Lauren Proud, vice president marketing and digital experience at Rosco tells TVBEurope about the company’s focus on build, technology and upgradability that will enable its products to accommodate future disruptions like disruptions in the supply chain.
What impact has the pandemic and its continuing aftereffects had on the company’s approach to R&D and product development?
One of the pandemic’s greatest impacts on product development and R&D was the challenge to our supply chain. At Rosco we are continuing to refine our supply chain, by decreasing our dependency on sources where we have less control and strengthening relationships with suppliers where we can have a greater impact. This creates a benefit for both parties and mitigates the level of risk that was seen during the pandemic.
What are the biggest challenges you are facing in R&D and product development/deployment in the current landscape?
One constant challenge is the pace at which technology in this industry is evolving. New systems and products are consistently being released that can quickly outdate what’s currently in the market. The key is to get ahead of the changes and create products that will maintain their value over time. Some manufacturers are purposely creating products with a limited lifespan, but we’re taking the opposite approach by focusing on build, technology and upgradability that will enable our products to accommodate future disruptions.
Where do you see the most opportune areas for innovation in your area of the market, and what tech/solutions will drive that development?
We are putting a heavy focus on future-proofing products by developing products that can be easily repaired or serviced and that can be easily upgraded over time with minimal investment. As an example, our existing lighting fixtures are engineered for longevity and heavy professional use. Recognising that technology is changing rapidly and there will always be product advancements, we developed a patent-pending technology that enables users to easily swap the LED engine in our newest light without any tools or other modifications to the fixture. So, when a new LED module is available five years from now with cutting-edge emitters, the customer won’t have to buy a whole new light fixture – just a new LED module.
We’re also working on solutions for virtual production. Seeing the massive growth potential in that technology, we’ve established a system that enables our extensive library of backdrop imagery to be used on LED walls and volumes.
What are you working on currently that excites you as a product team, and what can we expect to see at IBC 2023
While we are not exhibiting at IBC 2023, we are very excited about our two latest Rosco developments. The DMG LION is a new weatherproof LED Fresnel with a 13-inch lens, interchangeable LED engine, and remote spot to flood control. During product previews we’ve seen a tremendous amount of excitement for its release in 2024.
The other latest innovation is the introduction of the RDX LAB System that combines our backdrop image library with software by FuseFX and a user-friendly mobile app that can control background imagery inside an LED volume for virtual production. The system recently won a Cine Gear Technology Award and is currently deployed on a number of productions.
