
When Michelin Enterprises set out to promote its prestigious Hotel Guide in the new Sleepless in the Kitchen , campaign, veteran German/Slovenian gaffer Robert Ober was brought on to help light the spot. A large kitchen set was erected on stage, giving Ober and cinematographer Aril Wretblad FSF plenty of flexibility to completely design the lighting environment. A long time-user of DoPchoice, Ober relied on Snapbags and Snapgrids to control the spill and directionality of dozens of fixtures deployed to create the bustling vibrance of a busy kitchen in full swing.
In addition to being a global leader in tire manufacturing, France-based Michelin is also behind not just how we travel but why. The iconic Michelin Guide, first introduced in 1900 to promote tourism, has evolved into a prestigious catalogue of restaurants and hotels worldwide. A new campaign from BETC France highlights Michelin's role in rating global accommodations as well as dining excellence. Sleepless in the Kitchen features a tourist bizarrely trying to rest amid the throng of a clanging, bustling, hurried kitchen. The man and his oddly placed bed are subjected to loud noises, frozen fish, mislaid potatoes, and flaming stovetops. In the words of
the smartly dressed narrator: If you're looking for a good place to sleep, we strongly advise against a Michelin-Star kitchen.
The open-floor large kitchen set was designed to accommodate a Technocrane and 360 camera movements. A key challenge was how to avoid placing stands in the set, the gaffer explains. Aril Wretblad had a clear vision for the lighting: a blend of soft light and focused hard downlight spots. All practical lights had to be dimmable with adjustable color temperatures to create optimal contrast in the final visuals. Ober chose a kit heavy on Luna Bulbs, Titan Tubes, and Helios Tubes from Astera that could be easily maneuvered or disguised as practicals. The lights were controlled by Gaffers Control via wireless DMX and Ober paired the fixtures with DoPchoice Snapbags and Snapgrids.
At the center of the dynamically choreographed kitchen sits the bed, which needed to blend into its environment no matter how absurd the premise. For the toplight, I proposed Vortex8 lights with Snapbags, which created soft backlight for areas like the bed and kitchen transitions, describes Ober . To get even background illumination, we installed SpaceX luminaires with Snapbag Octa 3s at 45 angles above the kitchen walls. Then to brighten up the bed set and extend the light coming from the bedside lamp, we used a DoPchoice Lantern L in combination with a toplight Vortex8 with Snapbag and Snapgrid mounted on a Menace Max Arm. For wide shots, a fill light setup included an 8'x8' frame with a full grid, Snapgrid (50 ), and two Vortex8 lights. The result is a super realistic kitchen set, bed and all.
When lighting the talent close-ups, Aril requested exceptionally soft but somewhat compact and moveable lighting. I recommended the Airglow 2 1 booklight combined with a Vortex8. Just the thing for a busy set, the inflatable Airglow creates booklight-style soft lighting by bouncing the Vortex' output off the softbox's backwall with a much smaller, more mobile footprint than traditional multi-stand setups. Testing during prelight, it proved to be exactly the right tool for the job.
It's nearly impossible to talk about sleeping in a Michelin kitchen without also showcasing the food. Two Michelin-starred chefs were flown in for the spot which features close-ups of their fresh ingredients and final mouthwatering delicacies. Their expertise brought an added layer of depth and authenticity to the project, elevating the final result, reminisces the gaffer. Sleepless in the Kitchen from BETC Paris and production company GeneralPop, directed by Danny Sangra, with production services from Slovenian-based Studio Arkadena premiered this fall, the focal point of the Michelin Hotel Guide campaign. With the perfect lighting, Sleepless delivers a charmingly wry humor ready to pique anyone's interest in the Michelin Guide offerings.
Sleepless in the Kitchen is available to watch online at: https://youtu.be/miW2ISYIfJ8
More about the Michelin Hotel Guide: https://guide.michelin.com/gb/en/about-hotels
North America Stories
28/03/2026
Globecast, the leading provider of broadcast, media and entertainment managed services, will showcase its reimagined approach to media operations at the 2026 NA...
28/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
27/03/2026
In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level ha...
27/03/2026
Comcast Business deployed network infrastructure for the 2026 PLAYERS Championsh...
27/03/2026
Czech production company CS live has equipped its newest outside broadcast van w...
27/03/2026
Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Perth, Western Australia has developed new broad...
27/03/2026
Deltatre has announced that CEO Andrea Marini will step down after five years in...
27/03/2026
DAZN has announced plans to launch DAZN Inflight, a live sports service for airline and maritime passengers, slated for 2027. Aviv Giladi, President of DAZN Par...
27/03/2026
Grass Valley has announced the completion of a live production deployment with NVP, a European media company specializing in live sports production, for LALIGA ...
27/03/2026
The Masters and Prime Video will debut Inside Amen Corner, a dedicated feed that...
27/03/2026
ESPN and the World Series of Poker (WSOP) have reached a multi-year agreement to bring the WSOP Main Event back to ESPN platforms. Coverage will include a three...
27/03/2026
USSI Global has opened its Media Transport Solutions Lab on its Melbourne campus. The engineering center provides a platform-agnostic environment for testing al...
27/03/2026
From 14-camera coverage to official review from Variant Systems Group, Sellitto ...
27/03/2026
The United Football League (UFL) has named Sportable its Official Connected Ball and Player Tracking Partner. Sportable's connected football and wearable pl...
27/03/2026
Ratings Roundup is a rundown of recent rating news and is derived from press rel...
27/03/2026
The Atlanta Braves and FuboTV have announced a multiyear distribution agreement to carry BravesVision on Fubo's live TV streaming platform beginning Opening...
27/03/2026
Besides restructuring for Season 3, the league worked with FOX and ESPN over the...
27/03/2026
The Atlanta Braves open their 2026 MLB season tonight against the Kansas City Ro...
27/03/2026
With new teams and new venues to adapt to, the spring-football league's part...
27/03/2026
By Lucy Spicer
One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Festival...
27/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
27/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
27/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
27/03/2026
Marshall Electronics Showcases New Feature-Rich CV320 and CV520 IP and 3G-SDI PO...
27/03/2026
Sony Electronics Inc. Elevates Professional Video Workflows with Powerful Update...
27/03/2026
GatesAir Extends AirWatch365 Managed Service with Edge Gateway Site Appliance
Brie Clayton March 27, 2026
0 Comments
NAB marks global launch of servic...
27/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
27/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
27/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
27/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
27/03/2026
At NAB Show 2026, Net Insight will showcase the next evolution of Nimbra Edge, its orchestration and control layer designed to manage live media services across...
27/03/2026
Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) today announced powerful new innovations that further elevate the company's sports streaming solution. The advanced capabilities enh...
27/03/2026
Bitmovin, the leading provider of video streaming solutions, today announced significant new capabilities for Player Web X, its next-generation web video player...
27/03/2026
Riedel Communications today announced that Czech-based production company CS live has equipped its newest outside broadcast (OB) van with an integrated Riedel i...
27/03/2026
130 Industry Experts Confirmed as Show Celebrates its 10th Anniversary
MPTS, the UK's largest and most influential event for the media, production and tech...
27/03/2026
Grass Valley today announced the successful completion of a major live production deployment with NVP, a leading European media company specializing in live spo...
27/03/2026
Showcases resilient solutions for satellite-to-IP migration, REMI and hybrid live production
Appear ASA (Appear, OSE:APR), a global leader in live production t...
27/03/2026
San Francisco, California, March 2026 - Microsoft Ignite, a major annual conference hosted by Microsoft for developers, IT professionals, partners and business ...
27/03/2026
Clear-Com is proud to highlight its support for worship teams through professional communication solutions, with the deployment of its EQUIP wireless system a...
27/03/2026
Orban Collaborates with Sage on Virtualized EAS Technology Demo
Brie Clayton March 26, 2026
0 Comments
Sage Alerting Systems (SAS), in cooperation wit...
27/03/2026
Berklee Alums Bring GIANT to Broadway Brian and Dayna Lee BM '13 met and fell in love at Berklee, and now their production companys first Broadway debut i...
26/03/2026
Extron and Audio-Technica have announced that their Design Solutions devices, Ce...
26/03/2026
SPORTEL Asia took place March 24-25 at the Orchard Hotel Singapore, drawing 370 participants representing more than 220 companies from 35 countries. Approximate...
26/03/2026
LTN will demonstrate satellite-to-IP migration solutions for broadcasters, cable networks, MVPDs, and station groups at NAB Show 2026 (Booth W2100).
The C-Ban...
26/03/2026
The Seattle Mariners have partnered with Daktronics to install an upgraded outfi...
26/03/2026
The Esports Foundation (EF) has awarded National Team Partner status to organizations and individuals across more than 100 countries and territories for the Esp...
26/03/2026
Telestream has announced expanded integration between its Vantage workflow platf...
26/03/2026
FOR-A Corporation has announced a partnership with Nippon TV and NVIDIA to distr...
26/03/2026
CBS Sports and the WNBA have expanded their partnership through a new long-term, multiplatform rights agreement. CBS Sports will feature up to 20 regular-season...
26/03/2026
Zac Brown Band will star in the Sunday Night Baseball show open on NBC and Peacock, NBC Sports announced. The open was filmed at American Family Field, home of ...