S+H makes Hungarian show 'The Cube' glow with LED entertainment lighting products

Devon, UK, based drapes, starcloth, LED and visual effects specialist S+H Technical Support supplied its innovative LED entertainment lighting and video products to the first Hungarian edition of popular television games show, The Cube. Recorded at the Stern Film Studio on Pomaz, close to Budapest, Hungarian producers Show & Game Production Ltd. followed the style directions and replicated the rules established by the original UK series producers, Objective Television, who licenced this version, broadcast on leading commercial channel, TV2.

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Hungarian Production Manager Krisztina Bene explained that they were recommended to S+H as the interactive LED video floor supplier by Objective Television, from which they also rented key elements of the set. Presented (in the UK) by Phillip Schofield, Cube contestants can win up to £250,000 cash by completing straightforward tasks – like balancing, catching, throwing, estimating, reacting, memorising, etc. - within a 4 x 4 metre Perspex cube … which becomes extremely challenging with the addition of disorientating visual and sonic effects plus the pressure of being in front of a live audience.

The video floor has an absolutely integral role in the show’s overall concept, and in the Hungarian edition, it was installed and used exactly as described in the production rule book.

S+H’s Mark Mason was on site in Pomaz to ensure the set-up, testing and installation went smoothly and efficiently. “Mark and Terry (Murtha) from S+H gave us excellent support and great service – the communication was good and they made everything very easy”, comments Krisztina, adding “the video floor product was extremely robust and worked perfectly for the effects.”

S+H’s LED entertainment lighting product was originally specified for the first UK series in 2009 by set designer Julian Healey as a versatile, robust and cost-effective solution to run the floor based immersive visual effects … and it’s been used ever since. In Hungary, the floor of The Cube was comprised from 36 panels of Video Floor making a 3.6 metre square surface area. This Video Floor is a completely bespoke 20 mm video tile product available only through S + H Technical in the UK and Europe.

Using the ‘DIP’ system of three RGB LEDs positioned next to each other to populate the LED PCBs - as opposed to SMD boards - a specific quality of pixel is produced that is ideally suited to the Cube’s video content, as the floor of The Cube becomes a volatile and unpredictable physical boundary with which contestants have to deal and overcome whilst they perform the tasks!

S+H has over 100 panels of Video Floor in its current hire stock which is out constantly on a variety of projects. Apart from TV shows, it’s also very popular for making interactive bar areas at events, for ‘live’ dancefloors at parties and spectacular fashion show runways, where anti-skid properties and inventive thermal management systems ensure maximum safety.

Tough and well-engineered, it has a high-abrasive resistance and a strong aluminium alloy transparent covering, so it can be directly trampled on and stomped over without compromise. The panels can also be joined seamlessly for continuous ‘runs’ of video.

The airtight design is IP68 rated, so also good for exterior work and the modular design makes it quick, easy and user-friendly to assemble.

S+H’s Video Floor was also in action on the latest UK - series 9 - of The Cube which aired this summer, and has been used on roll-outs of the show in the Ukraine and Portugal.

Photo: Döme Vereczkei