HMI & Tungsten Lights

Here is how this works in practice. Mole-Richardson Mexico's multi-decade CDMX inventory anchors the Mexican tungsten pool. This covers heritage Mole 10K, 5K Senior, and 2K Junior Fresnels alongside ARRI T-series 12K, 5K, and 2K Fresnels at Cine Equipos, Lemon Studios, and 3 Equipos rental houses. HMI inventory leads with ARRI M-Series M90, M40, M18, and M8 day-flood fixtures plus ARRI L-Series tungsten-spec LED Fresnels for transition coverage. K5600 Joker 800/1200/1600 par fixtures handle the cross-border LA flow alongside Joker-Bug 400/800 for narrative work echoing Spectre's CDMX Day of the Dead opening and Sicario's Sonora desert sets.

Here is the breakdown. On the ground, mexican grid power runs 127V/60Hz residential and 220V/60Hz industrial — identical to US grid frequency (60Hz, not Europe's 50Hz) and matching US plug Types A/B, so HMI ballasts shipped from LA via Tijuana same-day delivery need no frequency conversion and no plug adaptation. We set up Comisión Federal de Electricidad (CFE) tie-in permits for shoots needing direct grid connection at studio or location power. Plus Aggreko Mexico, Cummins, and Caterpillar genny rentals for off-grid exterior work in Sonora desert, Yucatán Maya jungle, and Durango Western terrain.

Here is the short of it. Heritage-location lighting decisions reflect INAH (Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia) compliance at federally covered zones. This covers Teotihuacán, Chichén Itzá, Palenque, Monte Albán, and most CDMX centro histórico cathedral interiors prohibit HMI and tungsten fixture mounting on heritage stone, needing low-heat LED replacement (ARRI SkyPanel S360, Orbiter, DMG Maxi or Quasar Q-LED tubes) and freestanding sandbag-anchored stand placement. Apocalypto's Yucatán Maya jungle workflow and Spectre's Zócalo wide-procession coverage both ran through this low-impact protocol.

Here is what that looks like on the ground. On the ground, Day of the Dead candle-rig + cathedral interior packages combine practical taper-candle workflow with hidden LED-spec fill. Mole-Richardson Mexico stocks the historical practical inventory while ARRI SkyPanel S60 gives the sensor-friendly fill spec. Cross-border shoots following the Pearl Harbor, Master and Commander, and Titanic Fox Baja Studios (Rosarito Baja California) deep-ocean tank pattern bring their own ARRI Max 18K and 12K SkyPanel stock via Tijuana 12-minute commercial border crossing. We set up CFE tie-in permits and Aggreko genny pre-positioning at Fox Baja, Estudios Churubusco, Lemon Studios, Argos Comunicación, and Estudios Tepeyac stages.