Zero 88 FLX installed in YouTube Studios
- Details
Projects Department, led by Peter Daffern, is an independent company specialising in a wide range of technical services for assorted entertainment lighting industry sectors including broadcast, and is well known for its adaptable and lateral thinking approach.
The three main studios at Space London are available for YouTube’s top creators and influencers - those with 10,000+ subscribers to their channels - to use for content creation and other related endeavours, offering a vibrant community, an imaginative workspace and well-equipped environment to encourage the production of more high-quality material.
When they needed a multifunctional lighting control package for the studios, PDL was contacted by broadcast consultant David Errock and initially taken on to offer production lighting expertise to the YouTube design team. This included Chris Lock, then YouTube’s engineering lead and his number two, David Livett.
The solution had to be slick and aesthetically pleasing as well as simply working efficiently, so getting a satisfactory end-result involved a degree of bespoke engineering including custom designed hoists for the larger studios.
For lighting control, they wanted to be able to run lighting in each studio space independently from within that studio as well as from a central control room.
Peter worked closely with Zero 88’s international sales manager Tyler Holpin on the specification and design of a practical system with intuitive control and all the required functionality for the busy studios.
“We knew Zero 88 would give us all the flexibility needed for this project,” says Peter explaining that the final lighting control system was developed over a period of months in discussion with the YouTube team.
“FLX consoles offer a great selection of features at a very affordable price,” states Peter adding that for their medium-sized TV studio projects, four DMX universes are usually plenty, so with the FLX / SCD Server able to handle 16 universes, there is plenty of headroom.
“Zero 88’s compact design also makes it appealing as control room desk space is prime real estate,” he adds.
PDL has used the FLX console since it was first launched in 2015 including at Fana Broadcast in Ethiopia; for Star Sports, in Mumbai, India; for the Gibraltar Broadcasting Company’s recently completed new studios in Gibraltar and at Chatham House, London for the Royal Institute of International Affairs . . . and many more.
Projects Department’s overall contract included two parts, initially they worked for the fit-out contractor, ISG, and installed the hoists, trussing and lighting grids, then the control system was part of a second contract via DB Broadcast.
Peter concludes: “This was a great project for us to see through and we enjoyed overcoming the different challenges creatively. Working alongside companies like Zero 88 allowed us to collaborate and find the most suitable professional equipment to meet the needs of YouTube content creators.”
