IBC 2015 Tech: ARRI

With headquarters located in Munich, Germany, ARRI was founded in 1917 and an international designer, manufacturer and distributor of motion picture camera, digital intermediate (DI) and lighting equipment.

ARRI’s SkyPanel is a family of compact and fully tuneable LED soft lights, introduced at NAB this year and shipping in September as promised. The S60 is the mid-range model, while the S30 is smaller and more portable; both are available in fully color controllable (C) and remote phosphor (RP) versions. New accessories now greatly enhance the light controllability, mounting options, portability and application possibilities of these groundbreaking LED lights.

CONTROLLING THE LIGHT

Barndoors: The rugged and lightweight 4-leaf barndoor for the SkyPanel S60 and S30 allows light spill to be diminished and the beam spread to be broadly controlled.

Honeycombs: The Honeycomb 60° and Honeycomb 30° for the SkyPanel S60 and S30 control the light and reduce spill by restricting the beam angle; the honeycomb structure also helps to reduce the multiple shadows that typical square louvers would create.

Eggcrates: The 8-Chamber Eggcrate S60 and 4-Chamber Eggcrate S30 make the light more directional in the same way as the Honeycombs, but reduce the beam spread to only 60° and allow more light through, due to the individual cells being larger and deeper.

Snoots: These straight-wall snoots for the SkyPanel S60 and S30 feature a single chamber that reduces spill and allows the light to be directed towards a more defined location.

Intensifier Panels: This intensifier panel for SkyPanel S60-C and S30-C models increases light output by up to 50% while maintaining a soft, even beam of light.

MOUNTING OPTIONS

Center Mount Yoke: The Center Mount Yoke for the SkyPanel S60 and S30 is a ball-in-socket yoke that provides +/- 90° movement and allows the fixtures to be positioned in almost any orientation, including vertically.

Fixed Center Mount Yoke: The Fixed Center Mount Yoke for the SkyPanel S60 and S30 is a fixed 28 mm spigot that allows direct attachment to mounting hardware from the back of the SkyPanel.

Double Vertical Yokes: The Double Vertical Yoke S60 and Double Vertical Yoke S30 allow two fixtures to be mounted with one directly above the other.

DIFFUSION

Diffusion Panels: SkyPanel Lite, Standard and Heavy Diffusion panels have been developed to work perfectly with the S60-C and S30-C models.

Extra Diffusion Slots: The Extra Diffusion Slot for the SkyPanel S60 and S30 can be slid into the primary accessory slot or the additional accessory slot at the front of the SkyPanel Snoots and Eggcrates, allowing multiple diffusers to be stacked.

REMOTE PHOSPHOR

Remote Phosphor Panels: Remote phosphor panels for the S60-RP and S30-RP models provide six different color temperature options, from 2,700 K to 10,000 K, as well as chroma green light for lighting greenscreens.

LIGHTBANKS

Chimera Lightbank with Frame: This specially made Chimera Lightbank for the SkyPanel S60 and S30 is a professional-grade soft box that increases the light aperture of the SkyPanel by roughly 100%. Also available for S60 models only is a Chimera Shallow Lightbank with Frame, which is half as deep as the standard lightbank. 

DoPchoice SnapGrids and SnapBags: SnapGrids and SnapBags by DoPchoice have been specially designed for the SkyPanel S60 and S30. The SnapBag attaches to the front of the SkyPanel without a frame; it offers a large aperture and comes with 1/2 Grid Cloth diffusion. The fabric SnapGrid 40° provides directional light control by reducing the beam angle to 40°; it attaches to the front of either the SkyPanel or the SnapBag.

SPACE LIGHT

Space Light Silk Mounting Adapter S60: The Space Light Silk Mounting Adapter slides onto the spigot of the SkyPanel S60 and allows for the attachment of a standard 5 kW/6 kW space light silk and/or skirt. This simple system fits a wide variety of industry-standard space light accessories.

PORTABILITY

Battery Adapter Plates: Two battery adapter plates for the SkyPanel S60 and S30 help to create truly compact and portable configurations. The Anton/Bauer Battery Adapter Plate allows two Gold Mount style batteries to be attached to the SkyPanel, while the V-Mount Battery Adapter Plate does the same for two V-Mount style batteries; in each case both batteries are required to supply the correct voltage.

PSU Attachments: The Rail Mount Adapter attaches to the SkyPanel PSU (power supply unit) and allows it to be mounted to the rail mount system on the back of the SkyPanel. Alternatively the Super Clamp Adapter attaches to the back of the SkyPanel PSU and allows it to be mounted to a variety of objects, including light stand stems and trusses.

CABLES

DC, Mains and Safety Cables: A wide range of cables provides flexible rigging options for the SkyPanel S60 and S30. Specially designed DC cables of five lengths between 0.5 m and 15 m connect the SkyPanel PSU to the SkyPanel, while 3 m insulated rubber mains cables offering Schuko, Edison or Chinese mains connectors provide mains power to the PSU.