Those huge light diffusing sheets

Gohanto

Gohanto

Veteran
I've searched around for while, but I've yet to really find a clear explanation of this. On a lot of film set pictures I've noticed large lights put behind various sizes of streatched white sheets. I know this diffuses the light, but can anyone explain why they sometimes use 10' x 10' sheets, other times 2' x 2', and other times just clip diffusion paper onto the front of the light?

Also, I don't have access to film equipment stores (live in a small city) so I get most of my equipment off ebay or online stores. Can someone please explain how you create one of those diffusion walls and how you support them with stands?

Thanks.
 
To see better pictures of what we call Butterflies and Overheads, as well as nets,scrims and flags, I suggest going to this website.. www.msegrip.com
This is the website for Matthews grip equipment.
The larger the fabric, the larger the source of light, the softer the light in MOST occasions. Smaller lights usually require a smaller diffusion fabric to shoot thru, but occasionally, several lights are ganged together to make one big soft light. This fabric, can also be placed on very strong and tall lightstands and rolled into place directly over your talent or products to soften the direct overhead sun.
Depending on what lights you have available to use, the circumstances of your shoot,location and whether your indoors or out will determine how and when to use diffusion panels called "Silks" or to use pieces of gel directly on the lights themselves.
The frames used to hold these sheets of diffusion can also be utilized to hold other fabrics as well...Black- tp block light, reflectors- to bounce light back into shadows, or to be used a a giant soft or even hard key,fill or background light.
I suggest visiting the DIY ( do it yourself) section of this website and looking for "Butterflies or overheads or reflectors" I believe someone shows how to build these devices with PVC pipe. Good Luck
 
as far as the dif sizes for the same large light, yes there is a reason. the larger the light in relation to the subject the softer it is, so, if you have a 2x2 close to the light it defuses the same as the 10x10 far from the light, but its still a small light and there for hard. a 10x 10 sheet farther from the light, and closer to the subject created a large 10x10 defused light, and is much larger in relation to the subject that the 2x2, for 2 reasons, one it is 10x10 and not 2x2, and the other is it is closer to the subject. there for making the light much softer.

Jason Miller
 
Butterflies are mid-sized, standard square-framed light control devices - usually less than 8' x 8' and supported on only one of the four sides. There will be a pin or clamp along one side for interface with a stand. They can be deployed with diffusers like light gridcloth or griffolyn or polyester silks or reflective or solid black surfaces.

Overheads are the same type of device, but they usually feature ears along two sides, are 8' x 8' or larger (up to 20 x 20) and are supported by larger stands like mambo-combos or senior light stands on rollers. Rigging is often necessary, with ropes placed at the four corners to secure the frame and goods during and between set-ups.

The smaller diffusers you see are scrims, nets and flags. They come in standard sizes from 12" x 18" to 4' x 4'. Even smaller are fingers and dots, usually used as tiny light control for shaping and diffusing.

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