I can’t believe it’s been an entire year since we recapped the top blogs of 2017 – but here we are, just days away from 2019. This year we defused the glitter bomb, created a virtual ocean odyssey, and even went on the set of several Marvel-Netflix shows – all while launching some incredible new products. As the credits begin to roll on 2018, let’s pause and rewind to highlight the top blog posts from the past year.
In April we introduced MIX from DMG Lumière by Rosco – an LED fixture that revolutionizes how filmmakers will create colored light on set. We previewed MIX at NAB, where it won a Best of Show award from Digital Video Magazine as well as at Cine Gear Expo, where it won the 2018 Technical Award for Lighting Technology. In the fall we officially launched MIX at IBC, and shortly after it took top prize at the Cinec International Trade Fair, where it won the coveted 2018 cinecAward for Best Lighting Engineering. This Spectrum blog captures all of the features and benefits of our award-winning LED technology.
Another new product that was well-received from both the marketplace and our Spectrum audience was OPTI-SCULPT. We announced the first six OPTI-SCULPT patterns in May and introduced five more in October. Rosco has been coloring and shaping light for 108 years, and the new OPTI-SCULPT filters are a continuation of that legacy, enabling lighting professionals to accurately and affordably control the shape of their light.
I am still not sure who was more excited about this contest – Rosco’s internal teams who got to see all of the incredible gobo design submissions from around the world, or the contest-winner, Philip Treviño. Either way you look at it, everyone involved had a lot of fun and we appreciate everyone in our Spectrum audience who voted and participated in this contest. Philip’s winning design (as voted by all of you!) is now available inside the Rosco Gobo Catalog as R79727 Square Radiant. You can read all about Philip and his winning design – and explore all of the other finalist designs – in this recap of the Rosco Gobo Design Contest.
Glitter – the gift that keeps on giving! That is, until we published this blog that chronicles Costume Artist Denise Wallace-Spriggs’ technique for keeping glitter where it should be using Rosco CrystalGel. This blog solved a problem that many scenic artists face and it was shared over and over again by costumers across the globe. No longer must we live in a world where glitter flakes off of a costume or prop to shed its glory upon anything in its path. Thank you Denise for solving the glitter crisis and sharing your method in this Spectrum blog.
The filmmakers working on several of the Marvel-Netflix series chose to use Rosco SoftDrops to re-create a variety of New York City neighborhoods on their sets. In this blog, Cinematographer Manuel Billeter, Production Designer Loren Weeks and Art Director Toni Barton explained why they chose SoftDrop to create the realistic cityscapes seen in Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist. Head behind the scenes of these shows and explore how the Rosco Digital team worked with the filmmakers to create the background scenery their productions needed.
We were thrilled to announce on Spectrum when designers at Lightswitch specified our X-Effects LED Projectors to create realistic, simulated water effects inside National Geographic Encounter: Ocean Odyssey. This immersive entertainment adventure in the heart of Times Square takes audiences on a journey through the Pacific Ocean over one incredible night, and uses groundbreaking technology to enable guests to see, hear, and feel what it's like to live under the sea. Not only did the Spectrum audience like this story, but the international lighting design community liked the product, as they voted the X-Effects LED as a finalist in the Kit Category for the 2018 darc awards.
Swiss-based Photographer and Web Designer, Nathan Stampfli, was kind enough to tag us in several of his Instagram posts this year. One set, in which he used gels from his Rosco Color Effects Filter Kit to create 50’s-themed portraits, caught our eye. We liked Nathan’s compositions so much that we reached out to him to learn more about his work, and we shared what we learned about his technique on Spectrum. His images, lighting setups and techniques certainly resonated with our Spectrum readers as well, making it one of our most popular posts of the year. Thanks again to Nathan for sharing how Rosco filters helped him achieve his vintage-inspired lighting effects.
On behalf of everyone at Rosco, I’d like to thank you – our Spectrum readers – for subscribing, viewing, sharing and loving our blog articles. We look forward to sharing new techniques, solutions, and projects with you in 2019. Let’s create something brilliant together.
Lauren Proud December 27, 2018 Questions?
Vice President, Marketing & Digital Experience : Lauren Proud has been with Rosco Laboratories since May, 2014. Coming from outside of the entertainment lighting industry, Lauren brings a unique perspective to all things Marketing at Rosco. Her background includes growing up in a household where her father was a Creative Director, and her mother was a Photographer and Illustrator’s Representative, so marketing was in her sights from an early age. Having worked with iconic brands such as Campbell Soup Company and British Airways, Lauren is well-positioned to write for Spectrum about the dynamic world of Marketing at Rosco.