Modular aluminum frame system with interchangeable fabrics: Butterflies diffuse light, Bounces reflect it, Silks reduce it.
Butterflies use translucent fabrics with transmission values between 25% and 85%, depending on material thickness. Standard fabrics like 216 Diffusion reduce light intensity by 1.5 stops with even spread. Bounces utilize reflective materials – from matte white (90% reflection, soft characteristic) to silver (95% reflection, hard characteristic). Silks employ black, opaque fabrics with absorption values over 99% for complete shading. The frames are constructed from 32mm diameter aluminum tubes, with cast steel corner connectors ensuring stability under wind loads up to 40 km/h.
The technique evolved from Hollywood studios in the 1940s, where initially fixed diffusion setups were used. In 1963, Matthews Studio Equipment introduced the first modular frame systems. The breakthrough came in 1978 with lighter aluminum constructions from grip pioneer Jim Matthews. In the 1990s, digital productions expanded requirements – modern fabrics like Ultrabounce (2001) or 1/8 Grid Cloth (2005) were developed specifically for HD and digital cameras with their altered spectral sensitivities.
Roger Deakins used 20x20-foot Butterflies with 216 diffusion for the apartment scenes in "Blade Runner 2049" (2017) to modulate harsh LED light. In "Mad Max: Fury Road" (2015), John Seale employed massive Silks to control the Australian desert sun – installations up to 40x40 feet created defined shadow gradients. Standard workflow: Positioning is done via Mombo Combos or Condor Lifts, securing with sandbags (minimum 35 pounds per corner for 12x12 setups). Wind monitoring is required from Beaufort scale 3.
LED panels with integrated diffusers are increasingly replacing smaller Butterfly setups under 6x6 feet, but do not offer the uniform surface illumination of large fabric systems. Space Lights operate on a similar principle but are limited to interior spaces. Modern alternatives like SkyPanels with Chimera softboxes achieve similar results with more compact setups, but at higher power costs (2.8 kW vs. passive light modification). Grip trucks typically carry BB&S up to 12x12 feet; larger formats require separate logistics.
Ich plane BB&S bereits beim Location-Scouting – ein 12x12-Butterfly über dem Esstisch gibt mir T2.8 bei ISO 800 statt der T5.6, die ich ohne Diffusion bei direktem Sonnenlicht bräuchte. Bei Interviews verwende ich standardmäßig 6x6-Bounces mit Ultrabounce-Stoff, das gibt mir eine gleichmäßige Grundausleuchtung ohne Hotspots, die in 4K-Aufnahmen sofort sichtbar wären.
BB&S sind meine unsichtbaren Dramaturgiewerkzeuge – große Silks schaffen emotionale Intimität durch kontrollierte Schattenverläufe, während ich mit Butterflies die Härte von Konfliktszenen modulieren kann. In "The Revenant" nutzte Iñárritu riesige Silk-Installationen, um trotz Available Light die narrative Kontrolle über Lichtstimmungen zu behalten, das inspiriert meine Arbeit mit natürlichen Lichtquellen.
Ein BB&S-Package kostet täglich 180-350€ je nach Größe, dazu kommen Grip-Kosten für Auf- und Abbau – bei 12x12-Setups rechne ich 45 Minuten pro Installation. Bei Außendrehs plane ich immer Wetter-Puffer ein, da Wind über 25 km/h den Dreh stoppt, das kann schnell 15.000€ Tagessatz kosten, wenn die Versicherung nicht greift.
1. Zu welchem Department gehört „BB&S"?
2. Wie viele verschiedene Fachperspektiven bietet dieser Eintrag?
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