Combination of sustainable lighting and efficiency is an instant hit. The True Hybrid, the hybrid generator developed by Het Licht, with an output of 28KVA, has been used on many different productions since the pilot on the set of Moordvrouw in November 2016. The sustainable generator van is easier to use, silent and more fuel efficient than regular generators.

Daaf van de Veen from Het Licht is very keen to get feedback from gaffers that have used the True Hybrid, to take into consideration with further development. Users until now: Moordvrouw (gaffer: Mick Durlacher), Toon 2 (gaffer: Thomas Jeninga), Weemoedt (gaffer: Johan Hoitink), Dayan Yuragim (gaffer: Michiel Kingma), Van God Los (gaffer: Nicholas Burrough), Hollands Hoop (gaffer: Uwe Kuipers), Tarik (gaffer: Janneke Hogenboom).

We asked gaffer Mick Durlacher, who was the first to use the True Hybrid on the set of Moordvrouw, about his experience. ‘It is an innovation I embrace‘, he answered immediately. The concept works. At het beginning we had some hick-ups because the lighting design for Moordvrouw had already been made and the set-up of the True Hybrid is slightly different.  But eventually he was able to save a lot of time, because the van can be parked directly on set and a lot less cabling was needed. And those cables also didn’t have to be rented and transported. But Mick is most enthusiastic about how silent it is. It makes working on set much more agreeable and efficient, plus it opens up a lot of possibilities for different locations. Shooting in the centre of Amsterdam at night without noise pollution will be much easier to arrange. It’s output is still limited, so at the moment the hybrid generator is only suitable for smaller productions. But Mick is impatiently waiting for the day the big generators will be as silent as the True Hybrid.

Also Thomas Jeninga, who has already used generator van several times on the set of Toon 2, finds it very appealing. ‘I really like the idea that it is not running on fossil fuel’, he explains. He is also impressed by it’s efficiency.  On a production with many different locations it is really practical the generator is so close to the set. You have to roll out much less cable and can more or less just drive straight off to the next location. The sound guy was looking slightly worried about the fact the van was parked so close and asked how that was going to work. And then it’s very satisfying to be able to say: ‘It’s already on!‘ Thomas is definitely going to ask specifically for the True Hybrid in the future. With rental costs the same, the decision is very easily made.

So the True Hybrid is rolling quietly but successfully into the new year!