Last year I bought 12 Astera AX1 Pixel tubes for the movie, How It Ends.
The tubes were not available for rent in Winnipeg at the time. They were still a relatively new thing. I was able to buy them in the States and bring them to the job in Canada.
I had already worked with the Asteras on a national GE commercial shot earlier in the year. I was so impressed with their capabilities, that I decided then to buy them soon as possible.
The AX1s are definitely a specialty light, but at the same time, I find myself using them on almost every job. They are quick and easy to rig. A perfect light to keep close to the set.
The tubes were not available for rent in Winnipeg at the time. They were still a relatively new thing. I was able to buy them in the States and bring them to the job in Canada.
I had already worked with the Asteras on a national GE commercial shot earlier in the year. I was so impressed with their capabilities, that I decided then to buy them soon as possible.
The AX1s are definitely a specialty light, but at the same time, I find myself using them on almost every job. They are quick and easy to rig. A perfect light to keep close to the set.
The Asteras are RGBW with a high CRI. The have built-in
wireless, and built-in batteries. They are fully dimmable, easy to rig, and even weather
resistant with a IP 65 rating.
The Asteras can be control via Lumen Radio, or a
tablet with a transmitter. The software
for the tablet is amazing for complex effect that can be achieved that would
otherwise require a board operator and a board like a Grand MA.
Basic use of the software can be learned in a few
hours, but there is a learning curve. More complex use of the software
takes time. I am still learning new
features of the software which I have been using, and learning, since last
summer 2017.
There are many uses for the Asteras. I’ve used the tubes to quickly add some white
light when needed. Of course, the tubes
are great for party colors. One of the
coolest features, and what makes them pixel tubes; light patterns can move
along the tubes. Even more interesting,
tubes can be lined-up in a row and a pattern can travel the length of the
tubes. I’ve used this moving effect for:
fire-light, television light, police lights on a process trailer, and moving
street lights on a process trailer.
A couple videos of me playing with the Astera tubes:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BxcknL3klPdsOHQ0V2dJRzE0aWc
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BxcknL3klPdsS2JYT09pWHN1ZUE
A couple videos of me playing with the Astera tubes:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BxcknL3klPdsOHQ0V2dJRzE0aWc
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BxcknL3klPdsS2JYT09pWHN1ZUE
All my Asteras have come from Astera LED Sales:
https://asteraledsales.com/?v=7516fd43adaa
They have been great with quick answers to emails, and fast service.
As a gaffer with a small business, sometimes companies are not helpful. For example, I've emailed Arri Lighting a few times over the years. I have sometimes never gotten a response.
I expect in the future, we will see more and more lights like the Asteras that are completely wireless allowing us to setup quicker and with more control over the lighting.
PS: While using the Asteras on the movie Extremely Wicked, the grips came up with this clever idea; Astera clamps bolted onto pony clamps:
They made these in sizes #1, #2, and #3. They are great for rigging Astera tubes, and they work with Quasar tubes, too.
I have since made a set of magnetic Astera clamps, too. They work great. I had some concern that the strong magnetic field might disrupt the operation of the Astera tubes, but that hasn't been a problem.
https://asteraledsales.com/?v=7516fd43adaa
They have been great with quick answers to emails, and fast service.
As a gaffer with a small business, sometimes companies are not helpful. For example, I've emailed Arri Lighting a few times over the years. I have sometimes never gotten a response.
I expect in the future, we will see more and more lights like the Asteras that are completely wireless allowing us to setup quicker and with more control over the lighting.
PS: While using the Asteras on the movie Extremely Wicked, the grips came up with this clever idea; Astera clamps bolted onto pony clamps:
They made these in sizes #1, #2, and #3. They are great for rigging Astera tubes, and they work with Quasar tubes, too.
I have since made a set of magnetic Astera clamps, too. They work great. I had some concern that the strong magnetic field might disrupt the operation of the Astera tubes, but that hasn't been a problem.