Innport presents the new Velvet lights products : same fixtures, up to 96% more power

The origins of the brand
Velvet is a Spanish brand of LED lighting for film sets and TV studios. Founded in 2008 by two cinematographers who had been dreaming of perfect lighting since school (where they met). They wanted it to be robust, autonomous, versatile and light, while having an almost instantaneous variation in colour temperature. This is when they embarked on their entrepreneurial adventure.
After travelling the world to present and promote their products, they were able to convince the specialists in the sector that their crazy idea was perhaps not completely crazy.
Indeed, if today LED lighting is acclaimed for its low pollution and the incredible possibilities it offers, this was not the case in 2008. Today, Velvet has made a name for itself thanks to its flagship product, Velvet Light.
Where some brands could have been satisfied with this new notoriety, Velvet has chosen to continue to look for more innovation and solutions. The aim is to meet the real needs of directors of photography.
It is with this state of mind and this unwavering determination that Velvet has created a new range of LED projectors, the Velvet Evo. To achieve this feat, they have partnered with numerous cinematographers and their "research and development" teams.
Aware of the expectations of the professionals in the sector, it is possible to offer a product and a range without precedent that fills real needs.

On the international market, Velvet is now a must-have. Numerous productions such as Ben-Hur, Mission Impossible, Star Wars Episode VII, Trainspotting 2, James Bond, A Monster Calls, Narcos and many others have called on the brand’s products and have been completely satisfied. In addition, as the environment becomes an important factor in visual production, LED lighting is becoming increasingly beneficial. Nowadays, the focus is on reducing the ecological impact of production, and velvet technology has benefited from more than 10 years of research in this field. This has enabled them to perfect their technology and offer as many, if not more, possibilities than traditional HMI lighting on set.

Velvet in France
France is one of the pioneers of the international film industry. It was therefore essential for the brand to find a partner it could trust and with whom it shared common values in France.
It is for these reasons that Velvet chose to work with the wholesale company in LED lighting for cinema : Innport.
Founded 4 years after Velvet, in 2012 Innport also made the choice of LED technology at a time when nobody believed in it. Like Velvet, it has also managed to point out one after another all the advantages of LED lighting for such productions. Located near the Étang de Thau, in Sète, Innport is a human-sized company with strong values.
This is why both Innport and Velvet have taken the important decision to work together to establish themselves in the French market.

The Velvet product range

Velvet offers self-contained products that are capable of high performance in all weather conditions due to their unique weather protection. Velvet products allow for a wide range of color nuances thanks to an almost instantaneous variation in colour temperature and an adjustment of the green-magenta white point.
Easy to use, versatile and lightweight, Velvet products push back the constraints previously imposed by traditional HMI and tungsten lighting.

Velvet offers a wide range of products. From the brand’s original Velvet light to Velvet mini, Velvet power, Velvet CYC and Velvet EVO, Velvet is making color even more accessible in the lighting world.
With the "Goya app", it is easy to find the perfect color for any setting. You can create ’gels’ in which you can manage the colors, power and usage of the fixtures in a project and save or share them as you wish. The application also allows you to select the colors you want from an image on your phone.

Same fixture, more power
This month of May marks a turning point for the Spanish manufacturer. This is unheard of among LED lighting manufacturers. Offering versions of its lighting that are up to 96% more powerful at the same price, the operation seems crazy. Velvet clearly wants to position itself as a sustainable brand.
Velvet is keeping its recipe for success. As previously stated, these new lights have the same quality of colour rendering, the same robustness, lightness and are as silent as ever. The ranges concerned by this update are : the Velvet EVO and CYC RGB lights as well as the Velvet Light range.
Of course the old equipment will continue to be repaired, the lighting changes inside but remains the same outside. These old generation fixtures will also receive a brand new firmware update. This is further proof that Velvet cares about all its customers and aims to create quality that lasts over time.

To go deeper into the subject, we wanted to interview Laia who is Sales Manager at Velvet and who agreed to answer our questions. Here are some of the questions we found interesting and asked Velvet.

What the story of Velvet and its DNA ? ?
The story of Velvet begins in 2008 when two experienced cinematographers decide to create the luminaires with which they already dreamed at the film school where they met : robust, autonomous, versatile and lightweight luminaires with almost instant color temperature variation and green-magenta white point adjustment.
They developed new LED-based lighting technology. Both pioneers traveled around the world presenting their innovative LED articulated panels. After this adventure, they soon launched the nowadays worldwide known Velvet panels. These quickly became iconic products of the industry due to the soft natural light texture and ease of use in combination with unique weatherproof protection for outdoor shooting, IP54. 15 years later, the story continues developing new lighting solutions. The new EVO, Kosmos and CYC a full RGB ecosystem, are still contribute in important differences with the competitors, due to the close work between cinematographers and Velvet’s Research and Development Department.

Velvet continues to dream of offering increasingly natural and versatile lights to cinematographers. Furthermore, facilitating the life of the shooting crew with lighter, more efficient and resistant luminaires wherever needed.

What do you think of the French market ?
France is the largest audiovisual industry in continental Europe and with the greatest tradition and talent, its artists and technicians have led the way on many occasions for the trends that have subsequently been embraced by other cinematographers, therefore our presence in France is a reference for other markets.
Thanks to the French government’s aid policy for the audiovisual industry for decades, this has become a hub of innovation and new product demand and developments. Additionaly the French government is implementing new regulations to encourange the use of energy-efficient lighting solutions, such as Velvet. This is creating a great demand for those brands that meet these requirements.
Overall, the French market is a relevant opportunity for distributors of professional lights given its large size, strong demand for green high-quality fixtures such as Velvet.

Did you already work with French productions ? (exemples…)
Yes, of course, since many years, for instance Velvet has been in a film by Nicolas Vanier, Belle et Sebastien, 2013.

We have also collaborated with the French broadcasting industry since years : with France TV, we were also the most important lighting supplier on the France Info channel and also the local TV channels. Historically, Velvet has been present in the main rental houses in France : Transpalux, TSF, Panalux, Acc & LED… being part of the local film production industry.

How do you see the brand evolving ?
Velvet has a strong reputation for innovation and high-quality products, always offering a contribution that differentiates it from its competition, years ago it was introducing its IP54 luminaires when no one in the market offered something similar. Then it was his commitment to efficiency so that his equipment consumes less, offering full light output even when powered by DC with camera batteries.
Lately its great contribution, recognized with an innovation award at Cine Gear 2022, with the Velvet CYC series which, as always, provides the possibility of moving color gradients and no other manufacturer has… there are many potential pathways for the company to continue to evolve and grow in the years to come.

Do you have new incoming products ?
Velvet is currently working on expanding the Kosmos range to its maximum. We will launch higher and lower powers to complete the family and to cover the industry’s needs. We are also implementing relevant upgrades in our current products lines : EVO, CYC and Velvet Light products.
A company like Velvet always has new and very varied lines of Research and Development, some never materialize and others go past all the filters and consultations that we carry out with our collaborators and closest clients.

Does Velvet have any environmental concerns ?
“Velvet Made to last”... Since our foundation we follow a clear mission : design and produce durable lights. To be used along many years to get maximum value from it.

Future proof design for a circular economy :
- Both software and hardware have been designed to be easy to repair and update.
- Spare parts are available along more than ten years.
- Light engines can be updated at any time.
- Color technology products white point can be recalibrated at any time to get perfect light along the years.

We only use robust aluminum housing and the best LED and electronic components tested to endure the toughest working conditions.
Many TV Stations, Studios and rental companies that use our products since more than ten years ago can prove it

We believe in a real European circular value network
Our products are 100% manufactured in our factory at Barcelona using European suppliers
Made in Europe. Our common effort creates common benefits :
Increase the social, financial and environmental value where workers, suppliers and customers create altogether a loop for a lower carbon footprint and a better environment to live in.

Designed and most important, made in Europe, means our common effort creates common benefits :
- taxes are paid in Europe along the complete suply chain from raw components to the hands of the end customer.
- employment is created, promoted and developed in Europe.
- we create and sustain know-how to get a higher value chain for the European Community.

• Feel free to visit Innport’s website to review the products featured in this article.