The black side acts as a scrim to reduce the intensity of light shining through it. You can stretch most scrim material onto flexible frames to make better use of its non-reflective black side and its reflective silver or gold side. Light will shine through it, but it has enough surface area that it can also reflect light. A scrim is a piece of material that looks like a thick piece of screening. Crew members can hold these reflectors to reflect the light exactly where it’s wanted at all times.Ī very useful, third type of reflector is the reflective scrim. A popular type of diffusion reflector has a soft gold surface on one side and silver on the other, stretched over a flexible frame that you can twist into a small 12-inch circle. These reflectors come in a variety of shapes and sizes and are the most flexible of the reflectors. Pebbled surface or pitted surface reflectors diffuse the reflected light so that it isn’t so harsh. This can be quite handy if you are attempting to shoot a scene that needs a lot of "natural" light. You can use large silver reflectors to change the angle of the sun or reflect it into places that don’t normally see the light of day.
A crafty videographer will set up a bank of gold-colored reflectors to reflect the noon sun at an angle that imitates the golden evening glow of the setting sun. These reflectors are usually stiff and can range in size from small hand-held reflectors to huge, six-foot-by-nine-foot stand-mounted reflectors. You can also use these reflectors to get light into hard-to-reach areas or to provide a harsh, hard light to dramatize the shot. Smooth-surface reflectors reflect the light towards your subject at the same intensity as the source. Manufacturers also sell sheets of flexible reflective material or hard metal plates as reflectors. Primarily, reflectors come in three varieties: smooth surface, pebbly or dimpled surface and reflective scrims. Manufacturers of reflective material take advantage of the characteristics of light and provide a variety of options for the videographer. To warm up a scene, you could reflect the light off a gold surface to light your subject in a golden glow. Shine the light on a blue surface and it will reflect blue.
Reflect the light off a green wall and it will be green. You can also use multiple smooth-surface reflectors in much the same way you would use a double bank-shot to get your light into hard to reach places (see the Let the Sun Shine In sidebar.)Īnother handy characteristic of light is that it will reflect color off a surface. You look at the reflector as if it is the side of the table and angle your shot so that the light goes towards your intended target.
If the reflector is set at a 45-degree angle in front of the light, the light will hit the reflector and bounce off at a 45-degree angle from the reflector or 90 degrees from the light. If you place a smooth reflective surface in the beam, the light will bounce off the reflector at the same angle that you have positioned the reflector. When you hold up a lighting instrument, the light shines where you point it. One of light’s most useful characteristics is that it moves in a straight line.
#Light reflector how to
In this column we will look at reflectors, both commercial and homemade, and discuss how to use these light movers in various shooting situations. Reflectors are some of the most important pieces in a videographer’s accessory kit. The entire scene comes alive and you get a great piece of video. Never one to get worried, you pull out your handy silver reflector and carefully bounce the light of the morning sun onto your talent’s face. You look through the viewfinder and see a beautiful ocean, colorful boats, glistening beach and a dark silhouette of your talent. The sun is glistening off the beach in the background providing a wonderful back light for your talent. Excitedly, you set up your camera, place your talent so you can see the beautiful ocean, with its colorful boats and sandy shores. It is a great place to shoot a video, especially during the time of year when all your friends are looking forward to Groundhog Day and hoping for a short winter. The ocean in the Caribbean is a beautiful aqua-blue.
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