I have a question

[Naimah]

1)Which grip tool would you use to create a “top chop?”

2)Which grip tool would you use to reduce the left side of the beam from

a fresnel light by 1 stop?

[Stuart Brereton]

Naimah,

 

This is a real name forum. you need to contact the forum administrator, Tim Tyler, to have your real first and last name added to your account.

 

A top chop would usually be created with a flag (or solid), of whatever size is appropriate. If you need to reduce the intensity of all or part of a lamp (known here in LA as 'slowing it down') you would probably use a double or single net. When trying to affect just part of the beam, it's common to use a 2'x3' open ended net. This is a frame that has only 3 sides so that the shadow of the 4th side does not appear in frame.

[David Mullen ASC]

Technically a double-net cuts light by one-stop (a single-net by a half-stop), but since you are covering only the edge of a light, there may be some spill around the net that adds a little more exposure. But probably the answer is a double-net.

[Brian Drysdale]

Apart from the full real name issue, it would be better if you used a thread title that hints at the subject matter, rather than starting three separate new topics called "I have a question". That just causes confusion.because it looks like a double post, which in this case it isn't.

Edited August 19, 2016 by Brian Drysdale

[Nima Khazaei]

The answer you (or your teacher, as it would appear :rolleyes:) are looking may be a "half-double scrim". See this comparison: http://www.tvtechnology.com/Portals/0/TVT_20141119-1545.jpg

 

The name is a little confusing- "double" refers to scrims that reduce light by 1 stop. A single scrim reduces light by 1/2 stop. "Half" refers to the fact that it only covers half of the face of the light. You can rotate it to control which half.

 

That's the textbook answer, anyway. Like Stuart and David explained, I think a net would be used more commonly if you need any precise control. With a net you can control exactly where the cutoff happens by moving it left/right/up/down, and how hard or soft the transition is by moving it closer or further from the light.