Cutout

You need a crisp, sharp edge of light on your actor's forehead, but you don't want the light to fall into their eyes — that's exactly where the cutout comes in. This thing is nothing more than a cut-out silhouette made of plywood or foam that you hang or position in front of a light. Unlike flags, which are rectangular and rigid, the shape of the cutout adapts precisely to what you want to conceal: an edge, a piece of technical equipment, a reflector that shouldn't be in the shot.

The practical advantage is obvious — repositioning is significantly faster than with standard flags. If your gaffer moves the light or the actor shifts half a position, you quickly remove the cutout, rotate it, or even trim it to fit even better, and then rehang it. No elaborate flag adjustments, no loosening screws, no wasted minutes on setups that are already tightly scheduled. You usually prepare the cutout before shooting begins, together with the grip team — in the workshop or between takes. Plywood is more robust, foam is lighter and less visible if it accidentally (!) slips into the frame.

You see cutouts constantly in portrait setups: they cut the light so precisely onto one cheek that the other falls into shadow — without creating the soft diffusion of a flag. They also work excellently to suppress reflections from glass or metal, or to mask a light in front of the principal actor that would otherwise be visible. Some cutouts are multi-layered — black on the outside, reflective on the inside — allowing for even finer control.

The art lies in anticipating the shape. A simple D-shaped cutout works for 80 percent of all close-ups, but for more extreme light angles, you need custom cuts. That's why experienced grips always keep a small collection of different shapes in their van. A cutout often saves you an additional grip or a second flag — and that makes an immediate difference to the budget and the pace.