BBC iPlayer and Darren Fletcher

ELP is Welcomed into Justin’s House

Having first appeared on our screens in 2011, Justin’s House is a children’s TV series set in the fictional home of presenter Justin Fletcher as he finds himself in several chaotic situations with housemates Robert the Robot, Little Monster as well as a host of recurring guest characters. Last year, the show entered its fifth series and moved to its new home of Manchester Studios Studio 8. Having worked on the show’s previous seasons, coupled with its reputation of supplying high-quality broadcasts, ELP, a trading division of White Light, was called upon to provide the lighting for this latest series.

 

 

The first four series of Justin’s House were performed in front of a live studio audience full of animated children, with the show largely driven by this interaction and embodying an almost panto-like quality. However, when pre-production for Series 5 began last year, it became clear that the format would require a rethink in light of the Covid-19 pandemic. ELP’s Sales Director Darren Fletcher explains: “Having a live audience in the studio, whilst an important trait of the series, would have caused numerous problems given the restrictions that were in place back in early 2021. As such, the show’s creative team decided that the fifth series should be shot in a more sitcom-style, in the sense that we were in the room with these characters and that the audience was the one watching at home, as opposed to in the studio”.  

 

 

Once this was the decided format for the new series, Darren and his team were approached by lighting designer and the show’s DOP Jared Clayton. Darren explains: “Working on the show previously meant that we knew the zany and colourful style that needed to be implemented. Jared came into our Manchester office, which is local to the studios, and talked through his plans, from which we put together a rig”.

 

 

Part of ELP’s task was to provide Jared with a range of tungsten and LED lighting that would not only accommodate the needs of the set but also the content of the episodes. There were five sets in total, including the living room, kitchen, garden, Little Monster’s Den and Robert’s Shed. Similarly, the show takes place across all different times of day and even includes various disco sequences (!) so the fixtures had to be flexible to fulfil these requirements.

 

 

Darren explains: “We decided to draw on the ARRI SkyPanel S60s which acted as general wash lights yet also had the ability to offer the bright colours needed across the set. Similarly the Arri L7-Cs provided us with additional colour as and when required. The ETC Source 4 Lustr Series 2 with Fresnel Lens Adaptors provided key and back lighting and added to this was a nearly 360 degree  Tungsten cyc lighting system for the brightly painted scenic cyclorama. We also provided the cyc rail trussing system, along with lots of grip kit and even a mirrorball!”.

 

 

Gaffer Stuart Drummond and his team were on-site for three days in which they rigged all of the fixtures. Filming then took place over a three-month period and the series premiered late last year. It is currently shown everyday on the CBeebies channel and is also available to watch on the BBC iPlayer.

 

 

Darren concludes: “Working on Justin’s House is a further example of the variety of broadcasts we are apply to supply as a company. It’s also an example of a long-standing relationship with a client and how they have the confidence to approach us and know we will be able to adapt to their ever-changing needs”.

 

 

The post ELP is Welcomed into Justin’s House appeared first on White Light.

Source: 
Tags: 
Broadcast