Project Quick Facts
Bringing a Football Match to Life — Tron Style #
What do you get when you mix a football pitch, sci-fi movie aesthetics, and 150 meters of addressable LED pixel bars? The answer is the Tipico commercial — one of our favorite projects using ProfiLED bars.
Tipico is the largest sports betting company in Austria, and they wanted a TV commercial that would stand out. The brief was clear: show a football match, but make it feel like something out of Matrix or Tron. That kind of brief is exactly where ProfiLED shines.
What Is ProfiLED? #
ProfiLED is our own line of LED pixel bars — rigid, modular tubes loaded with addressable TM1814 LED pixels. Each bar can be controlled independently, and because they are addressable, you can run animations, color chases, or solid color fills across the entire installation with pixel-level precision.
The key advantage of ProfiLED over a standard LED neon flex or analog LED strip is the shape freedom. You can arrange bars in straight lines, curves, angles — basically any shape you want. That makes them perfect for building large scenic structures that need to glow in a specific pattern.
Building the Scene #
For the Tipico shoot, we used 150 meters of ProfiLED pixel bars arranged inside a film studio. The goal was to suggest a football pitch and a goal post — but in a stylized, futuristic way, not a literal recreation.
Here is how we rigged them:
- On trusses at around 4 meters height — the bars hung overhead, outlining the structure of the space and creating strong vertical lines reminiscent of stadium floodlights
- Laid flat on the ground — to simulate the lines of a football pitch
- Suspended on transparent fishing line — some bars floated in mid-air. The line was invisible in the final edit, so the bars looked like they were hanging in space
This mix of mounting techniques gave the scene real depth. When you watch the commercial, the space feels three-dimensional and dynamic, not flat.
Color Scheme and Effects #
The director chose to work strictly within the Tipico brand colors — primarily red. This gave the whole scene a strong visual identity and made the connection to the brand immediately obvious.
ProfiLED pixel bars are capable of running fully animated effects — color chases, animated lines, morphing patterns — all driven through an Art-Net pixel controller and LED mapping software. However, for this particular commercial, the final edit used static or very subtle lighting rather than heavy animations. The director wanted a clean, dramatic look, and a flashing light show would have distracted from the talent on screen.
That said, the ability to animate was useful during rehearsals and lighting tests, giving the crew full flexibility to find the right look quickly.
Why ProfiLED Works So Well for Video Production #
LED pixel bars are increasingly common in TV studio LED lighting and commercial film production for a simple reason: they give cinematographers a light source they can actually control. With a DMX pixel controller or Art-Net setup, a lighting designer can change the entire mood of a scene in seconds — color, intensity, animation — without physically moving a single fixture.
For the Tipico shoot, the rigid bar format was ideal because:
- Bars hold their shape and position — no sagging like a strip would
- They spread light evenly along their full length
- They are easy to attach to standard rigging equipment
- The pixel-level control means you can animate patterns that travel along the bars
The result is a professional LED installation that looks genuinely cinematic, not like a DIY lighting rig.
Available for Rental #
Because we manufacture ProfiLED ourselves, we keep a large stock ready for rental projects. If you need LED pixel bars for a film shoot, commercial production, TV show, or event, we can supply the hardware, help you with the rigging plan, and advise on control systems.
Whether you need 20 meters or 200 meters, a modular LED bar system like ProfiLED is one of the fastest ways to add a sci-fi, futuristic edge to any scene.
Frequently Asked Questions #
What are ProfiLED bars and how are they different from regular LED strips?
ProfiLED bars are rigid, modular LED pixel bars built with addressable TM1814 pixels. Unlike flexible LED strips, they hold a fixed shape, mount easily on trusses and rigs, and spread light evenly. Each bar is individually controllable via Art-Net or DMX, making them ideal for large scenic installations where a soft LED strip would sag or lose shape.
How was the football pitch scene created without a real stadium?
The entire set was built inside a studio using 150 meters of ProfiLED bars. Bars were mounted on trusses at ~4m height, laid on the ground like pitch markings, and suspended on transparent fishing line. The arrangement suggested a goal and pitch lines without building physical scenery. The transparent line was invisible in the final cut.
Can ProfiLED bars create animated effects, or only static colors?
ProfiLED bars support full addressable LED pixel animation — color chases, morphing patterns, animated lines, strobes, and more — all driven by an Art-Net or DMX pixel controller with LED mapping software. For the Tipico commercial the director chose a mainly static look, but the animation capability was used during pre-production to test different looks quickly.
What control system was used to manage 150 meters of LED pixel bars?
Large ProfiLED installations like this run on an Art-Net LED controller paired with LED pixel mapping software. Art-Net distributes control data over a standard Ethernet network, which makes it easy to scale — you can add more bars without running new signal cables to the controller, just connect them to the network.
How to plan a pixel LED installation for a TV studio or film shoot?
Start by mapping out the scene geometry: where bars need to go, at what height, and how they will be rigged. Calculate total pixel count to size your controller correctly. For film and TV work, choose a controller that supports both standalone playback and live Art-Net input, so the gaffer can run test sequences without a laptop on set. Always factor in power distribution — long runs of LED bars need multiple supply points to avoid voltage drop.
Can I rent ProfiLED bars for a video shoot or event?
Yes. As the manufacturer of ProfiLED, we keep stock available for LED installation service and rental. We can supply bars, controllers, and mounting hardware, and advise on rigging and control setup. Contact us through ledstripstudio.com if you need ProfiLED for a production.