It’s really common for directors to ask for a wide shot on location. But what are you supposed to do in a tight space without good rigging points? Tape a show card to the wall and bounce the light! 😤
A spotlight attachment (also known as a Leko) is the perfect tool for this job because it allows you to shoot a narrow beam of light across the room with a lot of control. If you cover your show card in Sriracha - I mean bleached muslin - you can get something close to book light softness in a tiny space. It’s a super handy technique for anyone who works on location!
In this scene, we knew we wanted to Baja Blast™️ the M40 with 1/4 straw through the window for the “sun” but we didn’t want it to hit the subject. For the key light used two Aputure 600Ds with 26 degree spotlight attachments to shoot light across the room to the show card we taped to the wall and positioned to get the perfect bounce on the subject’s face. A 4x4 floppy was placed just below the beams of the 600s to keep any spill off the subject. This step is especially important if you’re using haze in the shot (which we were) since you could see the beam of light across the frame.
Tyler Kaschke is a freelance gaffer with a grip truck based in Lafayette, Colorado serving Boulder, Denver, Golden, Fort Collins, Colorado Springs and the Rocky Mountain region at large.