DYI bounced light - bleached muslin vs DYI

[David-Olivier Gascon]

Hi,

I would like to create a natural daylight look. I want to bounce light from the side and I'm wondering what is the difference from:

A bleached muslin VS a white table cloth (the one this use in restauration, that is very white and a little bit shinny).

Or do you have any recommandation for DIY bounce ?

Here is the look I'm trying to accomplish.

 

[Stuart Brereton]

As an alternative to bleached muslin, try a white cotton bedsheet.

[Phil Rhodes]

2 hours ago, David-Olivier Gascon said:

Or do you have any recommandation for DIY bounce ?

I'd like to propose that if we're at the level of discussing the relative merits of one sort of white fabric over another, we're possibly at risk of overanalysing the problem.

It's white fabric. Within certain fairly broad limits, it doesn't matter. I just bought some white cotton twill, which I would describe as basically tablecloth fabric. Quite chunky and heavyweight.

P

[David-Olivier Gascon]

Yes it make sens ! Thanks

[Stephen Sanchez]

Bleached muslin has a loose weave and so some of the light shoots right through (doesn't bounce off). So by nature it is less efficient at bounce than a tighter weave fabric, a curtain for instance. By what percent efficiency loss there is, I haven't taken time to measure but I probably should then. Light loss also occurs through absorption, which is dependent on the material properties and how dark it is (for instance unbleached muslin is darker than bleached muslin).

Just look at the material. If you can see through it, it's not collecting all the light for a bounce.

It's this reason I don't prefer to use muslin or silk for diffusion.

[Stuart Brereton]

13 hours ago, Stephen Sanchez said:

Bleached muslin has a loose weave and so some of the light shoots right through 

There's often some confusion and difference of opinion as to what muslin is. Bleached muslin is the same as unbleached muslin, just, well, bleached. It should appear like a heavyweight white cotton sheet. Muslin used for large rags is a heavier weight fabric again, almost like canvas in feel.

If you have a loose weave white fabric, while it may be called muslin, it's probably not what would usually be used on set.

(in the UK, for instance, Muslin is sometimes called Calico, and what they call Muslin is so loose woven that it's sometimes used to hold herbs for making mulled wine.)

[Stephen Sanchez]

@Stuart BreretonReally? That's great information to have, my friend. The local DPs I know use the fabric store stuff. I have some and wasn't impressed with the weave and wondered why folks suggested it.

[David-Olivier Gascon]

Thanks everyonne. I found your answers really interesting.

[Gabriel Devereux]

1 hour ago, Stephen Sanchez said:

@Stuart BreretonReally? That's great information to have, my friend. The local DPs I know use the fabric store stuff. I have some and wasn't impressed with the weave and wondered why folks suggested it.

Too achieve similar results with fabric store music (cheese cloth) I just double it up 

 

[Stuart Brereton]

14 hours ago, Stephen Sanchez said:

The local DPs I know use the fabric store stuff. I have some and wasn't impressed with the weave and wondered why folks suggested it.

There's nothing necessarily wrong with it being from a fabric store. I have quite a few yards of Ikea curtain material that I use as a bounce. I don't know what it's called, but it is the same color and weave as unbleached muslin. Ultimately, it's the color and texture that's important, not its name.