Harbour Church in Pompano Beach, Florida uses a combination of Nanlite Forza, PavoTube, and MixPanel series lights for it's video production ministry.
Nanlite makes a broad, versatile range of LED lights and accessories designed to help all sorts of image-makers achieve their vision.
Producing effective videos in houses of worship is best handled by creative and dynamic thinkers, and the equipment they use needs to be as flexible and dependable as they are. As their work shifts from shooting warm, cinematic closeups of pastors sharing their messages, to capturing the raw essence of musicians performing in large auditoriums, their gear needs to be adaptable and ready to elevate the quality of their work — no matter what it may be that day. Daniel Boharic, a video producer at Harbour Church in Pompano Beach, Florida, has found a range of LED lights that are up to the task in the Nanlite Forza, PavoTube, and MixPanel series.
Daniel Boharic, a video producer at Harbour Church in Pompano Beach, Florida talks us through his lighting for video set up.
“Due to their versatility, their durability, and their price tag, choosing Nanlite was a no-brainer,” says Daniel. The unprecedented events of the past year and a half forced most churches to rethink their approach to livestreaming and remote faith, and Harbour Church was no different. “We realized last year that we wanted to put a big emphasis on our online, digital space.” This called for lights that created an engaging look, delivered highly accurate color, and could be relied upon for rock-solid dependability day after day. As a bonus, the affordability of Nanlite means they got more fixtures on the same budget.
One of the aspects that video producers like most about the Forza series is how much power they provide in such a lightweight and portable package.
The Nanlite PavoTube 30C and 15C have become favorite tools among those who shoot music videos because they are so eye-catching and compelling when used in-frame as practical lights, but they’re just as useful when used out-of-frame. When repurposing a church meeting room into a living room set for the pastor to reach his congregation at home, Daniel zip-tied several PavoTubes to the frame of the drop ceiling, allowing him to cast an impressive amount of light in a room with a low ceiling. Because the PavoTubes are adjustable from 2700K to 6500K, he was able to dial in just the right amount of warmth.
Daniel’s key light of choice for the living room set was the Nanlite Forza 300B, a bi-color LED that lets you easily adjust the color temperature from warm to daylight and everywhere in between, as well as dim down or crank it up to full brightness, and the 300B has plenty of punch when you need it. One of the aspects that video producers like most about the Forza series is how much power they provide in such a lightweight and portable package. The head of the 300B weighs only 5 pounds and it can be powered with V-mount batteries, so it can be a go-to light no matter where your work takes you.
For a backlight, Daniel used a Nanlite MixPanel 150, a versatile LED light that can switch between hard light, soft light, and striking RGB colors. The included metal barndoors were the only modifiers required to get the ideal amount of light on the rim of the pastor’s head, but a dedicated softbox with included grids is available separately for ultimate versatility. Like the Forza lights, the Nanlite MixPanels can also be powered by battery when needed.
The same range of lights can easily be adapted from a small room to filming a live band in a large sanctuary. A challenging task like this calls for a robust key light, and Daniel’s tool of choice is the Nanlite Forza 500 with a Lantern 120 Softbox for the maximum dispersion of pleasing, soft light. When you find yourself in a situation that requires a truly powerful light, nothing even comes close to the value provided by the Forza 500.
The PavoTubes are also extremely useful for shooting rock bands in large spaces. Daniel mounted them to basic light stands and positioned them with separately available Nanlite HD-T12-1-BHP tube holders, using the lights in-frame to add more interest to the shots, and to help light some of the musicians. In this case, Daniel decided to add some color, tapping into the 360+ different colors these RBG tube lights and provide.
The MixPanel 150 proved to be just as useful as backlights in the large auditorium as it did in the small room for the talking-head shots. But this is just one way to use these lights. They’re just as useful as key lights, ambient lights, fill lights and more. Want a soothing lavender hue across the back wall in a shot? The MixPanel 150 and MixPanel 60 will have you covered.
Hopefully this gives you a good idea how far Nanlite LED lights go to cover all your bases. When space is tight and you can only squeeze in a light at the top of the ceiling, and when you’re in a vast space and you need a single light to shine on a large group of people, Nanlite has an answer that won’t break your budget.
