How can I create cheap reflectors/white boards?

MatthewC

MatthewC

Well-known member
I need to create a reflector or white board for splashing light back onto my actors. How much do they sell for?

Can I create one for myself without having to buy a professional product that works just as good?
 
This is the formula I use to create the perfect reflector;
1) Buy 1 Big piece of white foamcore from my local craft merchant.
2) Go home and open 1 cold beer. Done! ;)
 
If you want a shiny board nearly as nice as the real hollywood expendable ones, go down to Home Depot and look for the Tyvek insulation... comes in 4x8 sheets, usually 1/2" or 3/4" thick and has shiny foil on one side and is white on the back. I bought two sheets at $8.43 a piece, then cut them down to 42"x42", same size as industry standard shiny boards. They work great, and are cheap too!
 
Awesome, you guys rule. Doing my research I had learnt about Tyvek so I was hoping to pick some up today. Kickass.
 
Foamcore works really good, honestly.

I'm in a studio and I've seen a professional yank out a sheet of foamcore when there's nothing else around and he used it quite well.

It works. And it's cheap as hell.
 
My scif fi entry was lit ENTIRELY with sunlight and TYVEK - even the intriors (big hole in the ceiling)

first time using it and it worked great.
 
I went to my hardware store today and they said they dont carry Tyvek, which really sucks. I was hoping to pick some up and start lighting. The comparable material was 45 bucks Canadian for a 4x8 sheet! Expensive!
 
whoaa !!!

I didn't know what to call it when I got it .. I just said ... you know, that housing insulation stuff that's like foam core but has a reflective serface.

and the guy brought me to it

maybe it has a different name or brand in Canada
 
anybody ever used a collapsable windsheild sunshade as a reflector? i'm taking about the silver foily ones that kind of pop open when you let them go.
 
cheezweezl said:
anybody ever used a collapsable windsheild sunshade as a reflector? i'm taking about the silver foily ones that kind of pop open when you let them go.
Click to expand...

I read somewhere that those work pretty good! I forgot to look for one, I'll have to do that.
 
cheezweezl said:
anybody ever used a collapsable windsheild sunshade as a reflector? i'm taking about the silver foily ones that kind of pop open when you let them go.
Click to expand...
Non-rigid shiny boards (e.g., FlexFills, etc.) are not very effective. Usually, reflectors don't work well unless they are perfectly flat.
 
cheezweezl said:
anybody ever used a collapsable windsheild sunshade as a reflector? i'm taking about the silver foily ones that kind of pop open when you let them go.
Click to expand...

Depends on the type you get...the one I tried (accordian shiny 'buble foil') didn't reflect evenly, so it reflected more of a pattern, which unless you held it perfectly still, was pretty obvious.

Probably good for the TV or Fire look...
 
turbo2ltr said:
Depends on the type you get...the one I tried (accordian shiny 'buble foil') didn't reflect evenly, so it reflected more of a pattern, which unless you held it perfectly still, was pretty obvious.

Probably good for the TV or Fire look...
Click to expand...

yeah, the kind i'm talking about works the same way as the fold up reflectors or greenscreens that camera stores sell but they are silver and cheap.
 
Yea, non rigid reflectors really don't work well for film and video, seem to do fine for photography though. As for the Tyvek, the stuff I bought is actually some company called R-value or something like that, but basically its just exterior house insulation... most larger hardware and contractor supply stores should carry it, even in Canada you should be able to find it. Good Luck! but if not, foamcore does work just fine, maybe not quite as reflective.
 
I think that the choice of reflectors depends on what you are lighting. I love foamcore. It is easy to cut into shape, has consitant color and makes beautiful soft light for lighting people. From my experience, and taste, those shiney textured reflectors do not make people look good and should only be used to illuminate backgrounds, forgrounds or otherwise inanimate objects, but not on people. If you are building a light kit, follow all the advice above. Get some foamcore, get some of the shiney textured stuff from Home Depot, get some white poster board and then experiment and learn where to use each type of reflector to it's advantages.
 
show card works good too, i'm not sure of the "consumer" name for it but generally we use styrofoam bounce boards 2x2 or 4x4, whatever you want. One side is left normal and on the flip side we tape white coroplast to it, its durable and easy to cut. It will give you a couple of extra stops of 'bounced' light over the soft side. On the other hand you can use silver or gold material, which is basically paper, sorry i don't know what u would call it, do some searching and it should be a sinch to find.

t
 
Coat one side of foamcore with a gluestick or use spray adhesive, then lay down a layer of aluminum foil. Works great, but make sure there aren't any crinkles.
 
go to a fabric store and buy silvery material. i got 3 meters for $2.00.... then a hula hoop. stretch and stitch. its a little slow but it hnndles like a realone, plus you can tack big sheets on a wall very easily. little creativity you can do wonders.
 
i just scored some windsheild sunshades from walmart. these fold up into a circle and have an elastic band to keep them together. one side is shiny foil and the other side is matte foil. i just checked it out with my dvx. i was reflecting sunlight coming through a window onto my subject and the matte side creates very nice even and soft light. the only problem i can forsee is that when moved, it is obvious as the light changes on the subject. so it's nice for an indoor shoot on a stand but not handheld or outdoor in breeze unless shimmering light is the effect you are after.......

cheap though. about $6 for a two pack of 2'x3' pieces. for this price, everyone should have some.
 
You can also C47 the silvery material to the foamcore. I have a bunch of different 1m x 1m swatches of material from the local fabric store -- silver, gold, silver/gold zebra, different shades of white, reflective white, black with gold flecks, etc. They cost almost nothing and really come in handy.
 
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