Chimera

Overview

"Chimera" on a film set almost always refers to a product from the US company of the same name, Chimera Lighting, founded in 1980 and based in Colorado. The company manufactures collapsible softboxes, known in the film industry as Lightbanks. In set jargon, "the Chimera" therefore usually means a fabric softbox that is mounted in front of a light to transform hard light into soft, directed light.

A Chimera lightbank consists of a collapsible frame, an outer fabric shell with a reflective interior, an inner diffusion baffle, and the front diffusion panel. The bank is coupled to the respective fixture via a matching Speed Ring.

Product Lines and Components

Chimera primarily distinguishes its lightbanks by heat resistance and design:

• Quartz Lightbanks: made from heat-resistant special fabrics, designed for hot tungsten and HMI lights (Open-Face, PAR, Broads). According to the manufacturer, they are designed for very high lamp outputs over extended periods.
• Daylite Lightbanks: deeper design, allowing narrow-beam Fresnel and HMI PAR lights to illuminate the front panel evenly.
• LED Lightbanks, Lanterns (including Pancake Lantern), and Octa shapes for round or omnidirectional light.

Important accessories:

• Speed Ring: the adapter ring between the fixture and the bank. Chimera introduced the industry's first speed rings in 1983; the system allows the same bank to be mounted on different fixtures via various rings (including Arri, Mole-Richardson, K5600 Joker, Litepanels).
• Baffle / Front Diffusion: interchangeable inner and outer panels control diffusion and softness.
• Fabric Grid / Eggcrate: a clip-on fabric grid that narrows the beam angle and reduces spill light.

Set Usage

The Chimera is the standard for transforming a point source or open light source into a broad, soft source without having to hang separate diffusion material in the light path. Typical applications include soft key light for faces, fill light, and even background light.

The heat output of the fixture is crucial for choosing the right bank: hot tungsten and HMI fixtures require a Quartz bank, while cooler LED sources can use standard or LED banks. When setting up, the rule is that the lamp must fit the speed ring mount; a single bank can be adapted to many lamp types via the appropriate ring.