Most people wouldn’t associate lighting as part of a workout routine, but for online home fitness startup GRNDHOUSE, it meant everything, so much so that it recently equipped its studio with a custom LED dynamic lighting rig. Designed by Hayden Borgars the rig uses Martin Professional VDO Sceptron 10 LED video fixtures supplied by Colour Sound Experiment to create a dynamic and engaging online workout.
“The brief for the design was to create a space for the instructors to film their workout classes in, which would be unique and work with GRNDHOUSE’s color scheme,” comments Borgars. “Our videographer Chris Jeffers suggested incorporating tubes into the design, and I knew instantly that I wanted to use Sceptron fixtures.”
Improving Workout Intensity Through Visual Light Cues
To create that look of tubes, Borgars arranged the Sceptron 10 fixtures standing vertically around the instructors. Another 16 fixtures are arranged in a square on the floor, framing the space and providing crucial illumination for floor-level exercises.
During these workout sessions, the lights shift from synchronized to dynamic lighting effect. Static colors fill the display during low- to medium-intensity workouts with dynamic, high-energy video effects appearing during the high-intensity segments, the visual equivalent of some high-octane tunes.
“We’ve been using pixel-based effects across the Sceptron units to visually increase and decrease the intensity of each section of the workouts,” notes Borgars. “We keep things static during the main body of the workouts, and then switch to fast-paced pixel effects for the finishers.”
Redefining How Users Engage With Their Workout
The richness and clarity of the experience is made possible by having each LED pixel precisely calibrated for brightness and color, giving the fixtures a completely consistent look throughout, even during the high energy segments. Hybrid P3 and DMX control, meanwhile, allows for flexible video mapping and seamless integration with other lighting and video solutions.
“I like how the VDO Sceptron 10 can have more than one purpose,” says Borgars. “We’ve been using them as a main light source, an effect light and a set piece. The VDO Sceptron 10 allowed us to control every pixel and run video effects through each fixture. This changed the way we used the fixtures within each workout class and teaser video.”
Having already created over 12 months’ worth of daily workouts, GRNDHOUSE continues to produce content on a regular basis. With a broad user base and a devoted community of fitness enthusiasts, the company is on track to change the way people engage with exercise with the help of dynamic lighting design.
Another version of this article originally appeared on our sister site CE Pro.
