Low-Budget DIY alternatives to large ND gels/double nets to bring down windows

[Alex Frey]

Hello everyone!

 

I am wondering if any of you have any low-budget DIY alternatives to bringing down the exposure on a window in the shot during a daytime interior scene?

 

Large ND gels or double nets are a little out of my budget (If I wanted to cover a 6x6 window with two double nets, I'm looking at $40).

Have any of you used some sort of bed sheet or screening from Home Depot and had luck?Unfortunately we don't have the luxury of large HMIs.

The window is covered with blinds, but is still way over exposed.

Thanks and I appreciate any feedback!

-Alex

[David Mullen ASC]

Well, a bed sheet is going to obscure the view...

 

You could try black netting material of different sorts though most won't cut much more than a stop before they also start obscuring the view.

 

It's going to be hard to spend much less than $40...

 

If you have access to potted bushes, greens tend to be less bright as a background outside a window.

[JD Hartman]

Does (window) screening exist in 6' widths? Don't think so, so any seam would be visible as a dark stripe Have you priced the cost of simply renting a 6x double net, it should be within your budget.

You might try using the spun fabric off the bottom of a boxspring. That's an old trick and similar to the gel "Tuffspun", but as with the fabric store netting, it will obscure the view. Can you shoot at a more favorable time of day?

[Edward Lawrence Conley III]

how many days are you at this location?

 

6x double is $13.50 at Castex.