We are able to manipulate light through reflection. “Specular” reflectors are those that do not scatter light rays. Examples include water, metal, glossy paint or any smooth high-shine object. I recommend researching the “law of reflection” to better understand how to angle and position your reflectors. In this case, you are altering the direction of light.
Bouncing light off of smooth, mirrored surfaces produce harder light. Mirrored surfaces generally pose two problems. They can cast hard shadows and may induce glare (not to mention simply blind your cast members). In order to reduce these unwanted effects, you can break the mirror. Maybe you’ll get a few years of bad luck, but it could be worth it as spidered glass helps reduce the intensity of the beam.
A shiny and textured (or dimpled) surface will produce a more medium-to-hard light. If you want even softer, reflected light - select a more dull and textured surface. For example, coating a silver reflector with dulling spray will remove its harshness. Other than the pop-up (silver) reflector, cinematographers have even used multiple mirrors to bounce the light from outdoors to dark, indoor inner rooms (e.g., refraction or bending the light).
If you’re strapped for cash and unable to afford a pop-up filter, you can make your own. Simply coat cardboard (or preferably a piece of white foam core) with spray adhesive, then cover it with a sheet of Mylar space blanket. Pro Tip: Finish the job by wrapping the edges with duct-tape to prevent tearing. By using an off-white board, you will have both soft and hard reflectors in a single package.
The size of the reflector will affect the light output and its quality. Typically, the larger the source (reflector/bounce), the softer the lighting. A flat reflector will spread over a wider area; where as, a parabolic shape concentrates lights and has a longer throw. A Mylar space blanket draped over a nearby object (i.e. a car) will not only redirect light onto your scene but will also soften it as it’s now a larger source.
Softer light wraps around objects contours and fills in blemishes, such as skin. Soft light will enhance the curves of a car, where as, hard light simply results in a glare. We will cover diffusion in another blog post. For now, be sure to fill your reflector and/or diffusion cloth with the largest beam of light possible. Choose flood over spot lights to get a large source cast onto your reflector. Additional scrims can be mounted on the light source to reduce intensity by scattering the rays.
So far, we’ve discussed the angle and quality of light. The latter with regards to illumination (hard versus soft light). Reflectors can also be used to manipulate color. Gold reflectors will warm up the skin and can add a California tan look to pale faces. Bouncing light off a sheet of brown cardboard or off a blue sheet will also change the output color temperature as the incident (inbound) ray takes on properties of what it is reflected off of causing the reflected (outbound) ray to change color.
Lastly, reflectors and bounce can turn into wind sails when shooting outside. Forego the lightweight, flimsy tripods and opt for a heavy C-stand (secured with a sandbag) instead. Even when shooting indoors, you’ll need a way to secure reflectors firmly to avoid unwanted movement. There are a plethora of grip gear to facilitate this task: vice, gaffer, or Mafer clamps. Kupo has its Foamcore Clamp that pins itself through beadboard, too. Another idea (from Gaffer & Gear) is to use a wooden-framed, art canvas board that can be secured via a Cardellini clamp to a C-stand. You can also repaint them if it starts to dull or should you want to modify the color temperature. Check out Gaffer & Gear’s video for more info!