Introduction
The Project
At MAGIC Spell Studios, we run a space that houses both productions, utilizing the facilities that we accommodate as well as academics, where classes are taught and professors have office spaces in. There is a lot of foot traffic going through the space, which sometimes raises the issue of unwanted noise, when productions are shooting inside of the sound stage. Which brings us to this project, a recording light to let others outside of the sound stage know that recording is in progress, and that noise needs to be brought to a minimum.
Other unique factors
The sound stage within MAGIC Spell Studios also has a unique property that needs to be addressed. It is able to be divided in half, using a tracked dividing panel wall. Though these wall panels do a great job at blocking a lot of sound, it isn’t perfect, and a lot of noise is still able to go right through. Which isn’t ideal in a shooting environment, especially when both sides are housing a large party of people. Which means we will also need to have recording lights on both halves of the sound stage.
This is a blueprint of the sound stage, on the left half is known as Sound Stage West, with the right being Sound Stage East.
Workflow Foundation
Here, we will talk about methods of control and weighing the pros and cons between these different approaches.
The Engine (Home Assistant)
Home Assistant, is an open source home automation operating system. Typically used for integrating smart home devices, to not only talk to each other, but to perform actions that are highly configurable. Allowing for there to be Boolean logic, webhooks, and all sorts of automaton tools. Home Assistant’s integration list is massive, and makes it such an ideal choice for DIY projects that involve smart devices to perform in a single highly configurable ecosystem.