American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 85

in such upheavals as the quartz-iodide transition and the introduction of HMI. "Fluorescents [became widespread] in the
Nineties, and power distribution changed in
the industry during the Eighties and
Nineties," Michael recounts. The company's
most recent technological milestone has
been its move into the world of LED lighting.
Given that Mole-Richardson introduced the industry's first Fresnel lens for use
in motion pictures in 1935 - based on the
French technology designed for lighthouses
- it's fitting that in 2013 its first LED release
was the MoleLED Fresnel. The siblings readily acknowledge that they took their time
bringing the product to market. "There are
a lot of people who get into our industry as
quickly as they can with the newest gadgets
and get people to buy them and use them
- and then reverse-engineer them to
correctness," Michael notes. "We said, 'If
we're going to get into this, let's do it right.'
We started to manipulate [the LED] blue
chip so that the color quality was pure tungsten and pure daylight. We included ASC
members in that endeavor, with testing and
discussion and a lot of engineering." The
company's latest achievement in this arena
- showcased at this year's NAB and Cine

Gear - is the LED Senior Fresnel, a 5Kequivalent unit that draws only 900 watts
and can be plugged into a standard household outlet.
With space lights, Skypans and all
manner of Mole-Richardson specialties
undergoing LED upgrades, Michael and
Larry see their new facility, with its 50,000
square feet of factory space, as a boon to
production. In addition, Michael quips that
60 years after his classroom training in
managing an assembly line, he may finally
get to do it.
The Pacoima location is also the new
home of the company's Studio Depot and
warehouse, along with an equally large
space for Mole-Richardson Rental. A smaller
store, reception area, museum, hospitality
area, and a full floor of offices round out
what Michael describes as "two football
fields" of space.
Larry - who is also a photographer,
producer and occasional actor - is particularly excited about the facility's soundstage,
the new location for his renowned lighting
classes, in which groups of 30 or so students
learn the basics from the man who worked
with the likes of ASC members James Wong
Howe and Stanley Cortez. "I teach them all
about the different lights, what they do,
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how to operate them, how to hook up the
cables to a generator, and how to be safe,"
Larry says. And perhaps most importantly,
he advises them on "etiquette on the set
and how to get a job." Along with these
classes, which both educate and help create
a network of skilled professionals, the stage
will also serve as a workshop for ASCrelated projects.
"You feel energetic," Larry says of
the company's move to the new facility. "It's
a different vibe and a different atmosphere.
We'll be streamlining the factory to make
things come off the line better and faster,
and to build them the way we want. [In the
old factory] we've got Band-Aids, but now
it's all being [modernized]. Also, it's cleaner
- with parking and fresh air and mountains." Mole Richardson's relocation comes
shortly after their opening of an Atlanta
office in January of last year.
With Mole's move from what
Michael refers to as a "spaghetti mess" of
exposed wires to the "pristine conduits" of
the new space, he notes his enthusiasm for
a future crop of workers who will someday
take on leadership roles at the company. He
and Larry would like to be at the helm
through Mole-Richardson's 100th anniversary, but beyond that year it's unlikely that
October 2015

http://www.theasc.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Cinematographer - October 2015