When trying to determine precisely how a scene was lit, one of the best places to start is in the eyes. While you can usually tell a key light from the nose shadow, it's hard to tell if there was a fill light at all, or just natural wall bounce. If you can get close on an eye, however, you can see fill, if there were multiple keys, and what shapes those lights took. Shaping the reflection of a highlight has always been a fun game for DPs to play, hiding hidden messages in the specular highlights, and now it's easier than ever with the Spekular line of LEDs from Spiffy Gear. The units offer a nearly infinite array of methods for linking them together to create individual light patterns.

The basics of the light unit itself are solid but not exceptional. Flicker-free, aluminum and ABS plastic, and a CRI of 94 make them very useful, but these are also somewhat standard features in this day and age of LED units. The innovation in this system is the linkages, allowing for a wide variety of creative lighting effects that can be positioned and rigged in various places quickly and efficiently.

08-spk-aCredit: Spiffy

Of course, eyeballs aren't the only reflective item we work with in film, and while creating eyelights is cool, product photographers will also love the power of being able to create elaborate custom reflections in products on set with ease. Each unit is individually dimmable, and can be powered with wall power or with an available battery adapter. A kit of four in a case with various attachments and accessories offers a good portable solution.

Nofilmschool_spekular_1Credit: Spekular

Available for order now, with a basic kit running $650.

Tech Specs:

  • 94CRI, 96TLCI
  • 1500 luminous flux per unit
  • 30cm x 4cm
  • 335 grams
  • D-tap power adapter
spiffyspekularled
Cinematography & Cameras