Homebrew in Cape Town, South Africa, has invested in new Robe LEDBeam 150s for recording the most recent series of popular games show, Wheel of Fortune.

The LEDBeam 150s were specified by head of lighting Daniel Louw, who oversees all things lighting related for a few productions at the film and television production facility which is a bustling hub of creative activity serving the Western Cape and beyond. 

The 20x new LEDBeam 150s were delivered via the Cape Town office of DWR Distribution, Robe’s Southern Africa distributor and are rigged top and bottom of two large set pieces in Atlantic’s Studio for the current Wheel of Fortune production.

This follows on from another Robe purchase instigated by Daniel in 2023 involving ESPRITES which were used on Deal or No Deal?.

The Wheel of Fortune format has been going since the 1970s and is one of the longest running TV games shows, however this is the first series to be produced in South Africa, prompting massive hype and excitement, so the producers really wanted to ensure it was a great looking production and something special. 

The set was designed by Michael Gill. Rigging started in February, shooting began in March and this series will wrap up in September with 260 episodes.

Needless to say, lighting needed to be as flexible as possible.

Daniel received the set specifications from Michael and met with him and director Geoff Butler. The show visuals have all been designed with controlled lighting of specific areas in mind, including an amount of eye and camera candy effects, so with that in mind, he wanted a small, powerful, and versatile multipurpose moving light that could be integrated into the scenic elements. 

Six LEDBeam 150s are spaced out along the top of each piece each side, with 8 on the floor – and these have become a workhorse throughout this series.

Daniel has worked with LEDBeam 150s many times, they are one of his favourite small luminaires that offer “a beam and a wash at a great price”.

“LEDBeam 150 was a great solution in terms of size and functionality,” he stated, “They are very compact and low profile – essential to maintain the clean, modern, streamlined aesthetic of the show, the zoom is excellent, and they are well punchy enough to cut through all the key, set wash and other scenic lighting.” 

These small fixtures bring dynamics and kinetic motion to multiple shots and enable effects like camera flare and other cool optical tricks that are playful and fun adding to the atmosphere and general upbeat ambience. 

Daniel would have liked to use Robe fixtures for key lighting, but there was only so much budget available, and so he prioritised adding the LEDBeam 150s, which will also be added to the studios’ stock lighting. 

They have the shooting process down to a fine art that can be achieved in 45 – 50 efficient minutes. “We all know the desired looks for the different cameras and lenses and how to do this,” noted Daniel. 

Six of the nine cameras are on the floor with three in the roof space positioned at different angles, and Daniel notes that by using moving lights, shows like this can be beautifully lit with a bit of imagination and a lot less fixtures.