The Professional Use of Reflectors

The function of the sunlight reflector may be likened to that of the flashbulb in the still-photographer’s camera: to throw needed light into shadow areas of a scene to balance the illumination for best pictorial results.

Reflectors are essential equipment for any producer of motion-picture films. Even when booster lights are brought along to a distant exterior location, invariably reflectors will be found in use also, for quite often they can provide light of a different quality or can throw light from an angle not possible with a booster light because of the terrain or power problems. The small-film producer, of course, will find reflectors indispensable, for reflectors can be made to serve his purpose in most exterior locations, making it unnecessary for his crew to employ the more costly booster lights and power generator.

When reflectors first were used in cinematography, they were usually placed on the ground and tilted, with a stick supporting them at the desired angle. But the light thus reflected from a low angle was unnatural, and gradually reflectors were elevated — mounted on parallels to produce reflected light from a more natural angle. Outdoors, sunlight comes from above, and it is only logical that reflected light, to appear natural and unobtrusive, come from an elevated angle also. Ultimately, the studios started mounting their reflectors on tripods or metal stands, with the reflector tilting within a metal, U-shaped yoke mounted atop the adjustable stand.

Until recently, users of reflectors built their own. Now, professional-type dual-surfaced reflectors, complete with yoke and pedestal, are available. The reflector is constructed of plywood ¼-inch thick supported within a wooden frame. Overall size is 4'. The frame has fittings for mounting the reflector on a pedestal or for attaching a telescoping support at the back, where the reflector is to be used on the ground. The yoke and pedestal are constructed of steel tubing. The latter is adjustable from a low of 60" to a maximum height of 96".

The simplest and most obvious use of the reflector is to lighten up the shadow side of faces when shooting in crosslight outdoors. For this, a fairly soft reflector — the aluminum papered surface — is usually best. The reflector should be placed well back from the subject so that the effect of shadow remains, but with the shadow area lightened sufficiently to permit the camera to capture necessary detail. Here, the reflector should be elevated so that the light strikes the subject at face level or from slightly above. In any case, the reflected light should not be so intense as to cause the subject to squint.

Reflectors find important use also when the cinematographer works in backlight. Here, two reflectors should be used — one at either side of the subject throwing fill light towards both sides of the face — and a third placed somewhat closer to the subject (with consequent “hotter” light) to provide a measure of modeling in the illumination.

The skillful cameraman will achieve results with reflectors that are subtle, and do not make use of reflectors obvious in the scene. Like every other cinematic treatment, when reflected lighting is overdone, it is distracting as well as completely unnatural.

By using  reflectors, action can be staged in shade, as for example on a porch, under large shade trees, or in the shadow of a house or tall building. Here, reflectors can be set up beyond the shaded area in such a manner as to throw reflected sunlight into the scene. Of course, this calls for shooting on the location at the time of day when the sun is in the right position to make reflector use effective. Where action is staged in deep shade, hard-surfaced reflectors are the best to use, as their light beams hold together and carry for a greater distance than do those of soft reflectors. Professional cinematographers have been known to use reflectors in relays for this type of shot — bouncing light from one reflector to another until the light reaches the desired spot. This is useful, of course, where access to sunlight is not direct, as in the average type of shot calling for reflector use.

Another professional use for sunlight reflectors is to provide backlighting and rimlighting. A typical example of using reflectors for backlighting is where the subject is out in the open, facing the sun. Camera angle permitting, a hard reflector is placed in back of the subject to throw reflected light upon him to provide added separation. Sometimes two reflectors are better for this — one at each side, toward the back.

Use of reflectors in cinematography rarely poses an exposure problem. Once the contrast effect has been checked with the aid of a contrast viewing glass, the usual meter reading — either reflected or incident light — is read and the lens set accordingly. It sometimes happens that balancing the reflector-filled shadow side of a face with the bright side becomes a problem. To get an effect of natural “open” shadow, there should be about half as much light in the shadow as in the highlight. Increase or decrease the illumination of the reflector-lighted area by moving the reflectors toward or away from subject or scene until the right balance is obtained.