HMI & Tungsten Lights

Here is how this works in practice. We source HMI and tungsten fixtures in the wattages a gaffer specifies. It draws on the lighting inventory built up at Atlas Studios and CLA Studios in Ouarzazate and supplementing with pro heads flown in from Europe for larger packages. Our team sets up power distribution planning, arranges skilled Moroccan gaffers and electricians who know the local power systems, and makes sure spare lamps, ballasts and extras are on hand so setups proceed without interruption.

Here is the breakdown. On the ground, Large HMIs play a specific role in Morocco even on bright exteriors — used as fill or to punch through and balance the hard Saharan sun at locations such as Ait Benhaddou and the Merzouga dunes — while tungsten fixtures stay the staple for the warm, controllable interiors shot on standing sets.

Here is the short of it. Powering HMI and tungsten loads in Morocco is shaped by geography. Mains supply is 220V/50Hz. On the standing stages at Atlas Studios fixtures tie into trusted studio power. But remote desert locations across the Sahara. The Atlas Mountains run on tow-behind power packs, so we size generation to the lighting load and set up placement and fuel.

Here is what that looks like on the ground. On the ground, Desert conditions matter for the fixtures themselves: fine sand and dust work into fans, ballasts and barn doors, so heads are cleaned frequently and covered during sandstorms, and hot lamps are handled with care where summer temperatures already exceed 40°C. Cool desert nights bring condensation managed with acclimatised gear. Lighting hire from Moroccan vendors is billed in dirham (MAD) and counts toward the CCM 30% cash rebates on qualifying Moroccan spend.