Matthews Litemover – A Motorized Remote Head for Controlling Large Lights, Reflectors and More

by Julian MitchellMay 2^nd, 2023

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The Litemover could only have been designed by a gaffer, who has to deal with unwieldy light fixtures in different shapes, sizes, and makes positioned usually at height. Dutch producer and Gaffer Erno Das must have had a ‘what if…’ moment when he came up with this clever motorized universal remote control idea designed for large industry-specific lights and reflector boards or mirrors. The basic idea is to connect to a lot of different light fixtures, changing nothing on the fixture itself. But, how does Matthews Litemover work?

The Lightmover is perhaps the first off-the-shelf automated remote head designed to adjust light or reflector fixtures positioned from the ground. Matthews Studio Equipment has engineered and produced this equipment to also offer smooth remote control over pan, tilt, and spot or flood focus. Already you can see added benefits for safety as well as time savings; no more running up ladders to make small adjustments or bringing in big lifts to move things around. This then impacts on disruption on the set and potentially saves time on shooting as you could even use it ‘in shot’, on the fly.

Quick set-up and deployment

Litemover comes in a large, hard case and MSE claim, an around 10-minute deployment. You could then look to partner with their own Air Climber, which is a 25-foot light stand or any one of the light fixture brands they make adapters for. With standard lighting protocols, you could also sync Litemovers together and program a preset move to simulate dawn, sunset, or any similar lighting design.

The new product is compatible with DMX, WDMX, and RDM including wireless control via tablets and smartphones, or uses a battery or mains-powered hand control. The hand control drives a motor that will finesse the movement so you’re getting precise incremental control.

How will it work with my lights?

MSE puts an upper limit on handling weight for the fixtures at around 220 lbs /100 kilos from brands such as ARRI, Cineo, Creamsource, Lightbridge, FilmGear, K5600, Matthews, and others. But they are looking to introduce many more adapters to grow the system.

This is perhaps why Litemover will be popular with the owner/operator market as it has this product evolution built-in. But its rugged build-quality will also attract rental companies. At the NAB show, the company quoted around $10,000 to $11,000 for the full system including some starter adapters.

Is the Litemover the light remote you’ve been looking for? Is this an idea that is well overdue or a reflection on slowly diminishing crew sizes? Let us know in the comments below.