If you aren’t that familiar with the company Digital Sputnik you probably should be. Their LED lighting solutions have quickly become a favourite of many DPs, and have been used on such films as Star Wars: Rogue One, La La Land, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. You can hear DP Greig Fraser ASC, ACS talk about using Digital Sputnik lights on the Go Creative Podcast here.
The companies latest lighting product is called Voyager. Voyager is a smart lighting source with pixel-level control and a built-in animation engine. It is easy to set up, and comes with a LightGrading app that allows you to control any number of Voyager units from your smartphone.
The LED lights are slim and narrow, and come in lengths of 24″ and 48″. The lights are suitable for use in tight spaces, and could easily be positioned inside scenes as practical sources. The Voyager has a built-in battery and a low power draw so you can use it for long periods of time without having to recharge it. The fixture itself is also waterproof and can be used even when fully submerged.
The included LightGrading software looks to be very well thought out and easy to use. Not only does it allow you to control the lights from your smartphone but you can also position your lights in the scene and snap pictures of the lighting setup and your lights will be detected and mapped automatically. You can then Pick a color and draw on the image as with a “light brush”. You then use the timeline to give the lighting design its’ final touch. Every single light brush stroke can be animated, copied and modified on the timeline.
The professional lighting industry has used light controller boards for remote operation of lights for over three decades. Digital Sputnik has spent countless hours to come up with an interface that would provide the same flexibility with a much simpler learning curve. The software is compatible with other manufacturers’ fixtures through ArtNet, sACN and RDM protocols.
The Voyager looks to be a really good creative lighting solution that is extremely flexible in its uses. Not only are they battery powered and remote operated, but the price seems to be very reasonable for what you get. The 48″ version will retail for $590US an the 24″ version will be $390US.
Specifications
Voyager 2ft
Dimensions: 696x70x50mm (24″x2.8″x2″)
Resolution: 32pixels
Weight: 1.1kg (2.43lbs)
Power draw: 20W
Battery: 45Wh
Price: $390US
Voyager 4ft
1392x70x50mm (48″x2.8″x2″)
Resolution: 64pixels
Weight: 2.2kg (4.86lbs)
Power draw: 40W
Battery: 90Wh
Price: $590US
LightGrading™ Software
