Best way to diffuse light (Without bouncing it)

[David G. Smith]

This thread got me to thinking, or I should say remembering. Before Chimera's came along gaffers used to take white foam core and cut it into 4 trapezoids then tape it together leaving a small hole at one end and a large hole at the other. They then covered the large hole with what ever diffusion desired then clamped the whole thing to a lights barn doors. Ta-da cheap softbox. You could even remove the diffusion, fold it up and reuse it.

I had forgotten all about these things.

I am about to start a four week show. If any one is interested when I get done I will build one as a tutorial.

I would be very interested in seeing that. Thanks.

 

[Mike H.]

+1

 

[DDirector]

So far only one person said to use a Soft Box.

Why not use a Soft Box instead of that diffusion on a frame method?

 

[RyanT]

Oh man, you really haven't looked into how expensive chimeras are.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/173855-REG/Arri_531658_Speed_Ring_for_650W.html
Speed ring - 125

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/149963-REG/Arri_571159_Chimera_Video_Pro_Bank.html
Soft box - 375

Oh, you want to be able to swap out the density of the diffusion? - 65

You want the fabric grid people are talking about to control the light? - 40 degree grid - 170
It's probably not a bad idea to have a few of these and they more control you want the more it costs.

735 for a fancy piece of diffusion with basic lighting controls. Sure it takes up less space and is a lot easier to setup quickly, but if you don't already have a few c-stands and a flag, I think you should focus on more versatile pieces of gear first.


Now instead 65 bucks for a frame. 175 for a primo c-stand. Now you have a soft light for 240 bucks. 90% of the time you can forgo flagging the light spilling before the frame, as it's usually just a courtesy for the operator, the barn doors will do the trick most of the time.

Now you can spend all this extra money on another c-stand and a 4x4 floppy (125).

540 dollars versus 735 and with that money saved you get two c-stands, which are two very versatile pieces of equipment, and not to mention the 4x4 floppy. The floppy will give you much more control over your light than the grid ever would, and in such a way that is much more customizable. You could spend 735 dollars on the chimera, but you'll have a chimera...and that's it.

 

[a1selecta]

this thread got me to thinking, or i should say remembering. Before chimera's came along gaffers used to take white foam core and cut it into 4 trapezoids then tape it together leaving a small hole at one end and a large hole at the other. They then covered the large hole with what ever diffusion desired then clamped the whole thing to a lights barn doors. Ta-da cheap softbox. You could even remove the diffusion, fold it up and reuse it.

I had forgotten all about these things.

I am about to start a four week show. If any one is interested when i get done i will build one as a tutorial.

i am definitely interested in a tutorial

 

[robotsound]

This thread got me to thinking, or I should say remembering. Before Chimera's came along gaffers used to take white foam core and cut it into 4 trapezoids then tape it together leaving a small hole at one end and a large hole at the other. They then covered the large hole with what ever diffusion desired then clamped the whole thing to a lights barn doors. Ta-da cheap softbox. You could even remove the diffusion, fold it up and reuse it.

The book "A Shot in the Dark: A Creative DIY Guide to Digital Video Lighting on (Almost) No Budget" covers this. They were originally called a Croney Cone, named after the late Jordan Chronenweth, ASC.

That book is chock full of great DIY lighting stuff, I highly recommend it.

 

[Bruce Watson]

No one seems to have mentioned using a Wescott Scrim Jim. Similar to an open frame, but you can buy all sorts of coverings and they velcro on instead of gaffer tape. They come in three sizes -- but it's modular -- if you have a 96" frame you can take out the side pieces and make a 42" frame (or a 42" x 72") if that's what you need at the time. Takes a Scrim Jim clamp and a grip head to mount it on a C-stand.

The convenience of having a modular system and fabrics cut and with velcro installed for fast installation comes at a cost. Not the cheapest way out, but if you don't have the "luxury" of a lighting crew with a grip truck and you have to do it all yourself, it might be worth it if it saves some time and aggravation. Just sayin'.

 

[ggrantly]

If compact transport is needed, consider Westcott Scrim-Jim kits. These are a little hokey in some ways, but they are quick, versatile, and pack down really small. You can get diffusion or reflectors to cover the frames. They come in a few sizes and can be doubled up as well.

Grant

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/90983-REG/Westcott_1893_Scrim_Jim_Medium_Reflector.html

 

[jimpatro]

Definitely as large a Chimera as you can afford with a 20 degree grid. Soft light that's uber directional with minimal spill. These are my favorite setups, can't rave about them enough. Did the foamcore, homemade softboxes before and they worked okay but without grids you're going to need more than just a couple of c-stands and flags.

 

[Bern Caughey]

So far only one person said to use a Soft Box.

Both methods have advantages, & are equally employed.

I have a case containing more than a dozen soft boxes, & use them regularly. They're particularly useful when space is tight, or with limited crew.