light screens-which one?

[Mr Blackstock]

I am shooting in b&w, and the sun during most parts of the day is quite harsh. I will not purchase a screen, but instead make one. What material would best filter the sun? calico, chiffon? silk?

any ideas on the colour of material, although it is b&w, i am quite sure it matters. I was thinking black, grey, or forest green.

Help me save money!

------------------

[MovieStuff]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Courier, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Mr Blackstock:
I am shooting in b&w, and the sun during most parts of the day is quite harsh. I will not purchase a screen, but instead make one. What material would best filter the sun? calico, chiffon? silk?

any ideas on the colour of material, although it is b&w, i am quite sure it matters. I was thinking black, grey, or forest green.

Help me save money!
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Ah! You want a 'silk' or a 'scrim' as some people call them. The cheapest thing I've found here in the states is the translucent paper drop cloths that you can get at paint and hardware stores. They have some that are pure paper and some that have a plastic backing on them. The nice thing is that they are come in a variety of sizes but even the biggest (like 12x18 feet or so) is only a couple of bucks, since they're disposable. Works just great, are VERY light weight, won't tear in the wind and are easy to tape to a frame made out of PVC that can be assembled on location.

Hope this helps!

Roger

[mattias]

a silk diffuses the light, a scrim only cuts its intensity (it's also called a net, which is what it is). just wanted to sort that out, since the quality of the light becomes different, even if cut by the exact same amount.

/matt

[MovieStuff]

Silly me. Must stop and think before typing. Yes, that is true. I stand corrected. I assume he wants a silk, in which case the drop cloth would work. If he needs a scrim, then screen door netting (metal, not nylon) would be best.

Roger

[Mr Blackstock]

Great response,
O.K, so if I want to diffuse, i can go with the plastic, and if i want to cut intensity i go with netting. So material may be a no-go area?

I am trying to experiment also with the way material blocks out glare, as i think australian sunlight is possibly harsher than american, not 100% on that though.

Thanks

------------------

[MovieStuff]

It all depends on the look you want. An interesting thing to do is compare the very first Star Wars movie with the second one (Empire Srikes Back). I read an article long, long time ago where it was mentioned that the first used focused, almost theatirical lighting typical of many Hollywood films of that (disco) time period. For all the other sequels/prequels, they switched to soft, diffused lighting. Now, they both look great but looking at some of the sets and actors under both types of lighting is interesting.

As far as shooting without diffused lighting, a point light source like the sun can make for a REALLY sharp picture. Even if you used a shiney board for fill (a must!)and used no diffusion, the final image would be brilliant and flattering with super sharp detail and a nice sparkle to the eyes. Likewise, diffused lighting ALSO looks really nice but looks totally different than a focused light source like the sun.

So, it all depends on the mood. If, say, I were shooting an outdoors action western or a 30's detective movie, I would tend to use the non-diffused focused lighting. A romance story set in the same time period, I would probably go diffused.

By the way, on the drop cloth, it's the paper that actually diffuses the light. The plastic backing is clear and just for strength. A bed sheet will work but does cut the light tremendously. That's why silk or nylon is used. It's thin and doesn't block the light too much; just diffuses it.

I hope this helps!

Roger

[Mr Blackstock]

Well, thanks for the tips, now I have more options: material or netting to block, silks, nylons, and plastic to diffuse. This is more than i had before, thanks.

------------------