Diffusing Windows

[Joe Cage]

Hello,

I want to create the following look. In my location are plain glass windows present, so I need to tape some material to the glass of the windows so it does not reflect, and gives this diffused look. But what material (thickness) would be great for this? + also what would be the best way to attach it.

I was thinking about:
- window Foil: https://www.raamfolieonline.nl/bree...MIgKWXrs7X2QIVT77tCh1aNAsOEAYYCCABEgJQtfD_BwE
- Tracing paper(taping it with white tape that sticks on both sides): https://www.dekwast.nl/artikel/kalk...MIjam7i5DW2QIVbbXtCh1UBwruEAYYASABEgJ9CvD_BwE

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

 

[Björn Benckert]

If the window is out of focus you can get the really cheep white fiberglas tarp, those half see trough ones that are basically the shittiest of tarps. They defuse light very nicely. So if you hang it a bit away from the window but coverings so you dont see outside you get it out of focus and a nice defused white light.


Thats what Roy Andersen is using all the time.

 

[Brian F Kobylarz]

Depending on the size of the window (and budget)...

Fly a large silk outside the window.
Use HMI's as a source behind the silk to control your illumination levels and direction.

Add a texture (such as the tree outlines in your sample) with a gobo pattern projector.

You can add motion to the effect (such as branches moving or clouds passing by) with a unit such as a ROSCO X24.

 

[Nathaniel Haban]

Depending on the size of the window, you could also look into Savage Translum: https://savageuniversal.com/products/specialty-backdrops/translum-backdrop/

Comes in 3 different intensities. For what you're doing, I think the lightweight would be best. Normally it's for transparent backdrops in photography, but I've been using it to diffuse large windows and create large soft banks. It's cheap (or... cheap-ish), heavier weight / sturdier than rolls of diffusion, and the size of roll will cover most windows.

 

[Matt W.]

I've seen 1000H tracing paper and rolls of diffusion used, although both are expensive. You can cut the tracing paper to size and fix it with tape (snot tape?). Anyhow it works well so your instinct is right with the tracing paper (cheaper than diffusion), but it eats a LOT of light.

That said, the other suggestions (visqueen?) sound good.

Make sure to dress the window with sheer curtains, or it will look too flat. Deakins does this a lot....

 

[Mark K.]

Renting an 8x8 or 12x12 frame for the day will almost certainly be cheaper than buying makeshift material to cover the window. In most circumstances, I'd suggest just getting a proper frame - so much less time wasted in getting it rigged in place then.

 

[David W. Jones]

Renting an 8x8 or 12x12 frame for the day will almost certainly be cheaper than buying makeshift material to cover the window. In most circumstances, I'd suggest just getting a proper frame - so much less time wasted in getting it rigged in place then.

+1 Agree with Mark

 

[Marc Wielage]

It may be possible to do this effect to a point in post. Shoot some tests and see what happens with a mild highlight glow filter. It's not the same thing as doing it on-set, and you have to be very careful not to clip out the highlights in the initial capture, but this can be very effective in some cases.

Given the choice, I'd always rather the DP shoot it right to begin with if possible, so diffusion outside is the best idea, cost no object.

 

[Chris Kennedy]

I prefer to use full grid cloth on windows-its pretty thick so even putting a powerful light source outside the window completely blooms out any highlights over the whole diffusion so you can't see any light sources through it. Also for curtains grey shears are great since they don't overexpose like white.