This afternoon, William F. White will open up the doors of its Islington Avenue facility in Toronto to exhibitors and filmmakers looking to get a glimpse at what’s new in equipment at its annual February Freeze showcase. Playback caught up with William F. White’s director of technical support and development Mike Harwood about what he’s seen change in equipment over the 15 years of February Freeze and what’s hot this year.

On the evolution of equipment in February Freeze: In the past 15 years we have seen some notable shifts, mostly in our case with respect to the lighting industry such as the introduction of LED lighting. We’re seeing that the LED products of today are better engineered, much more efficient, with better quality, especially in regards to photometrics. The newer fixtures are also lighter and more compact; designs are more intelligent now allowing for better accuracy and control.

On what’s hot this year: LED lighting fixtures are still considered “hot.” In fact, every few months we’re getting new ones to test out from different manufacturers across the globe. Our arsenal of state-of-the-art specialty equipment is also a good place to check out this year’s hottest technology – or our “toy department” as we like to put it. One of our newest additions to the department is The Bolt, a high-speed robotic arm for cameras that produces some spectacular motion effect. We’re also unveiling a few new surprises with respect to remote heads and cranes, including a new Mosys L-40 remote head with broadcast console for single operators with integrated lens control. We’re also expecting to showcase the new lightweight, 22-foot Supertechno Crane at this year’s showcase.

On what makes the cut: We go to trade shows [and] talk to the crews – the grips, the gaffers, the producers – to get a sense of what they’re looking for. Just because we buy it doesn’t mean they are going to rent it. We use our expertise to break it down and narrow it down to things we feel customers are looking for and get their input and feedback. We even go as far as bringing in a piece of equipment and have [customers] look at it, and get them to give us their feedback on it, rather than just looking at a picture of it on the internet.