The film and TV industry, just like any other sector, is doing what it can to cut down on carbon emissions, including using environmentally friendly tower lights.
As you can imagine, a colossal amount of energy is used in making productions, from the equipment used to the transportation to get crew and staff to the site.
In fact, Time Magazine reported that movies emit an average of 391 metric tons of carbon dioxide for a small film and 3,370 metric tons for a large production. Simply making a blockbuster, therefore, emits the same amount of CO2 as powering 656 homes for a year would produce.
Therefore, any way to reduce the carbon footprint has become very popular, which is why an increasing number of productions are using environmentally friendly tower lights.
Here are some other benefits of doing so:
Reduced noise pollution
Using equipment such as hybrid tower lights has the added benefit of being silent. Instead of the constant loud noise that comes from the lights, they are almost soundless.
This makes it easier for the camera crew to pick up on other background noises, as well as the actors’ voices when shooting.
Powered from normal plug sockets
As they require less electricity, these lighting products can be powered from domestic plug sockets.
Although they are run by being plugged into either 16 amp or 13 amp sockets, they can still emit up to 127,000 lumens, which means the quality of the lighting is not affected by the low power usage.
Cost savings
Film and TV productions are not cheap, with Fast X, which was 2023’s most expensive movie, costing a huge $340 million (£267 million) to produce. This was followed by The Flash and The Little Mermaid (both at $300 million), and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny ($295 million).
Therefore, if there is an opportunity to save money, it will be taken. By reducing the amount of energy used on set, this will significantly lower expenses.
This enables the production team to remain in their budget or use the extra cash to improve other areas of filming.
Battery powered
Some filming requires tower lights that are lighter and more easily transportable. This is where using battery powered LED lights comes in handy, as these are not only great for remote shoots but they use less electricity as well.
Modern lithium-powered lights, such as the K10 360, are also around five kilograms lighter than older versions and much more compact.
At the same time, production crew do not have to worry about the length of battery life, as they can monitor fuel consumption remotely on their smartphones or tablets.
This means they will know when the battery is running low and when they should change it so they do not disrupt filming or miss some great opportunities because the battery has died and the light has gone out.