The vibe was electric, the music soul-stirring, and the roof was definitely raised with performances from guests like GasLampKiller, Jeremy Sole, and many others who stood in support of the industry during the strikes. But what made this event truly unforgettable wasn’t just the lineup of fantastic musicians or the ambiance—it was the groundbreaking technology we employed to capture it all: the RED V-Raptor 8k.

Unveiling the Finer Details

Low light is often a photographer’s Achilles’ heel. At previous events, capturing the intricate lighting, the expressions on the musicians’ faces, and the audience’s fervor was always a challenge. However, with the RED V-Raptor, renowned for its high-speed 8K sensor, our perception of ‘capturing dark moments’ changed. This cinematic powerhouse allowed us to unveil the unseen; details that were otherwise lost in the shadows came alive.

Technical Brilliance

The camera’s remarkable 35.4-megapixel sensor delivered a level of detail that’s rarely seen in cinema cameras under low light. Particularly given the V-Raptor’s impressive 16+ stops of dynamic range, we no longer had to choose between preserving highlights or shadows. Even at ISO 1600, this camera absorbed the available light, producing near-noiseless images (images used are without any additional noise reduction from DaVinci Resolve).

Real-world Performance

Words and technical specs can only convey so much. To illustrate the conditions this camera tackled: the main stage was only backlit by 4 Astera Tubes (2 Hyperions + 2 Titan Tubes), and the side soundstage had 18 Titan Tubes hanging from the ceiling. As the artists performed, we captured dramatic silhouettes while retaining exceptional detail and a vibrant array of colors—elements that might have been muted or completely missed with other cameras. With the V-Raptor, each moment’s vivid color and sharpness felt almost surreal.

A New Standard in Low Light Event Coverage

The RED V-Raptor has undoubtedly raised the bar in low light cinematography, marking itself as an essential tool for capturing events and festivals. Through its lens, we seized an experience where the RED V-Raptor has transformed our perspective on low light event coverage. The night may cloak the world in darkness, but with the right tools, it becomes a canvas waiting to be adorned with art.

This entire event was shot exclusively on the RED V-Raptor camera. All opinions and experiences shared here are based on our time documenting the event. If you’re looking to capture an event and need the camera to take on the night, email rentals@strayangel.com to put in a quote for the RED V-Raptor!

The post StrayLA Industry Relief Event | Shot on RED V-Raptor appeared first on Stray Angel Films.

One of the stand out features you’re going to notice off the bat, the InfiniBars hold insane versatility compared to other light gear. These lights are designed to be modular, which means they can be connected and arranged in various ways, making them ideal for any shooting scenario. Whether you need to create abstract shapes or maybe rig them in a long corridor for a practical lighting setup – with a variety of sizes and mounting bracket options – the InfiniBars fully adjust to the filmmakers needs.

Not to mention the bars are completely LED which means little to zero chance of overheating, extremely light weight, and easy to transport on & off set.

Quality of emitted light is also quite an important trait of a great light, and the design of the InfiniBars keeps just that in mind. Unlike traditional LED lights, which emit light in a single direction, the InfiniBars unique design allows them to emit light in multiple directions simultaneously. This feature makes it easier to achieve the perfect light quality, as the light can then be directed towards the subject from multiple angles, eliminating harsh shadows and creating a more natural look. 

The Aputure InfiniBars represent a significant leap forward in lighting technology, especially when you consider the possibilities with syncing these lights to virtual productions. The content that the InfiniBars yield is truly limitless. All in all with the capabilities that have been packed into these lights, the InfiniBars definitely hold the power to provide pro level performance without breaking the bank.

Whether you’re working on a small indie project or a big-budget feature film, the InfiniBars are a must-have on set, and we can’t wait to see what you create with them! Email rentals@strayangelfilms.com to start building your InfiniBar rental package today!

The post Aputure Sets a Higher Bar for Lighting appeared first on Stray Angel Films.

Astera’s fabulous new Helios Tube has all the features and functionality of the popular Titan Tube in a smaller, lighter and more transportable package. This powerful little tube can be mounted in places where the  Titan Tube might be too long or impractical to rig.

The super convenient Helios has 8 pixels and is half the brightness of the Titan Tube but with the same high CRI; making it perfect for areas like pop up dressing rooms, makeup stations at fashion shows as well as for lighting rooms, sets, and other spaces!

The colors, brightness, battery life and other elements are perfectly matched to those of the Titan Tube so combining the two fixtures gives seamless lighting coverage.

These powerful, flexible and extremely easy to use products are making a big impact in the worlds of film, video, promos, and television as well as in a whole range of events, rental and staging applications and some more esoteric public art projects.

For more information on how to rent the Helios Tube, email rentals@strayangel.com, give us a call or stop in for a demo. We’d love to see you!

Check out our Astera Collaboration Video with Owl Bot!

The post Introducing: Astera Helios LED Tubes appeared first on Stray Angel Films.

Both the Bee 50-C and the Hornet 200-C have the same groundbreaking Perfect SHOT color controls offered by the Wasp 100-C. These controls allow the user to adjust the Saturation, Hue, Output, and Color Temperature of the light, allowing for infinite color combinations, making sure you can customize your lighting to create the perfect shot, every time. The Bee 50-C and the Hornet 200-C also retain the Wasp 100-C’s unique form factor, including an adjustable yoke design and a 100mm body diameter. This diameter allows these lights to be combined with hundreds of existing photo accessories from various manufacturers including ProFoto®, Chimera®, Elinchrome®, and Westcott® to name just a few.

The Bee 50-C is a 40W Omni-Color LED, it weighs only 1.5lbs, is 5” ( 125mm) long and is brighter than a 300W incandescent source. It has multiple ¼-20 threaded mounting points allowing for easy rigging to cameras, drones, in practical locations and on stages and built sets. This small form factor, low power draw, and competitive pricing make this light the most versatile and cost-effective color-changing light source for travel and location production available.

The Hornet 200-C is a 150W Omni-Color LED, it weights only 2.6lbs, is only 8” (200mm) long and is brighter than a 1000W incandescent source. 2.5X brighter than the original Wasp 100-C this is the brightest single point source color-changing LED on the market. Hive Lighting offers a par reflector and adjustable Fresnel for the Hornet 200-C and it can be combined with a wide variety of classic light modifiers from video production like “softboxes” and “beauty dishes” from photography. The Hornet 200-C offers photographers a light source that is bright enough to be used for both still and moving image production while taking full advantage of a photographer’s existing equipment.

Hive Lighting’s new Omni-Color C-Series offers a leap forward in efficiency and versatility for entertainment lighting, bringing the revolution in color controllable lights to single shadow point source LEDs.

If you would like to use the Hive C-Series Omni-Color LEDs for your next project, email rentals@strayangel.com, give us a call or stop in for a demo. We’d love to see you!

The Hive Wasp 100-C LED with LensProToGo:

The post The C-Series From Hive Lighting appeared first on Stray Angel Films.

In addition to the added intensity and battery life, the new tubes include an onboard display on the back of the tube where you can make manual adjustments to the fixture. This is a great feature as you won’t always be bound to the app when you need to use the fixtures in more simple scenarios.

The Astera Titan Tubes were designed to integrate with the existing AX1 PixelTube system and controllable via the same Asterabox, App, and remote.  Titan Tubes are able to match the output and color of their older counterparts, which makes them a great supplement to AX1 PixelTube kits.

For more information on how to rent the Astera Titan Tubes, email rentals@strayangel.com, give us a call or stop in for a demo. We’d love to see you!

We cover the Astera Titan in our latest collaboration with Owl Bot!

The post Introducing The Astera Titan Tube: The Newest Innovation in LED Lighting appeared first on Stray Angel Films.

The Astera AX1 PixelTube is an  IP65 waterproof, pixel controllable, decorative LED RGBW baton that can be mounted or used anywhere. While it is designed primarily for event use, the AX1 could be used by filmmakers as either a substitute for practical light sources or for special effects.

The lights work with a specially optimized RGB color space: AsteraRGB. This system eliminates the need to control each color individually. Instead, the light calculates the optimum combination of all colors based on an RGB value. It considers each LED chip’s temperature as well as an optimal color rendering.

For more information on how to rent the Astera AX1 PixelTube, email rentals@strayangel.com, give us a call or stop in for a demo. We’d love to see you!

Check out the Astera AX1 PixelTube in action with our Owl Bot Collaboration Video:

The post Now Renting: Astera AX1 PixelTubes appeared first on Stray Angel Films.

Pocket Light Meter– Free

This app by NuWaste measures reflected light and allows for reciprocity calculations.  In the newest version, logs can now be uploaded to Evernote.  This app provides a high degree of accuracy when measuring exposures, and you can spot meter by just tapping on the screen.  It also displays your light in kelvins so you can set it to the correct white balance.  You can even hold and save images with the values to refer to it later.  This app has a very simple design and does not offer as many features as some of the other apps on this list.

Luxi– Free/$22

This app by Extrasensory Devices is free to download and can be used as a spot meter and measure exposures without using any accessories.  However, you have to buy the $22 Luxi For All Smartphone Attachment in order to use the app as an incident meter and to measure ambient light levels.  This app gives very accurate light and color readings, and you can even use the Luxi For All attachment in conjunction with the Pocket Light Meter and Cine Meter II to measure light in different ways.  One drawback is that this app requires calibration, and since not every device is made the same, in many cases it will need adjustments.

Cine Meter II– $24

This app is very versatile in terms of its functionality and features, especially when used in conjunction with the Luxi for All attachment.  It is a very accurate spot meter, and when used with the Luxi For All attachment, the app can be used as an incident meter.  The Cine Meter II offers cool features such as the ability to set shutter angle, ND filter compensation, and arbitrary filter factors.  You can also use the front-facing camera to take “light meter selfies.”  Here you can check out the app’s creator, Adam Wilt’s test results of the accuracy of his color meter.

Lumu– Free/$299

Like Luxi, the Lumu app itself is free and can be used as a reflective light meter without any accessories.  However, for more professional spot and color metering, you need the Lumu Power attachment dome that costs $299 and is not compatible with any other light meter apps.  This app has an incredible amount of features, including the ability to measure exposure, ambient light, flashlight, color temperature, white balance, as well as illuminance.  The Lumu includes a Cine/Video meter in which the settings and features are based on those within the ambient light meter but is geared toward setting your aperture and ISO based on a fixed shutter speed.

The post Top Four Light Metering Apps For Your Smart Phone appeared first on Stray Angel Films.

The Sky Panel series recently received an awesome firmware update, and with just the turn of a dial, you can scroll through the library of gels (over 277 from manufacturers like Lee & Roscoe) to choose the exact one you need. That could be a serious time saver on set!

For more information on how to rent the Arri Sky Panel, email rentals@strayangel.com, give us a call or stop in for a demo. We’d love to see you!

Check out the other updates the Skypanel has received in this ARRI video:

The post Hate Gelling Lights? Then You’ll Love ARRI Sky Panels! appeared first on Stray Angel Films.

The L7-C may be the most impressive LED light out on the market so far. Though it may currently be out of budget for some indie projects, the amount of time it can save really adds up. We believe studios are going to replace old lighting equipment with these soon as they probably have the most to gain. The lights use 75% less power than an equivalent tungsten light and also put off limited heat in comparison. That could lead to huge savings in electricity bills.

For more information on how to rent the latest LED Lighting Fixtures, email rentals@strayangel.com, give us a call or stop in for a demo. We’d love to see you!

Check out the video that our very own Josh Burrows put together to show off the new L7C:

The post LED Lighting: The Arri L7-C appeared first on Stray Angel Films.

Lowel claims that these new light banks are brighter than most similarly sized studio LEDs and have a much wider, more usable 50-degree beam angle.

Studios are beginning to switch over to a full LED set up due to the savings on power from the low light wattage and the use of less AC because the lights do not get hot. Because of this, Lowel is wise to get into this market and we can’t wait to see more from the company.

At the time of writing, the 800 has not been listed for sale but is expected to cost about $3,900.

The post Lowel Debuts Three Professional LED Light Banks appeared first on Stray Angel Films.