"MacGyver" style hotlight diffuser

I discovered a pair of abandoned 1000 watt barndoor-type tungsten

hotlights in one of my cupboards. I placed them on some stands,

switched them on...and reached for my sunglasses. I plan to use

them until I get studio lights. These lights cast the ugliest

shadows, I tried moving them and now have band-aid on my blisters.

I'm looking for MacGyver type DIY diffusers (remember the TV seies).

Any ideas of material I could use, and how to set up?

Anesh-- What you need is something called "Tuff Rolux," put out by Roscoe. It stands up to heat very well and is relatively cheap. You can order it from R & R Lighting, and I think that B&H may carry it.

 

Happy shooting. -BC-

The simplest solution may be to just turn them around and bounce the light off large reflectors (white bedsheets, foamcore, styrofoam sheets, etc).

Are they PAR lights or Fresnels with the lens missing? If they're Fresnel and the lenses are broken, you may be able to replace them. A Fresnel lens evens the light out.

 

OK, you can use sheets of diffusion in different grades called Tough Spun, Frost, etc. The common brands in the USA are Rosco, Lee, and GAM. Or you could bounce light off sheets of white foamcore or Styrofoam as the previous writer suggests.

 

Clip the diffusion sheet to the barn-doors with wooden clothes pegs.

Hi -

If they're open-face broadlights - film/video versions of Home Depot worklights - then you won't get very far pointing them directly at your subject. You'll have to bounce them off of foam core or something, and then find a way to cut the sides so that you're not spraying light all over the place. You can also get nice light by bouncing them off of a white ceiling in a large improvised softbox of foamcore and diffusion. They're going to be hot, no matter what you do, so get some gloves and don't burn down the house. If you live near a movie supply house, you may be able to buy partially used 4' wide rolls of diffusion. You can spread that over a vented foam core box and you're all set.

Have Fun.

Get some Cine-foil to control spill. It's like heavy duty aluminum foil that comes in matte silver and in matte black. You can clip it to hot lights with metal paper clips (the black sheet metal, spring formed ones with metal hoops from any office supply store) and avoid small fires and that annoying burning/melting smell... t