Show lighting isn’t “bright and colourful.” It tells a story, guides attention, builds tension and releases it at the right moment. And it must work not only in the room but also on camera — livestream, IMAG and press photography. This is where CMY comes in: we combine direction, technical craft and Depence previsualisation to stage brands and products with confidence.
Everything begins with dramaturgy. A robust arc — tease, build, reveal, sustain — ensures the product doesn’t appear by chance but precisely at its strongest moment. We work with clear lighting layers: key, fill and back for faces; accent and scenic for stage and exhibit; atmosphere with beam and haze for depth and energy. Brand colours aren’t eyeballed — they’re measured, mapped and carried consistently across the fixture family.
Product legibility is critical: edge light models form, reflections are controlled, logos and display surfaces stay clean — without hotspots and without ‘glazing’ the exhibit. Equally important is camera performance. White points of lighting and LED wall are matched so faces don’t sink and backgrounds don’t clip. Dimmer curves and drivers are shutter‑safe so even fast shutters or high‑FPS B‑roll remain flicker‑free. The result: looks that deliver in the room — and read reliably on every sensor.
For product reveals we use a controlled low‑key build. Moving textures and narrow beams raise tension without giving away details too early. The reveal itself is a precise cue chain: the key‑on lands in the frame where the object shows its strongest contour, flanked by a clean back edge for depth. Immediately after, we stabilise into a calm sustain look — photographable, colour‑stable and press‑ready.
In press conferences and CEO statements, faces take priority. A key at 30–45 degrees with a soft character models well; a restrained fill keeps contrast around 2:1 to 3:1. We treat the LED wall as a lighting partner: brightness and white point are balanced to support the person rather than dominate them. Anti‑glare measures, sensible sight lines and clean back edges prevent flare, moiré and harsh contours.
For brand shows and live acts we run on timecode but deliberately leave room to breathe. Alongside the programmed mainline we keep a busking layer to react to room energy, applause or changes in moderation. Audience lighting is dosed to show atmosphere without blowing out faces or making cameras hunt.
We don’t plan to abstract ideals but to setpoints that work with camera parameters. For faces, key levels typically sit roughly between 600 and 1200 lux — depending on ISO, shutter and lenses. White point is matched consistently between cameras and LED wall, usually around a neutral 4300 K or daylight 5600 K. Contrast stays controlled; for dramatic reveals we allow additional depth, but stabilise immediately afterwards to a safe, calm image. Colour quality is non‑negotiable: we avoid spectral gaps that dull skin tones already at the selection stage.
We start by clarifying story, brand palette, music grid and shot priorities. From that we create a lean look bible: hero looks, recipes for key/fill/back, defined audience looks and a set of fallback scenes. In Depence we recreate stage, LED walls and relevant scenic elements, simulate haze and beam behaviour and test looks against real camera angles. Cue lists and timecode structures are built here — including patch export for the console.
In parallel we plan the tech: universes, sACN/Art‑Net topology, RDM addressing, safe states and priorities vs. VA/PA. On site we do a fast focus with reference charts, match white point with wall and cameras and fine‑tune skin tones. During the show we run timecode safely but keep a busking layer as a ‘handbrake’ for live dynamics. At the end we hand over as‑built documentation, patch and cue lists, the final look bible and ‘best frames’ for PR and social.
Too much light flattens images; too little makes them messy. We balance wall and face so both read — in the room and in frame. Brand colours aren’t dialled in by eye but measured and mapped to the fixtures so social clips and press photos stay consistent. Beams show depth only if the air is right: haze management is a discipline, not a by‑product. And because image production is fast today, we pre‑test shutter‑critical situations — including high‑FPS material. We avoid timing breaks by aligning lighting to the music grid and shot list — not the other way round.
Depence moves alignment forward. We show looks, transitions and shadows before the first truck rolls. Virtual camera moves reveal how a reveal reads in planned shots; LED content, rigging and sight lines can be checked for conflicts in the model. Variants are created in minutes instead of days. That saves build time, reduces revision loops and increases the hit rate for the moment that matters: the first impression in the room and on camera.
We don’t deliver gut feeling but robust results. ‘Best frames’ for PR demonstrate colour‑stable, brand‑true imagery. A short capture sheet notes sensible camera settings and do/don’t guidance. The look bible documents values, presets and screens for repeatability. Technically we measure stability by the clean opener, reliable cues in one‑take moments and a reproducible balance of face and wall across camera positions.
Story and shot list are aligned; brand colour values measured and transferred into the fixture world. LED wall and cameras are married in the exposure budget; face recipes exist per scene. Depence previs has tested critical looks against real perspectives; flicker scenarios are cleared. Backup strategies for console, network and servers are in place. And ‘best frames’ are prepared so marketing and PR can act immediately.
Show lighting sells — when dramaturgy, brand, camera and technology work as one. CMY Brand Solutions delivers exactly that: clear direction, clean craft and the speed of robust previsualisation. That’s how a programme slot becomes a moment that sticks — live in the room and on every screen.