Fabric and Steel Scrims

[Moseph]

The stuff that Lowes sells isn't the real deal. Normal bead board found on set is an inch thick with one side that's a thick paper backed aluminum foil sort of material (not that really lightweight mylar that's glued directly onto the polystyrene). But foam core will totally work, it just has a bit more of a satin-like finish than a matte white that's usually wanted for a bounce.

 

[iamlance]

I'm working with what I've got. Ideally I'd get some of the good stuff, but what can I do? I'm a student at a university without a film store/rental company nearby.

 

[JPNola]

It was! I was curious to find foamcore rather than beadboard as it is much stronger. I'd rather deal with a big board that is a little floppy than one that breaks easily. I don't want to run to Lowe's constantly for beadboard.

In order to make the bead board more stout an equal sized piece of foam core is mated to it using white gaff tape. Not only does it strengthen the bead board but the result is that you have an option of bead board on one side and foam core board on the other. The bead board being a softer bounce, the foam core side having more sheen to it and thus being a slightly stronger, more "direct" bounce.

Again, none of these lighting aids are "must have". For years I used collapsible "flex fills" for a bounce. Those collapse into a small size that is easier to transport. Fitting the 4' x 4' bead board bounce into the back of my SUV with the rest of my kit is not always easy. And it's more of a pain to transport the 4x bead board into a location. The bead board is a luxury. If I am having to move quickly and expeditiously I use a flex fill.

Flex fill also makes a collapsible circular silk that I have used to soften my key light.

Chimera makes a 42" x 42" collapsible frame that can take scrims, grid cloth ( Chimera cloth ), or a solid white / solid black combo. At different times I use the collapsible frame for bounce or silk to soften key. A silk on a frame in front of a soft bank produces a particularly soft result. Feature film DP's often double soften in this manner. They will use two softeners between source and subject so that the first softener ( usually a silk on a large frame ) softens the source and the second softener ( also a silk on a large farm ) will soften everything even further. The advantage the DP's on big productions have that I do not is a way to control the spill from such a setup. They have 4x4 floppy solid flags and crew to place them. They will contain the spill from such a large soft source with several 4x floppy solids that box-in the huge soft source so that it less illuminates the entire scene and is more confined to just the subject(s).

The setup I most often see on big productions is: very large source such as a 12k or 18k, heavy diffusion on a 4x frame a few feet in front of that, a large ( 12x or 20x ) silk on a frame even further away and as close to subject as possible.

big source >> heavy diffusion >>>> massive silk


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A basic portable package for soft interview light on "ENG" shoots is:

* Chimera soft bank key light. ( the larger the soft bank the better. I use a Lowell tota light in a size L Chimera. I usually add a fabric grid. ).

* bounce of some sort ( collapsible bounce, foam core bounce, or bead board bounce )

* backlight ( aka "hair light" or "edge light" if placed so that it more strikes the subjects fill-side cheek / jawbone. I vary between an Arri 150w, kino 2' two-bank, or tota in size XS chimera with fabric grid. )

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A budget package for soft interview lighting is:

* Lowell rifa key light

* foam core bounce

* small fresnel for hair light ( or small fresnel hitting a small piece of foam core so that your hair light is a more soft "bounced" light. )

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Super-budget package for soft interview light is:

* Key light consisting of fresnel bounced into white foam core or Flexfill

* foam core bounce ( or no fill at all )

* small fresnel ( 150w ) hair light OR no hair light at all.

 

[iamlance]

Each time I reread a thread like this one, I gain more and more information from the info written inside. Much of this stuff I couldn't understand 6 months ago, whereas now I am in a position to grasp a whole lot more from it. Thanks again for posting this information guys! It's more valuable to me (and likely plenty of others) than you may know!