Gold/White Board

Overview

The Gold/White Board (also known as a "reflector board" or "shiny board") is a rigid reflector panel from the grip department. It bounces existing light (sunlight or artificial light) onto the subject and fills in shadows. Unlike a spotlight, the board does not generate its own light and requires no power.

It is passive grip/light shaping equipment, not an electronic color correction tool and not a fixture with an ANSI lamp code.

Two Axes: Texture and Color

In the typical rigid construction, two properties are clearly distinct:

• Texture (the two sides): The board is usable on both sides, and the two sides differ in their surface – a hard side (adhered, almost mirror-like paper that reflects light almost unchanged and directionally; high output, hard shadows) and a soft side (applied metal leaf plates, "leaf," that scatter the light, redirecting it more softly and diffusely).
• Color (the entire board): The coating is offered in gold, silver, or white and applies to the *entire* board – not a single side. A standard 42" board, for example, is therefore completely gold (gold paper on the hard side and gold leaf on the soft side) or completely silver. The gold variant warms cool daylight and counteracts the blue component of skylight; the silver/white variant largely maintains the color temperature.

Pure Gold/White *combination* boards with two differently colored sides do exist (mentioned are "silver, gold, white, and combinations of these colors"), especially with round collapsible reflectors. However, with the typical rigid shiny board, this division is unusual – the separation of texture (side) and color (entire board) described above applies there.

Construction and Functionality

Classic reflector boards of this design consist of a honeycomb core between two facing layers of aircraft aluminum, all framed in an aluminum frame. This construction makes the board rigid yet lightweight.

Technical Data

Reflector boards are offered by manufacturers such as Matthews Studio Equipment, Modern Studio Equipment (MSE), and American Grip with similar construction.

Use on Set

The board is mounted on a sturdy stand via the yoke and, thanks to the brake, can be precisely tilted and rotated to align the reflection exactly with the subject. Typical applications:

• Fill light on location shoots: Sunlight is directed into the shadow side of a face.
• Warming: A gold board renders skin tones warmer and more flattering.
• Neutral fill light: A silver/white board brightens without significantly altering the color impression.
• Hard vs. soft: The characteristic of the bounce light is controlled by the choice of side (hard-reflective or soft-diffusive).

Since hard reflective surfaces provide high light gain, boards are very bright in direct sunlight and susceptible to wind – they are usually secured with sandbags.