Robe goes to the movies with RS Images

Ryan Schaminee, owner of RS Images, is a busy Netherlands-based freelance gaffer and lighting console programmer/operator working on a diversity of commercial, television and movie projects who has invested in his own set of six Robe iFORTE LTX moving lights fitted with the HCF (High Colour Fidelity) LED engine for use on his numerous projects.

Ryan – who was born and raised in the beautiful Caribbean island of St Martin before moving to Amsterdam initially to study – likes to be an industry trailblazer and has built a reputation for being innovative and creative in a career that is also his passion.

Ryan already owned a moderate amount of DMX lighting fixtures and control consoles and would hire in a variety of other lights as and when needed, primarily from film lighting rental specialists like Het Licht. However, as moving lights are still relatively scarce in the film and TV world, as a lighting programmer and operator, he had for some time wanted to bring the concept of them more into the picture.

That said, this was a massive commitment for an individual to make, and a great endorsement of Robe’s premium products.

The investment is already paying off for Ryan, who uses his iFORTE LTXs constantly on all types of projects: “It’s taken quite some time and some serious persuasion to get moving lights accepted on sets, but once DoPs, gaffers and directors can see for themselves what can be achieved and how quickly the team can work with them … there is now a growing demand!”

With less demand in this discipline and limited investment from film lighting rental companies in moving lights, Ryan identified both an immediate income opportunity and a way to significantly enhance the technical quality of shoots.

Film lighting culture also went through a substantial shift during COVID, when virtual shoots and streaming expanded, with both genres calling for new and different approaches to lighting. “Having moving lights to help create these environments made the whole production process better, smoother, and more efficient,” stated Ryan, who still thought long and hard before making the choice of fixtures to purchase.

Ryan has used different Robe products in his work since the T1 was launched in 2018 and had visited the Robe factory two years previously on a trip organised by Robe’s Benelux distributor, Controllux, where he was inspired by the quality of the production facility as well as the general vibes and setup.

“The technology they are building there is really different and interesting. Robe listens to feedback from end users, and visiting the factory also gave me great insight into what Robe is all about as a company and a brand,” he noted.

Colour mixing, perfect skin tones, and high CRI are vital in film, TV and commercials, and Ryan believes that Robe lights are a market leader here.

He wanted a light that could mimic plenty of effects like natural light flowing in through windows, trees, and other objects, and for creating reflections, refractions, and finessing other subtle but beautiful complex water effects, for which the iFORTE LTXs have plenty of features and scope.

The lights had to be energy efficient and sustainable, so the iFORTE LTX ticked these boxes. They also had to be pole or tripod-mountable to make them viable as a gaffer’s tool, as trussing is not always available, and they needed to be adaptable enough to use both in studios and on location.

He experimented with a unit and discovered that iFORTE LTXs would fit on a Long John stand, which currently elevates to 4 metres and is a basic minimum gaffer’s toolkit requirement, and they had to be capable of being rigged on a cherry picker: “Basically, the lights I wanted had to be practical and usable in multiple scenarios.”

In addition to all of these considerations, the lights had to be robust and reliable, and that’s just one place where Robe’s reputation goes before it!

As well as using the iFORTE LTXs on his own jobs, Ryan has had plenty of interest from other gaffers and lighting operators who want to see how they work.

Ryan is based in Amsterdam and works extensively around the Netherlands, Europe, and other parts of the world, honing his craft and bringing new tech to his art where possible. He enjoys the people and the intense teamwork involved in film and TV productions, as well as the chance to be properly imaginative with lighting. He gets the chance to work in many cool locations and spaces and personally loves sci-fi and horror genres, in part for the huge latitude they offer for creative lighting detail!

Photo credit: Louise Stickland.