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Hey all. 

I was doing a cinematography for beginners course and the instructor spoke about a grid cloth as a type of diffusion. 

However when I google it there isn't an abundance of options. Does a grid cloth have a different name in the UK? Is this why? 

Can anybody tell me some alternative names for grid cloth if they exist?

 

Many thanks!

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Both Lee filters and Roscoe cine gels list grid cloth in various densities/weight (Light stopping abilities).  Both product ranges are sold in most Motion Picture supply places.  Even fabric stores sometimes carry White rip-stop nylon which is similar in appearance to grid cloth and works in a pinch.  Other white colored polyester fabrics work as well.  You will have to test for color temperature variation.  Hope this helps.

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On 3/2/2022 at 2:39 AM, Eric Eader said:

Both Lee filters and Roscoe cine gels list grid cloth in various densities/weight (Light stopping abilities).  Both product ranges are sold in most Motion Picture supply places.  Even fabric stores sometimes carry White rip-stop nylon which is similar in appearance to grid cloth and works in a pinch.  Other white colored polyester fabrics work as well.  You will have to test for color temperature variation.  Hope this helps.

Thanks for your response. I typed in Grid Cloth into the search bar of the Lee Filters website, and still it returned nothing.

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I have made 8x8 frames up with ripstop nylon and it works fine. I would say it's not quite the same textile as what is often called gridcloth, which has a stiffer, more papery texture. Maybe that's just what one particular manufacturer uses and I'm not aware that either has any advantage over the other.

Various kinds of semi-translucent fabric would work as a diffuser so long as they're neutral in colour (or you're aware of and happy with the fact that they aren't, as in unbleached muslin). The only issue is when people on a crew are used to particular types - someone asks for a quarter grid and you've got what you've got, and it does what it does.

These days I think the LED textiles are a much better bet, anyway. Less setup, more compact, vastly more efficient. Most of them are outrageously expensive but if anything was ever worth it...

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  • 2 months later...
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On 3/15/2022 at 10:37 PM, JB Earl said:

what are led textiles?

I'm thinking of things like the Aladdin Fabric Light, which seems to be able to save an enormous amount of time, gear and space in terms of simple convenience. Hugely powerful, compared to a diffused fresnel, too.

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oh yes, LED Mats.  (like litemats...)  They're definitely easier to diffuse than a hard light, but I still find they need at least 1 layer of some diffusion

Edited by JB Earl
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  • 2 weeks later...
6 hours ago, Mark Kenfield said:

There's also "silent" grid cloths (compared to the regular ones) which rustle less apparently.

In India they call it "GC".

Yes; 1/2 silent grid cloth has been my flavor of choice lately.

I have found them odd to purchase but I found a pretty optimal place (in the States at least) to be BarnDoor.
https://www.filmandvideolighting.com/search-results.html?query=grid+cloth

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