There is a huge chasm between knowing lighting tools and knowing them intimately. Regardless of the approach, it takes a long time and a lot of experience to get to the latter. There is a wide array of options on the market, so how do you know what to use and when? I have been shooting for some time now, and assisting those better than me for even longer. I have had the opportunity to work with a wide array of lights and lighting augmentation, but its only been a few items at a time, sometimes spread over many months (or years) before seeing them again. Many cinematographers have their go-to approach to bouncing and diffusing light by always keeping a small selection of materials in their kit. Oftentimes, these were chosen because of what’s available. Other times, we hear its good, so we use it. But unless you’ve had a lot of practice and seen the side-by-side effects of each, it can be hard to know what would work best in a given situation. Because of this, I decided to conduct an in-depth test of various diffusion and bounce materials centralized in one location in a controlled environment. Welcome to the Ultimate Diffusion and Bounce Test.
A little background. I am a documentary cinematographer who has to shoot a lot of interviews for my projects. Interview lighting can range from a simple, no-frills, one-light setup to a massive lighting package with hours of setup time. Regardless of the scale, you want the interview to look as good as it can. Just shining a light on someone doesn’t always produce the most flattering look. You generally need to soften the light by either diffusing it, bouncing it, or both. The decision of which to do, and what materials to use is the question. What look are you going for? Is you space limited? How much time do you have to set up? What’s your budget? All of these factors play into the decision – and having an answer to these questions is an important first step.
This test is designed to answer some of those questions. I must admit, this is primarily a selfish test to see what I like best. But it is also a test to give all cinematographers a resource to look at the same materials and decide for themselves what looks best to fits their needs. This test is by no means limited to documentary interview lighting. These tools are the same used for any lighting setup, whether you’re shooting a documentary, commercial, or feature film. Every material, whether diffusing or bouncing, augments the quality and output of the light source to produce a specific look and feel.
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