American Cinematographer - December 1970 - 43

(patent pending), shown for the first
time at Photokina 1970, is a unique
piece of equipment calculated to meet
every one of the requirements enumer¬
ated above. It was designed by noted
New York cinematographer Ross
Lowell, president of Lowel-Light Photo
Engineering, who says of it: "A lot of
the equipment I've designed has been
created to fill my own personal needs as
a cameraman shooting on location.
Much of the studio lighting equipment
is well thought-out and efficiently de¬
signed for use on sound stages, but is
simply too hard to handle on location.
Soft light units are especially cumber¬
some for such usage. Umbrellas are
often helpful, but they lack the control¬
lability required to cope with the spill
light. I've never run across a barndoor
system that would work with an um¬
brella. Barndoors, even when used with
a soft light unit, make possible a subtle
kind of shading that is valuable-as, for
example, when you want to reduce the
light on a white dress an actress is
wearing. At the very least, you do need
barndoors (or some other type of cut¬
ter) to protect the lens from glare."
Barndoors, incidentally, have been
designed as integral accessories to the
new LOWELL SOFT LIGHT, although
they are listed as optional equipment.
However, the unit boasts other features
that are considerably more important. It
is five times lighter and considered to be
far more versatile than conventional soft
light units. Equally significant, it is
rated as twice as efficient in light
output.
The Lowell Unit folds up into a
fraction of its working size. It opens,
ready for use, in seconds. There are no
separate lights to attach and balance-as
with umbrella rigs.
The standard reflecting surface is

quickly removable and a bright silver
one substituted. The Lowell Soft Light
is bright enough to use as a key or fill.
Ten feet away, it provides 70 foot-can¬
dles, from only two 500-Watt lamps,
but this is equivalent to a 2000-Watt
conventional unit. It uses 50% less
amperage for the same output.
Weighing approximately 7 pounds
(instead of 36 or 40), it attaches effort¬
lessly to the top of a door or floor-toceiling pole, and because it is only 71/2
inches deep, it occupies far less shooting
space than umbrella rigs.
Three Lowell Soft Lights and acces¬
sories fit into a carry-case measuring
only 101/2" x 17" x 30".
The unit consists, basically, of an
electrical core positioned inside a wire
and metal frame that is hinged in several
places to permit the entire rig to fold
quite flat. There is a yoke with a
standard 5/8ths-inch stud which makes
it possible for the light to be mounted
onto existing stands or floor-to-ceiling
poles. The yoke and stud are also
compatible with the Lowel-Link stand
(weighing about three pounds), which
will easily support two of the Lowell
Soft Lights mounted side by side,
through the use of an adaptor.
Because technicians often don't like
to take the time or trouble to remove
lamps when a light is being packed for
transport, Lowell has attached to the
electrical core two small metal flanges
that fold down over the glass lamps to
prevent them from being broken by
striking against other metal when the
unit is being transported.
To obviate the necessity for using
gloves to adjust the light when the
lamps are burning, two large bakelite
knobs have been provided. These can be
easily grasped for panning and tilting.

Side view of the unit, with frame and top and
bottom barndoors folded out, but lacking side
pieces, fabric reflector shell and side barndoors.

Continued on Page 1232

(ABOVE RIGHT) Single-unit Lowell Soft Light can be carried in case not much larger than attache case. (BELOW LEFT) Electrical core of unit
holds two 500-watt tungsten-halogen lamps, with metal flanges that fold down to protect lamps during transport. (RIGHT) The Lowell Soft Light
ready for use and, next to it, another unit folded flat, ready to be packed for transport.

American Cinematographer - December 1970

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Cinematographer - December 1970