Filmmaking: Using Silk Diffusers and Modifiers

In this blog post we’ll discuss different types of lighting diffusion. Lighting diffusers and modifiers come in a variety of different models and have different lighting objectives. For example, silks are a common lighting diffuser and are used to soften harsh light, while a gobo is a hard material with a pattern or design cut out of it to add lighting texture to a set. Scrims on the other hand are small metal objects that are placed inside a light which allows filmmakers to slightly reduce the intensity of the light without altering any other elements of that light source.

Silks and other diffusers, however, do more than just cut the intensity of the light. As mentioned above, silks are used to soften specular light (light that has waves that are fairly parallel). Diffused light is often softer than specular light and lighting diffusion is achieved by directing your lights through some type of semi-transparent or translucent material such as silk, nylon, muslin or plastic.

Unlike scrims, which only change the intensity of the light, diffusers such as silk actually scatter the light in random directions which allows the light to “wrap” itself around a subject which consequently helps get rid of harsh directional shadows created by hard lighting.

However, there are consequences to using diffusers. For starters, diffusers limit the amount of light that makes it onto your set and also changes the area that is covered by the light. It should be noted, that light passing through a diffuser isn’t “lost”, it is simply re-directed. Some light bounces back towards the light source and the rest of the light is scattered over a larger area.

Silks are usually 4×4 or smaller and are placed just in front of the lighting source to diffuse the light. Silks that are 6×6 are called butterflies while larger silks (8×8 and up to 40×40) are called “overheads”.

Remember to be careful when working with silks, butterflies and overheads. Especially outdoors where even a slight wind can bring your diffusers down and wreck havoc on set. If possible, sandbag each c-stand and have one person guarding each stand.

Another lighting modifier is known as a “cookie” or “gobo”. These are sheets that when placed in front of lights help create dramatic lighting designs. The purpose of these objects is to block lighting in a patterned manner so that you can add lighting texture to a set. You often see them used in interviews or in a scene were a cookie is used to mimic the lighting effect that venetian blinds have on light.

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