DMG LIGHTS USED IN LIGHTING SET-UPS FOR GANGS OF LONDON

UK-based

gaffer, Leopold Naessens, has worked on a variety of film productions, as well as a handful of virtual productions with Epic Games. On Sky Atlantic’s acclaimed Gangs Of London S2, he was harnessed the power and versatility of DMG Lights, where speed and flexibility were paramount.

Naessens joined as a gaffer on Gangs Of London mid-way through filming the second season, and had to adapt quickly to a production of rapidly changing schedules and location moves. He says he enjoys these types of challenges because it keeps him on his toes through the constant need to come-up with creative solutions.

One demanding aspect on this production was filming inside an LED volume where his team was tasked with shooting up to 12 scenes a day. They had a car rigged in the centre with driving plates surrounding it. For this scene, Naessens grabbed fixtures from the opposite ends of the DMG Lighting range: the compact DMG Dash and the powerful DMG Maxi.

He used four DMG Maxi Lights to highlight the entire length of the car on both sides, achieved by rigging two DMG Maxi Lights side-by-side with the two essentially creating one 8’ x 1’ light. He equipped the fixtures with a frame and softboxes to soften the light, allowing him to create a cloud effect to highlight the car. Attaching two DMG Maxi Lights together created the ideal sized light because it was long enough to cover the entirety of the car, but without it being so long that he had to worry about light spilling over.

In order to light inside the car, Leo placed the DMG Dash equipped with a DOT Round Diffuser to provide an eye light for the actors.

“The DMG Dash is ideal for situations where there isn’t much room to place a light, but you still need a little something to add to the scene,” he says. “They are small and uncomplicated, and I was able to rig them to the dashboard or the headrest.”

In a scene set in a shisha lounge, slimprofile, ultra-bright DMG lights were used for different applications. Naessens riggedup a DMG SL1 through the doorframe into the lounge to replicate sunlight, plus a DMG Mini to act as an overhead practical light.

The star of the scene, however, was a DMG Dash, which Naessens placed into a small charcoal oven to replicate firelight. The diminutive fixture was installed alongside a couple of actual burning coals, which sold the effect so well that even the gaffer himself thought they had lit a real fire inside the oven and worried about his equipment. Although it was a small effect, having the charcoal glow was essential, because the scene required an actor to throw some of the hot coals (which weren’t hot) from around the DMG Dash into the faces of their opponents during a fight.

Lastly, for a scene set inside a large container in a forest, the DP requested a large HMI for lighting the interior of the container. Naessens knew he could use his DMG Lights to deliver on the DP’s vision and save time. Whilst a crewmember was rigging the requested HMI, Naessens pulled-out his Triple DMG Maxi Lights that were already rigged together using the DMG Maxi Triple Yoke.

Naessens says he always keeps a Triple DMG Maxi rigged-up in his truck for this very reason. The sturdy but lightweight combination of three powerful DMG Maxi fixtures can provide more light in less time with less power than other traditional solutions.

In the time it took the crewmember to even begin assembling the HMI, Naessens was already showing the capabilities of the Triple DMG Maxi to the DP, who was impressed by the strength of the light when Naessens told him he only had it set at 12%.

Needless to say, they saved the HMI for another occasion and shot the scene with the Triple DMG Maxi, without the need for additional diffusion frames, larger stands or physical gels, and Naessens was able to devote more time to the director, his fellow crew members and the actors.