Diffusion
Diffusion is translucent material placed in front of a lamp so the light scatters and the source becomes effectively larger.
What this is about
Diffusion is the how, not the what: soft light is the result, diffusion is one of the ways to get there. Grades run from a barely visible haze to heavy white, and each grade costs light — a full sheet can take a stop or more, which changes the lamp the gaffer has to order. The other route to the same softness is bouncing, and the two are chosen by circumstance: diffusion keeps the light where the lamp points, bouncing needs a surface to aim at.
A term only helps when everyone on set means the same thing by it — so what follows is how it is used, not a dictionary definition.
What runs differently here
In planning terms, that means:
- Every grade of diffusion costs output, so the loss is calculated before the lamp size is booked.
- Diffusion works by transmission, bounce by reflection — one keeps the lamp aimed at the subject, the other turns it away.
- Fabric on a frame near the actor softens far more than the same material clipped to the barn doors of a distant lamp.
With TillyGen
TillyGen's equipment list carries diffusion frames and fabric as their own lines, so the stands and rigging minutes they need are visible in the plan.
Change one constraint and the consequences travel through the whole plan: affected shots are flagged, the call sheet is regenerated, and nobody keeps working from yesterday's version.
Frequently asked
Diffusion on the lamp or on a frame?
On a frame near the subject when you want real softness, since the effective source becomes the frame. On the lamp when you only need to knock the edge off.
How long does it take to get started with TillyGen?
A first project takes under an hour to set up. There is no configuration phase in which templates and fields have to be defined before the tool produces anything.
Can the results be exported?
Yes — as PDF for the crew, CSV for downstream systems and through the API for anything automated. The plan stays the source; the exports are views of it.