little drawing would evolve into what is now the Switch range of LED soft lights… and that was the beginning of DMG Lumière.
The name DMG was decided upon to signify the partners joining together - "DM" for the de Montgrand brothers and "G" for their “brother-from-another-mother” Nicolas Goerg. Add the word “Lumière,” which means "light" in French, and DMG Lumière is born. Shortly after the start of DMG Lumière, Jean de Montgrand, the youngest of the de Montgrand brothers, was brought in as a partner to further develop the global DMG Lumière business.
From humble beginnings, the DMG Lumière brand grew significantly over the next three years. For the four business partners, the mantra never changed: "Lights built by technicians for technicians." As Nils states, "the clients in our business are technicians: DP's, gaffers and lighting engineers. Because our founders have walked in their shoes, we are able to make fixtures with their specific needs firmly in mind.”
Consisting of 3 distinct sizes, the Switch range offers lighting technicians bi-color fixtures that are robust and lightweight yet powerful. The mechanical engineers who designed the DMG Lumière fixtures are driven by fundamental requirements of the industry: durability, passive cooling (no fins, no fans), maneuverability and longevity. Additionally, all of the lighting accessories can be mounted directly onto the fixtures with quick-fit and spring-loaded systems.
The SL1 Switch is the original DMG Lumière fixture
Also known as the “problem solver,” the SL1 Switch features a user-friendly design that has proven to succeed on set time and time again. Gaffers (and their backs!) also appreciate its ultra-slim profile and the fact that it only weighs seven pounds (3.4 kilos) – both of which make the SL1 easy to move around set.
The lightweight & portable MINI Switch is exactly half the size and weight of the SL1 Switch. The MINI Switch provides impressive output for its size, making it an excellent choice for crews that are on the go.
The MAXI Switch is the largest and most recent fixture in the Switch family. Measuring in at 48” x 30” & 27lbs (1250mm x 754mm & 12.5kg), the MAXI Switch is still only 0.75” (23mm) thick – making it a fraction of the weight of other comparably-sized fixtures. The MAXI Switch was created at the requests of avid users of the SL1 & MINI who wanted a brighter and wider source. Built from two panels that are joined together by a smart hinge, the fixture folds together – making it easy to pack away and transport. The two panels can also be separated and work in "split mode" to form two independent light fixtures. The MAXI Switch also features the latest remote-control technologies, including DMX, Wireless DMX, and Wi-Fi / LAN.
Thanks to Rosco’s acquisition of DMG Lumière, the future is bright for both companies. It brings the entrepreneurial LED developers at DMG Lumière together with Rosco – the company that developed the language of color in lighting. Future products developed by this combined team will leverage the expertise of both companies to provide exceptional color and light from LED fixtures that are built by technicians, for technicians. To learn more about DMG Lumière and its versatile range of Switch LED soft lights, visit www.dmglumiere.com.
