Robe UK has joined the ‘albert’ Initiative … a UK-based BAFTA (British Academy Film & Television Arts) owned and industry run organisation which is dedicated to raising awareness and empowering professionals and companies working in film, television, commercial and other screen-based media productions to operate as sustainably as possible.
One of their aims is to build an accredited network of equipment suppliers, and as a lighting supplier to many rental companies active in these sectors, Robe UK appreciates the value of the albert Initiative’s work as a broader part of the entertainment technology industry.
BAFTA highlights two key responsibilities in helping to reverse climate change, firstly making changes to its own working practices and Awards ceremonies – it hosts the high-profile annual BAFTA Awards celebrating the best British and international contributions to film – and to support and inspire all screen industries as they transition towards a Net-Zero future through albert.
As a brand, Robe has been committed to producing and promoting more environmentally friendly professional lighting products for several years – both in the products themselves and in the production process.
Supporting the albert Initiative underscores this commitment right now and looks to the future.
“It will help accelerate spreading the message about slowing and stopping climate change on multiple levels and stress the importance of productions being carbon neutral. Having information about where they can source products and technology to help achieve this goal is a vital resource,” commented Dave Whitehouse, Robe’s theatre products manager.
Lighting has often been a massive consumer of electricity in any production, and with the recent advances, in particular in LED technology, switching to LED light sources has enabled a dramatic reduction in the energy needed to produce similar lighting effects.
Robe’s unique and patented TRANSFERABLE ENGINETM (TE) LED technology – designed, developed, patented, and manufactured in the company’s own factory in Europe – is a hugely flexible concept offering the option of having different and interchangeable LED engines – high powered, high CRI, etc., – in the same fixture hardware, which can be quickly changed or ‘transferred’ in 5 to 7 minutes.
TE puts the lighting fixture manufacturer in control of the LED engine and enables engines with different properties to be produced and fitted into the same fixture housings, prolonging the lifespan of the hardware by making it hugely more viable and versatile.
Engine properties – including longevity – enable supply and rental companies to get the most out of their LED light sources and this TE technology also addresses issues like cost, time, technological advancement, flexibility, predictable performance, and longevity.
Robe’s TRANSFERABLE ENGINES are data capturing and self-referencing, so all the engine’s performance is available. This gives the performance predictability as the engines are transferred between luminaires, one of the advantages of ensuring longevity by owning the process.
Check www.robe-te.com for more comprehensive information on Robe’s TE technology.
Key to making more sustainable lighting choices is educating and training lighting practitioners about how much the best lighting working practices – lighting on site and in the studio in an energy efficient way – are fundamental to an understanding of how carbon neutrality can better be achieved.
albert is named after Albert Square, the central location for the BBC’s popular and long-running soap, EastEnders, which first broadcast in 1985. The albert footprint logo and 3-star albert certification is prominent at the end of the EastEnders credits, a level achieved in 2015 and maintained consistently since then reducing the carbon footprint of the show in multiple departments and helping to bring sustainability to the screen.
albert projects include Creative Energy, Screen New Deal, Creative offsets, Green Rider, albert Toolkit and many others, and the albert logo / accreditation is increasingly visible on the credits for productions including the news, documentaries, current affairs, soaps, and dramas.
“All of these reasons and the proactivity of the organisation in promoting the need for carbon neutrality makes albert a great platform and service about which the whole industry should be aware,” concluded Dave Whitehouse who led the administrative process for Robe UK to become a member.